Summary of the project, Advancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries: Assessing Library Patrons’ Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments.
The purpose of the research was to examine and understand the digital problem solving processes of vulnerable adults

Anderson, Judy

Castek, Jill

Frank, Tyler

Gibbon, Cindy

Honisett, Amy

Jacobs, Gloria

English

PDXScholar (Portland State University)

Portland State UniversityPDXScholarPresentations and PublicationsAdvancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries:Assessing Library Patrons' Problem Solving inTechnology Rich Environments2018Project SummaryJill CastekUniversity of Arizona, jcastek@email.arizona.eduGloria JacobsPortland State University, gljacobs@pdx.eduCindy GibbonMultnomah County Library, cindyg@multcolib.orgTyler FrankPima Community CollegeAmy HonisettMultnomah County LibrarySee next page for additional authorsLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/digital_equity_findingsPart of the Applied Linguistics Commons, and the Information Literacy CommonsThis Report is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Presentations and Publications by an authorizedadministrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu.Citation DetailsCastek, J., Jacobs, G., Gibbon, C., Frank, T., Honisett, A., Anderson, J., (2018). Project Summary. Advancing Digital Equity in PublicLibraries: Assessing Library Patrons’ Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments.AuthorsJill Castek, Gloria Jacobs, Cindy Gibbon, Tyler Frank, Amy Honisett, and Judy AndersonThis report is available at PDXScholar: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/digital_equity_findings/21  Advancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries: Assessing Library Patrons’ Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments  Project Summary  This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant # LG-06-14-076-14A​.  Project Purpose: ​The purpose of the research was to examine and understand the digital problem solving processes of vulnerable adults.   Project Team: ​This research was a collaborative effort with contributions made by a core team of researchers and practitioners at Portland State University, the University of Arizona, and staff from the Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon. The research team was advised by a National Advisory Committee and an external evaluator.   Data Collection: ​The research used a mixed methods design that included 1) a background survey (N=450); 2) PIAAC’s Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments (PSTRE) assessment (N=211), and 3) an observation and interview of participants completing the PSTRE and a set of online library tasks the research team designed (N=18).   Analysis: ​Quantitative analysis included 1) basic demographics; 2) comparisons between groups of participants, and 3) a latent class analysis.  Qualitative analysis was used to develop the themes that were examined in relation to the quantitative results.  Findings and Outcomes: ​Quantitative analysis revealed that library website use was a strong predictor of PSTRE scores.  Qualitative analysis showed that digital problem solving needs to be seen as a set of contexts and events that are dynamic across different situations.   The project resulted in two products: 1)  a design protocol with tasks for observing digital problem solving in the library and 2) an observational checklist to use when a librarian or other library staff member meets with a patron or within the context of a class.  Suggested Citation: ​Castek, J., Jacobs, G., Gibbon, C., Frank, T., Honisett, A., Anderson, J., (2018). ​Project Summary.​ Advancing Digital Equity in Public Libraries: Assessing Library Patrons’ Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments.   The authors acknowledge contributions by Vailey Oehlke and Patricia Moran at Multnomah County Library, and Matt Timberlake at Multnomah County IT, members of the grant’s advisory board as well as research collaborators  Mei-kuang Chen, Stephen Reder, Andrew Pizzolato, and Laura Hill for their many contributions.    This work is licensed under a ​Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License​.    

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https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&amp;context=digital_equity_findings

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