The Realities of Virtual Space: Lessons from Observing Library Users John Law ASERL – Auburn Forum on User Studies for Research Libraries – July 31, 2008 © 2008 ProQuest CSA LLC. All Right Reserved. The information contained within this presentation is proprietary to ProQuest CSA LLC. Use without citation is strictly prohibited. Law, John. Observing Students Researchers in their Native Habitat. Ann Arbor: ProQuest, 2007.

New Realities 1.Users are now in the drivers seat –Users have choices for information access 2. Born-digital users cut their teeth on the leading open web applications –Google, Amazon and other open-web services have set the bar with regards to quality of user experience 3. Users expect seamless access and continuity in work flow –Users will flock to services that meet their needs © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Libraries face a challenge The online library environment must keep pace with escalating user expectations or risk becoming irrelevant to the user community © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Methodology Ongoing research over multiple phases Field studies observing users in their native environment Guided by a formal research plan and study protocol © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. How the study was conducted

Study parameters Students actively engaged in performing research for actual class assignments Conducted anonymously to avoid any bias Conducted onsite and remotely © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

How did we find students? Facebook

Screening Online survey

Who did we observe? Undergraduates Graduate students Variety of disciplines Mix of novice and sophisticated researchers © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Coffee shops The library Where did we go?

The library Computer labs Where did we go?

Coffee shops Where did we go?

Apartments Where did we go?

Capturing remote sessions

The students view

Findings – What we learned How students decide which resources to use for their research How students use library resources How students are really using Google How social networking sites factor into student research © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Millenials – How they work Experts at multi-tasking –Multiple research tasks/subtasks simultaneously –Simultaneous social interactions Not distractible (ambient noise/activities, advertising, pop-up, etc.) Various ways for capturing research (bib tool, notepad, Word, saving PDFs, etc.)

How students choose resources Library outreach Course instructor Brand awareness © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. And Google

How students use library resources Vast majority of participants attempted to use library resources for their research Once in a licensed product, most students have no serious difficulties in conducting their research Students often work with multiple resources and search tools at the same time Abstracts are essential in identifying relevant articles © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. Library resources

Chief inhibitors to success Lack of awareness Difficulty navigating library website to locate appropriate e-resources Search catalog front and center, for articles Authentication barriers, especially considering limited access points © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. Library resources

How students really use Google Primary research tool Supplement research Handy look-ups © 2007 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. And Google?

Google as a primary research tool Sufficing, when quality isnt a concern Insufficiently aware of library e-resources Bad experiences with library e-resources © 2007 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. And Google?

Google as a handy look-up tool Locate know resources –Known sites (NGOs, museums, etc.) –Major newspapers –Library resources Get specific answers –General information about a topic –Definition of a term, e.g. p16 protein –Complete a citation for an article of interest © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. And Google?

End-user surveys support these findings ~10,000 respondents Invited from ProQuest search interfaces Invited from Facebook ads at 3 universities © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. Quantitative research

Thinking about library online databases in comparison to web search engines such as Google… © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. End-User Surveys

© 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

End-User Surveys

© 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. End-User Surveys

© 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. End-User Surveys

© 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. End-User Surveys

Social networking sites For the most part, they dont One student mentioned using it for a group project as a means for communication within the group Facebook often used as study break; MySpace rarely used One student mentioned using it for a group project as a means for communication within the group Academic librarians are setting up Facebook profiles to create relationships with students © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved. How they factor into student research

Recommendations Make resources discoverable –Simplify e-resources web page design –Address students perception that the online catalog represents all library resources Authentication –Design access points for electronic resources from the students perspective Build awareness – Get into the classroom –In person –Via instructor –Via course pages © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Formula For Academic Library Success* Greater Awareness + Usable Websites + Flawless Authentication = Better Results * Courtesy Steven Bell via ACRL blog entry about these research findings [ ] © 2008 ProQuest LLC. All Right Reserved.

Thank you John Law Vice President, Discovery Services Joanna Markel, MSI Manager, User Experience Design Serena Rosenhan, Ph.D. Specialist, User Experience Design To be successful in todays world, those who define and build [research solutions] must know how to fit them into the fabric of everyday life. Beyer & Holtzblatt