Factors Motivating Use of Digital Libraries Flora McMartin, Broad Based Knowledge Alan Wolf, Unv. of Wisconsin, Madison Ellen Iverson, Carleton College Cathy Manduca, Carleton College Glenda Morgan, California State University

About Focus Groups 11 groups; 60 participants (April - November, 2005) 1 research university, 1 community college, 4 primarily teaching colleges, 2 HBCUs, 1 liberal arts, and 2 at the MERLOT International Conference JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

Coding Scheme How can digital libraries increase their use by faculty? 1.0 Characteristics of DLs that make them useful 6.0 Faculty use of Web for P&T purposes 2.0 Faculty work patterns vis a vis digital learning materials & teaching How can digital libraries increase their use by faculty? 5.0 Obstacles to Use of DLs 3.0 Alignment between DLs & faculty work patterns 4.0 Faculty use of DLs JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

Findings - Search Goals Popular search items Images Animations, videos (short clips), simulations Examples of real world data Use in teaching Supplements to lectures In class demonstrations Few interactive uses reported, e.g., simulations, experiments, etc. Sometimes used for personal learning about a topic they are teaching JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

Findings - Search Behavior Faculty do not search the universe of available options Ruled by cost/benefit - diminishing returns Return to favorite sites repeatedly Selection based on ‘good enough’ Opinions on value of peer review vary widely - star rating vs. in-depth Timeframe of search just prior to use; rarely used in course planning (except searching for example syllabuses) Google preferred overall favorite sites & resources - sites are sites JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

Findings - Barriers Lack of awareness of DLs Information overload - search technology doesn’t fit needs It’s not about lack of time -but priorities No motivation to use digital learning materials little reward for use or creation of DL materials Persistence of artifacts JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

Emerging Questions Should we match what faculty are using, e.g., huge image libraries? How do we match faculty development strategies (training) with faculty needs? What is the value of peer review; self reported vs. actual behavior? Adds to trust factor, but high cost may outweighs value to the DL JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006

For more information….or to learn how your institution can participate in the survey study Contact http://serc.carleton.edu/facultypart Alan Wolf, alanwolf@wisc.edu JCDL - Chapel Hill 2006