Open Source Assessment of Academic Library Patron Satisfaction

Purpose – While academic libraries have often purchased proprietary software to assess patron satisfaction, the open source movement has generated high-quality software available free of charge. These tools are useful alternatives in an era marked by tremendous budget cuts familiar to many academic libraries. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the ability of open source software to effectively and affordably measure the quality of service at academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The author’s experience with using the open source tool LimeSurvey to administer a library survey over a three-year period serves as a case study for other institutions. A literature review contextualizes the history of patron satisfaction surveys within academic libraries and questions the lack of an open source presence. Popular proprietary survey software is reported as a viable but expensive option, leading to a detailed case study of Sarah Lawrence College’s successful addition of open source software to its assessment procedures. Findings – LimeSurvey is a flexible, customizable, and cost-effective tool for a small college library investing in querying its patrons for constructive feedback as a means of improving user experience. Originality/value – This paper will be of value to any library on a fixed budget looking to assess patron satisfaction with resources and services. Very little literature currently exists on this topic, but as the open source movement continues to flourish this software can play an integral role in allowing libraries to cut costs but not indispensable patron feedback

America\u27s Next Top Citation: Teaching MLA skills to Students

Inspired by game-based learning, audience response systems, and the idea of meeting students where they are, I developed a collaborative, one-hour interactive workshop focused on helping students in English composition classes learn the fundamentals of Modern Language Association (MLA) style

Applications of Edith Stein\u27s Empathy Theory to Library Science

Library Science has traditionally been a discipline which operates from a pragmatic rather than a philosophical framework. Theory is traditionally superseded by practice, rendering librarianship a field lacking in concrete foundations. However, philosophy, particularly phenomenology, harbors powerful ramifications for improving both the theoretical underpinnings and practical applications of the field. In particular, phenomenologist Edith Stein\u27s research on empathy has the unique potential to advance librarianship by providing a model for better understanding of patron needs. In order to translate Stein\u27s theory into practice, the classic feminist strategy of consciousness-raising provides a novel methodology

An Exploration of Academic Librarian Positions Dedicated to Serving First Year College Students

Within library literature there are many articles that describe academic librarians’ experiences working with first year college students. For example, teaching information literacy skills, assessing student learning, and serving as a personal librarian. However, there is not much formal research that compiles and investigates the professional responsibilities, campus partnerships, challenges, and successes of librarians in a first year experience (FYE) role. The existence of numerous FYE librarian positions combined with a lack of scholarship exploring this important role necessitated an empirical study surveying these librarians to learn more about their jobs

The Library Catalog is Definitely the Best place to find articles!” Overconfidence Among Undergraduate Library Users

Investigators in several academic subjects have conducted research focused on determining if undergraduate students are overconfident regarding their knowledge of disciplinary subject matter. Up until recently, most of these studies have investigated students of psychology or economics. However, a handful of academic librarians have begun to conduct similar studies with undergraduate library users, curious whether this population shows similar overconfidence in their grasp of academic research. Overconfidence is a major problem for students because it interferes with both learning and an authentic self-awareness. The present study surveyed 34 undergraduates to assess if they were overconfident about their knowledge in key library research areas including citing, identifying components of scholarly and popular sources, and developing and applying searches in online databases. This project was a partnership between a reference and instruction librarian and a psychology professor at a mid-sized urban university in the northeast region of the United States.Two questionnaires were developed. The first was titled Library Knowledge Confidence Scale and contained ten true/false questions about key research skills. After circling their answer, participants rated their confidence in their response from 50% (just guessing) to 100% (absolutely sure). A general knowledge scale with the same format was created for comparison purposes. Despite the fact that student scores were low on both scales (M=60 out of 100 for library scale and M=69 on general knowledge scale), ANOVA tests showed that students demonstrated pronounced overconfidence on both tools. These results signify a need for increased library and metacognitive skill instruction among this student sample. The outcome of this study was similar to results of studies conducted in psychology and education, as students thought they knew more about library research than they actually did. Students will benefit both from increased library instruction and strategies for lessening overconfidence. The latter methods can include embedded librarians and reflective workshops geared at evaluation of test answers. This session would provide several benefits for librarians in attendance. First, librarians interested in investigating issues related to overconfidence in their own user populations would have a template from which they could base their own study. It would be particularly beneficial to replicate this study with graduate students. Additionally, this project utilized several statistical methodologies popular in social sciences research, including analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson correlations. The presenter would offer participants information on incorporating these statistics into their research agenda and practice. This project is a combination of the disciplines of library and information science and psychology. This collaboration among academic departments and the library is a valuable addition to teaching and learning, and this study demonstrates a framework for forging such an interdepartmental partnership

An Exploration of Academic Librarian Positions Dedicated to Serving First Year College Students

Within library literature there are many articles that describe academic librarians\u27 experiences working with first-year college students, for example, teaching information literacy skills, assessing student learning, and serving as a personal librarian. While these positions have become common, there is not much formal research that compiles and investigates the professional responsibilities, campus partnerships, challenges, and successes of librarians in a first-year experience role. Interdepartmental collaboration is the primary focus of this exploration, as there are a multitude of campus stakeholders needed to ensure the overall success of first-year students. A survey of first-year librarians describes common themes and challenges across these positions, and can help librarians determine how to structure these jobs

The Application of Reliability and Validity Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of an Undergraduate Citation Rubric

The increasing popularity of rubrics to assess student learning outcomes in the information literacy classroom is evident within Library and Information Science literature. However, there is a lack of research detailing scientific evaluation of these assessment instruments to determine their reliability and validity. The goal of this study was to use two common measurement methods to determine the content validity and internal consistency reliability of a citation rubric developed by the researcher. Results showed the rubric needed modification in order to improve reliability and validity. Changes were made and the updated rubric will be used in the classroom in a future semester

Far From a Trivial Pursuit: Assessing the Effectiveness of Games in Information Literacy Instruction

Objective – To determine whether playing library-related online games during information literacy instruction sessions improves student performance on questionnaires pertaining to selected research practices: identifying citation types and keyword and synonym development. Methods – 86 students in seven introductory English composition classes at a large urban university in the northeastern United States served as participants. Each class visited the library for library instruction twice during a given semester. In the experimental group students received information literacy instruction that incorporated two online games, and the control group received the same lesson plan with the exception of a lecture in place of playing games. A six item pre- and posttest questionnaire was developed and administered at the outset and conclusion of the two-session classes. The 172 individual tests were coded, graded, and analyzed using SPSS. Results – A paired sample t-test comparing the control and experimental groups determined that that there was a statistically significant difference between scores on pre-tests and post-tests in the experimental group but not the control group. Conclusion – Students who played the online games improved significantly more from pre-test to post-test than students who received a lecture in lieu of playing online games, suggesting that participating in games related to the instruction they received resulted in an improved ability to select appropriate keywords and ascertain citation formats. These findings contribute to the evidence that online games concerning two frequently challenging research practices can be successfully applied to library instruction sessions to improve student comprehension of such skills

Adapting the Amazing Library Race: Using Problem-based Learning in Library Orientations

This paper describes a pilot adaptation of the Amazing Library Race (ALR), an academic library orientation designed to introduce new users to library resources and services. A total of 185 students in twelve classes participated in the pilot project, which the authors co-taught. Pedagogically, the ALR combines guided, problem-based learning concepts with key elements of gamification, including competition and reward motivation. It also addresses the learning outcomes of reducing library anxiety and providing general information about collections and services. A review of the literature used in the design of the race is included, as well as a description of the race development and the rubric-based assessment tool used to gauge its success. The pilot orientation presents a replicable model for institutions interested in creating similar library orientation sessions

Far From a Trivial Pursuit: Assessing the Effectiveness of Games in Information Literacy Instruction

Objective – To determine whether playing library-related online games during information literacy instruction sessions improves student performance on questionnaires pertaining to selected research practices: identifying citation types and keyword and synonym development. Methods – 86 students in seven introductory English composition classes at a large urban university in the northeastern United States served as participants. Each class visited the library for library instruction twice during a given semester. In the experimental group students received information literacy instruction that incorporated two online games, and the control group received the same lesson plan with the exception of a lecture in place of playing games. A six item pre- and posttest questionnaire was developed and administered at the outset and conclusion of the two-session classes. The 172 individual tests were coded, graded, and analyzed using SPSS. Results – A paired sample t-test comparing the control and experimental groups determined that that there was a statistically significant difference between scores on pre-tests and post-tests in the experimental group but not the control group. Conclusion – Students who played the online games improved significantly more from pre-test to post-test than students who received a lecture in lieu of playing online games, suggesting that participating in games related to the instruction they received resulted in an improved ability to select appropriate keywords and ascertain citation formats. These findings contribute to the evidence that online games concerning two frequently challenging research practices can be successfully applied to library instruction sessions to improve student comprehension of such skills