Revolutionizing Information Use Studies: A Journey Through Six Decades of Understanding
In "60 Years of Measuring the Use of Information and its Sources," Donald O. Case explores the evolution of user studies from consultation to application. This comprehensive work identifies three distinct eras of information use: the era of collections, documents, and chunks. By assessing qualitative and quantitative methods, it highlights the importance of outcomes in library management and user satisfaction. Case emphasizes the shift towards measuring the impact of information use, addressing the need for more in-depth qualitative methods, and the pressures facing LIS scholars and institutions.
Revolutionizing Information Use Studies: A Journey Through Six Decades of Understanding
E N D
Presentation Transcript
60 Years of Measuring the Use of Information and its Sources:From Consultation to ApplicationbyDonald O. CaseUniversity of Kentucky, USA LIDA 2014
• 3 Eras of User Studies • Observing Outcomes • Trends in Studying Use • Why Outcomes Matter History of Observing Use, Effects and Outcomes
The Collection The Document The Chunk The 3 Eras Case LIDA
Identifying Origins: Some General Comments Three Eras
1836-1935: Collections 1936-1958: Documents 1959-Now: Chunks The 3 Eras Case LIDA
The Era of Collections • Long Essential to Library Management & Assessment • Breakdown of Collection Use • Collection/Services as Focus
The Era of Documents • What Book/Magazine/ Paper do Users Prefer, & Why? • Rare: What Happens as a Result? Outcomes of Exposure • Shift to Qualitative Methods
The Era of Chunks • Units of Information Smaller than a Document, e.g., an Answer • More Emphasis on Outcomes, e.g., Awareness or Tasks • Scientists, Engineers, Managers
What is “Use”? • An Ambiguous Word Use and Outcomes
What is “Use”? • An Ambiguous Word • Limited Observations Use and Outcomes
What is “Use”? • An Ambiguous Word • Limited Observations • Effects or Applications Rarely Measured in Past Use and Outcomes
What is “Use”? • An Ambiguous Word • Limited Observations • Effects or Application Rarely Measured in Past • But More Common Now Use and Outcomes
QUANTITATIVE MEASURES, e.g., • Yes-No Responses to Items like “I learned something new” or “I was reassured.” • Scalar Responses to Statements like “I tried to relate what I read to my own experience.” QUALITATIVE QUOTATIONS, e.g., • “What she told me made me feel better.” RESEARCHER SUMMARIES, e.g., • “The student’s essay showed how she had paraphrased the material she read.” What We Looked For
Study Results
Need Seeking Finding Use Potential Explanations
THEN: Need Seeking Finding Use NOW: Need Seeking Finding Use Outcome Potential Explanations
Observing Outcomes is Difficult Qualitative Methods are Better-Suited They were Not Popular Until the 1980s Potential Explanations
Another Potential Explanation: Pressure from External Environment • Parent/Funding Agencies of Libraries Want Better Results and Justifications Potential Explanations
Pressure from External Environment • Parent/Funding Agencies of Libraries Want Better Results and Justifications • LIS Scholars Face Similar Pressure, Plus Competition from Other Disciplines Potential Explanations
Conclusions • Assessing Outcomes is Important • May Require In-Depth Methods • Quantitative Measures Also Useful • Yet Such Measures also have Limits Final Point
Thank You for Listening! Hvala! Coffee, Anyone?
