Transcript Assessment2009

Digital Resources in Instruction and
Research: Assessing Faculty Discovery,
Use and Needs
Vicki Tobias, Digital Services Librarian
[email protected] / 608.265.6381
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Overview
• Digital Initiatives Coordinating Committee (DICC)
requested a comprehensive assessment of the UW Digital
Collections (UWDC)
• Coordinated and conducted by UW Digital Collections
Center (UWDCC) Digital Services Librarian, Vicki Tobias
• Assistance from UW-Madison Assessment Librarian, Nola
Walker and UWDCC staff Melissa McLimans, Dorothea
Salo and Leah Ujda
• Additional research support, consultation with UW
Madison IRB staff and UW Madison DoIT Assessment staff
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Objectives
• Understand faculty awareness of and expectations for
digital library resources, services and tools
• Obtain faculty feedback on digital resource and service
needs that support their specific teaching and research
• More clearly identify faculty interaction with digital
resources in teaching and research activities
• Raise faculty awareness of UWDCC in general and its
services and resources
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Outcomes
1. Inform DICC and UWDCC decisions related to UWDC
goals and strategic planning, future project and digital
collection development.
2. Inform development of resources, services, and
tools that better meet faculty expectations and satisfies
UWDCC strategic goals.
3. Inform both broad and specific issues outlined in the
2007 CUWL Strategic Directions Document.
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Strategy
Mixed methodology
Phase I: Web-based survey
• Environmental landscape
• Broad-level information
• Current situation
• Identify trends; issues or obstacles
• Results inform focus group/interview questions
Phase II: Focus groups/interviews
• Detailed information
• Ideal situation
• Identify faculty needs; how UWDCC might help
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Scope
Selected UW System campuses to participate in assessment:
• UW Madison
• UW Milwaukee
• UW Oshkosh
• UW La Crosse
• UW Baraboo
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Scope
Assessment Target: Faculty!
• Faculty dictate what’s taught, used, accessed for their
courses
• Faculty influence students
• Our mission dictates that we strive to serve faculty needs
• Participation
Survey: Randomly invited to complete survey
Focus Group or Interview: Selected from survey pool or
recommended by DICC member
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Timeline
Winter/Spring 2008: Research, consultation, committee
and staff feedback
Spring 2008: Assessment plan created, approved by DICC
Summer 2008: Survey methodology and questions
finalized
Fall 2008: (Phase One) Web-based Survey
Winter/Spring 2009: (Phase Two) Focus Groups and
Interviews
Spring 2009: Summary Report and Presentation of
Findings
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
• Fall 2008 launch, survey open for four weeks
• Web-based survey hosted by Zoomerang.com
• Randomly-selected group of faculty, representing
approximately 33% of the total faculty, from five UW
System campuses
• Email link to survey; explain how survey results will
benefit participants; current or previous UWDCC faculty
“content providers” also invited to participate
• Approximately 1,500 faculty invited
• 179 complete responses and 36 partial responses
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Definition of “Digital Resource”
For the purpose of this assessment, “digital resource” is
defined as an item digitized and/or made available via
the Internet for instruction and research.
Examples include text-based materials such as books,
journal series, and manuscript collections;
photographic images; slides; maps; charts; prints;
posters; audio; and video.
“Digital resources” may be from your own or other
online collections.
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Survey Questions
Part I: General Information
Part II: Discovery & Use of Digital Resources by Teaching Faculty
Part III: Discovery & Use of Digital Resources by Research
Faculty
Part IV: UWDCC-specific Information
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
Searching for digital resources
57% (Teaching) / 72% (Research) – “Very Comfortable”
Using digital resources
45% (Teaching) / 66% (Research) – “Very Comfortable”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
“Frequency using digital resources from:”
--commercial image databases
70% (Teaching) / 61% (Research) – “NEVER”
--their own campus or department image databases
57% (Teaching) / 45% (Research) – “NEVER”
--online exhibits/galleries
46% (Teaching) / 51% (Research) – “NEVER”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
“Frequency using library or personal digital collections:”
--library digital collections
56% (Teaching) / 23% (Research) – “RARELY or NEVER”
but…
--personal digital (image) collections
45% (Teaching) / 42% (Research) – “OFTEN or ALMOST ALL
OF THE TIME”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
“Identify specific, frequently-used online resource
for teaching or research:”
Respondents listed numerous sites including Wikipedia and
JSTOR but…
39% - Google Search, Images, Video and/or Scholar
11% - YouTube
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
“Frequency using particular types of digital resources:”
--facsimiles of ancient or historical manuscripts
73% (Teaching) / 57% (Research) – “RARELY or NEVER”
--government documents
48% (Teaching) / 36% (Research) – “RARELY or NEVER”
--maps
47% (Teaching) / 46% (Research) – “RARELY or NEVER”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource USE
“Assign importance to support activities:”
--interpreting copyright laws and/or securing copyright
permission
67% – “IMPORTANT, MORE or VERY IMPORTANT”
--digitizing resources for teaching or research
52% – “IMPORTANT, MORE or VERY IMPORTANT”
--gathering, organizing, and maintaining digital materials
48% – “IMPORTANT, MORE or VERY IMPORTANT”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: Digital Resource DISCOVERY
“Assign importance to search features:”
--quality of search results
98% (Teaching) / 83% (Research) – “IMPORTANT”
--search/site ease of use
96% (Teaching) / 78% (Research) – “IMPORTANT”
--search/site ease of navigation
93% (Teaching) / 87% (Research) – “IMPORTANT”
--authoritative resource
91% (Teaching) / 98% (Research) – “IMPORTANT”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase One: Web Survey
Key Survey Findings: UWDCC Information
--Awareness of UWDCC
77% – “Not aware of UWDCC prior to taking survey”
--Desire to receive more information and collection
updates from UWDCC
70% - “Yes”
--Frequency and mode of communication
91% – “email”
42% - “monthly”; 29% “when new content available”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
• March-April 2009
• Participants selected from survey respondents or DICC
member recommendation
• Three focus groups held at UW Madison, UW Oshkosh,
UW LaCrosse; 3-5 participants each
• Twelve interviews with faculty from UW Madison, UW
Whitewater, UW Oshkosh, UW Milwaukee; conducted in
person or via conference call
• Initial questions consistent/standardized across all
groups
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Questions
1. Describe how you currently and ideally would like to
search for and retrieve digital resources.
2. Is there a particular Web site (or sites) that meets
your needs and, if so, why? What do you like about
the site?
3. Describe how you currently and ideally would like to
use digital resources in your teaching or research.
4. Describe the most successful Internet search experience
you’ve conducted.
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Questions, cont’d
5. What type of local assistance do you currently have
available, to facilitate creating and managing digital
resources?
6. What type of assistance are you lacking?
7. When you see or hear the title “University of Wisconsin
Digital Collections,” what do you expect to discover from
such a Web site?
8. Now that you’ve been introduced to the UWDCC and its
work, how do you envision this group supporting your
teaching or research?
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Focus Group/Interview Findings
Searching for Digital Resources
Using Digital Resources
Support or Assistance
UW Digital Collections Center
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Focus Group/Interview Findings
Searching for Digital Resources
1. Google, Google Scholar, Google Images, Flickr and
YouTube
2. No time to casually surf/browse; search for known items
3. “word of mouth” (colleagues)
4. Ideal search results = authoritative and legitimate!
5. Ideal search = clean, uncluttered with text, easy to use
6. Referrals (if you like X, try Y)
7. Help with search terms
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Focus Group/Interview Findings
Using Digital Resources
1. Journal articles, photos (in ppt), reference materials,
2. Learn@UW or course Web sites
3. Audio and video; pod casting and YouTube
4. Lack technical skill, hardware, software, infrastructure
5. Need help using and managing digital resources
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Focus Group/Interview Findings
Support or Assistance
1. Students “more tech/Web savvy” than faculty
2. General technology support
3. More information sharing about digital resources
4. Hands-on assistance creating and managing online
databases (faculty and student use)
5. What to do with digital content created, after course ends
(e.g. student projects, images, audio, video)
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
Focus Group/Interview Findings
UW Digital Collections Center
1. Difficult to locate UWDC Web site
2. UWDC Web site is cumbersome to search
3. Positive reaction to collection contents!
4. More outreach to campus departments – UWDC should be
linked from department home pages, etc.
5. Alert faculty when colleagues have collaborated to create
UWDC!
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Phase Two: Focus Groups/Interviews
“Secondary Benefits”
1. Faculty introduced to:
• UW Madison Library Liaisons
• UW Madison Library Web pages
• UW Madison Library Course Web Pages and e-reserves
• RefWorks, FindIt and other Library tools
• MINDS@UW
2. Tell us when new resources are available
3. Come to our department and present about UWDCC services and
resources
4. I have an idea for a project…can you help?
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Summary
Expected results
• Comfort using and searching for digital resources
• Google! Google! Google!
• Use images from personal, not library digital collections
• Interested in integrating images into online learning
environments
• UWDC Web site difficult to locate and navigate
• Lack of awareness of UWDCC services and resources
Surprising results
• Not using digitized maps, historic texts, exhibits
• Poor technology/Web support within department/campus
• Lack of awareness of library tools and resources (general)
• No time to casually surf/browse; search for known items
• Audio and video
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Summary
Faculty needs
• Assistance with copyright
• Support gathering, organizing and managing digital
resources
• Audio and video; creating and using
• Technology support
Opportunities
• Copyright support
• UWDCC Web site redesign
• New digitization projects
• UWDCC staff as “consultants”
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Recommendations
UWDC Web site
Projects/Formats
Consultation
Technology
Outreach
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Assessment Questions/Follow Up
Survey results and associated documentation
available in MINDS@UW
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/34857
Questions? Comments? Contact me!
Vicki Tobias, Digital Services Librarian
[email protected] / 608.265.6381
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu
Digital Resources in Instruction and
Research: Assessing Faculty Discovery,
Use and Needs
Vicki Tobias, Digital Services Librarian
[email protected] / 608.265.6381
http://uwdc.library.wisc.edu