Patterns of CultureRe-aligning Library Culture to Meet User Needs
CNI Fall 2008 Task Force Meeting, Washington, DC
Introduction
Context
Research Questions
Methods (include observation)
Findings, Thoughts, Observations
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication
Syracuse University Library
Research TeamCo-Principal Investigator and Project Manager
• Nancy Turner, Librarian
Research Team Members• Ilka Datig, Graduate Assistant• John Olson, Librarian, Maps & GIS • Bonnie Ryan, Librarian, Social Sciences• Ann Skiold, Librarian, Art
Advisory
Library Suzanne Thorin, Dean of Libraries and Co-Principal
Investigator Michael Pasqualoni, Communications Librarian
Newhouse Amy Faulkner, Associate Dean for Academic AffairsRosanna Grassi, Associate Dean for Student AffairsJohanna Keller, Director, Goldring Arts Journalism ProgramRobert Kucharavy Newhouse Faculty Library LiaisonCarla Llyod, Associate Dean for Creative and Scholarly
ActivityDavid Rubin, DeanSoo Yeon Hong, Student Advisory Committee
UniversityMichael Freedman, Faculty Member, Anthropology
Department
Initial questionsIs ethnography a feasible method for
learning about our users?Can ethnographic data be used as a
framework for looking at our own organization’s culture?
Can we compare library and academic “cultures” in a meaningful way?
Do we share a common understanding with our users as to what the “library” means?
ProcessTraining
Interviews
Observation
Co-Listening
Shared Coding
Analysis
Project team meeting
Interview protocolTell me about a
recent article or piece of information that you read
How did you find it?
What did you do to prepare for your most recent class?
When you started work in your office today, what was the first thing you did?
Bonnie interviews student
Coded transcript from Atlas.ti
Manual organization
Barriers we face
Finding, Accessing and Evaluating Information
Managing Resources: Space, Time, Technology
Communication
Relationships , Teaching and Collaboration
Finding information
“A lot of these websites are easy to access over again compared to when I search for a journal article, sometimes it is hard to search and find that journal article again.” – Faculty Member
“Sometimes it is a hassle to phrase your search right.” -- Student
Finding information
“Almost all of us really like those kind of questions, it is a challenge, it is a scavenger hunt, it is one of those little puzzles that you have to figure out.”– Librarian
“Librarians like to search,
everyone else likes to find.”Roy Tennant in “Digital Libraries”, Library Journal, 2001
Accessing information
“We could sit at our library and access it, but if I were trying to access it off campus, you would be met with ‘username’ and ‘password’ and you would have to pay hundreds of dollars for access to these things” ---Student
“I’ll run into permission errors, or odd blackout days, or I’ll log in and the way the internal database site is administered won't let me do some things” – Faculty Member
“I really like studying in here because I like the chairs first of all because they are really comfortable, and I also like that fact that people are kind of talking, but they are not talking really loud.” -- Student
Study space, Tully Humanities Building
Newhouse Computer Lab
“Don’t get me wrong, but I get this kind of soulless feeling whenever I am in there.” -- Student
Learning new technologies Students
struggle with learning technology and usage
Faculty struggle with technology in classroom and keeping up with what they need to know.
Student Time Management
“I’m teaching Flash, I’m teaching Macromedia Studio, Photoshop, After Effects... I don't do any research except to prepare myself to teach them and I sometimes have to dive into a book and discover how to find out how to do something I don't know how to yet. ... I'm a week ahead of them in the book. Do I use library resources? No. The resources I have are online -- help desks, discussion groups, forums.“ – Faculty Member
Communication technologiesFaculty
Social networks (real, not virtual), Blackboard, E-mail
Librarians E-mail, Wikis,
Listservs
Students Cell phones,
Facebook, Blackboard, E-mail
Things I carry with me
What does faculty/student interaction look like in and outside the classroom?
What technologies are in use?
Food.com
Connecting with students “I learn from my students. I listen very
carefully to what their lives are about.” – Faculty Member
“I think of professors sometimes, what they do is put on a show. You write the script and you think of how you will visualize it, then you create the special effects. And then you have to be the performer.” – Faculty Member
“I am sort of one of those people that feels that, I don’t sort of trust myself to remember everything I need to talk about, so I basically write out a script for the whole class.” -- Librarian
Breaking down barriers for facultyImproved support for access
troubleshooting
More collaboration on web tools
Understanding essential information networks outside the library
Breaking down barriers for students
Technology space that provides appropriate support
Communication using tools already at work
More interactive approach to instruction
Collaboration with students from the School of Visual and Performing Arts
Draw your “Dream Library” interviews with students
Faculty interviews• How do you make reserve materials available to
students?• How do locate, access and use sound recordings?
Re-aligning library culture
Thoughts and Observations
Questions, Feedback?
Please contact us:Nancy Turner, [email protected]
Bonnie Ryan, [email protected]