Informing decision-making in libraries: informetric research as input to LIS education and practice.(Library and Information Science).

Findings from informetric research represent an important background resource to add to the mix of information useful for resolving difficult and ongoing problems in specific library environments or information service settings. This paper provides examples of informetric research that can be useful input to decision-making in the field of library management and information service provision. This overview takes four of the challenges that Michael Buckland outlined for library research as a way of guiding the discussion of ways that informetric work can be used to inform library decision-making. (1) References are made to relevant informetric work undertaken or conducted in Australia, by Australian researchers, or with Australian data.

Informetrics includes both quantitative and qualitative methods, which when used in combination can provide a rounded set of findings that has great validity for management, policy and service applications. Quantitative methodologies are generally based on bibliometric techniques, such as mining and analysis of data from various bibliographic and textual databases. Qualitative methods include survey, case study and historical approaches. Used in combination, each set of findings adds richness and other perspectives to an analysis.

Evaluation of University of Queensland Library Spaces: three case studies at St Lucia Campus

Introduction: The paper reports on an evaluation study of spaces in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSHL), Biological Sciences (BSL) and Walter Harrison Law (WHLL) Libraries of the University of Queensland (UQ). The study was part of an evaluation of the quality and patterns of use of spaces in UQ libraries, which aimed to propose recommendations for future improvements and decision-making. This paper presents a study of areas of weakness in existing SSHL spaces, and impacts of the refurbishment of spaces at BSL and WHLL on students’ experiences. The findings evidence a link between students’ learning experiences and the quality of library spaces.Methods: An online survey, “Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Library Physical Spaces”, was designed to collect data from students. The survey questions addressed seven topics: (1) overall satisfaction with spaces in the UQ Libraries; (2) welcoming nature of the library entry; (3) lighting; (4) acoustics; (5) furniture; (6) wayfinding; and (7) preferences for different space types in the library.Results: 1505 students completed the surveys, with 1098 responses recorded to open-ended questions on why students visited the libraries and the physical characteristics of the spaces that influenced their experiences. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data elucidated key design challenges and considerations. In particular, the data suggested that the provision of individual quiet study spaces remains an important role of academic libraries, with Studying Alone identified as the most important reason for student visits.Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of individual study spaces and propose a number of recommendations in relation to physical space design and management.Relevance: Academic libraries face the challenge to keep pace with change in relation to students’ demographics, pedagogy and technology. In doing so, it is important to have an understanding of the evolving patterns of students’ learning behaviours, space uses and preferences through ongoing evaluation of library spaces.

Computer-aided design decision support: interfacing knowledge and information

Computer-aided design decision support has proved to be an elusive and intangible project for many researchers as they seek to encapsulate information and knowledge-based systems as useful multifunctional data structures. Definitions of ‘knowledge', ‘information', ‘facts', and ‘data' become semantic footballs in the struggle to identify what designers actually do, and what level of support would suit them best, and how that support might be offered. The Construction Primer is a database-drivable interactive multimedia environment that provides readily updated access to many levels of information aimed to suit students and practitioners alike. This is hardly a novelty in itself. The innovative interface and metadata structures, however, combine with the willingness of national building control legislators, standards authorities, materials producers, building research organisations, and specification services to make the Construction Primer a versatile design decision support vehicle. It is both compatible with most working methodologies while remaining reasonably future-proof. This paper describes the structure of the project and highlights the importance of sound planning and strict adhesion to library-standard metadata protocols as a means to avoid the support becoming too specific or too paradigmatic.

Can an online tutorial pass the test for library instruction? An evaluation and comparison of library skills instruction methods for first year students at Deakin University

An online, interactive tutorial, Smart Searcher, was introduced at Deakin University as part of the Iibrary's information skills program in late 2000. As liaison librarians responsible for library skills training we wanted to compare and evaluate this mode of instruction with our normal face-to-face delivery of library instruction. This study found that students with face-to-face instruction did, in fact, gain higher posttest mean scores than students completing the online tutorial. Also, students attending these library sessions felt more confident about their library skills than those in the online tutorial only session.

Planning, delivery and evaluation of information literacy training for engineering and technology students

Information literacy has become an important skill for undergraduate students due to societal changes that have seen information become a valuable commodity, the need for graduates to become lifelong learners, and the recognition that information literacy is an underpinning generic skill for effective learning in higher education. This paper describes a sequence of activities and technologies designed to help students learn and practice information literacy skills. These activities have been purposefully designed and integrated into a first-year engineering and technology study unit as a core syllabus element. A formal evaluation of aspects of these activities was planned and undertaken in semester one 2003.

Financial accounting and library collections : the bottom line

The valuation and depreciation of library collections is an increasing challenge in the context of financial accounting requirements. The depreciation implications of major collection management strategies have become of increasing concern to Deakin University library in regard to accrual accounting reporting procedures. Changes to library collections, such as the transition to online journals, are moving the financial value of library collections from capital to operating budgets. Major collection management projects such as weeding print assets can have unexpected implications for depreciation and library budgets. Gratis publication acquisitions can also significantly affect valuation and depreciation. Many other libraries are facing similar challenges and this paper will incorporate a range of experiences and practices.

There appears to be little consistency across libraries in how collections are valued and accounting procedures can differ greatly across institutions. The seemingly arbitrary and often questionable nature of financial policies in relation to library collections can create problems for libraries when used to inform decision making and budgets. Libraries increasingly need to work in partnership with financial managers to ensure the financial reporting requirements do not result in adverse implications for collections and budgets and that the capacity of the library to meet its strategic objectives is not impeded. This paper explores the issues and challenges facing many libraries and outlines some strategies to assist library managers in dealing with this financial conundrum

Gender and IT : ongoing challenges for computing and information technology education in Australian secondary education

# 1. Introduction. Exploring the gender and IT problem and possible ways forward /​ Julianne Lynch
# 2. The imagined curriculum: who studies Computing and Information Technology subjects at the senior secondary level? /​ Margaret Vickers and My Trinh Ha
# 3. A question of attention: challenges for researching the under representation of girls in Computing and Information Technology subjects /​ Leonie Rowan
# 4. The nature and purpose of Computing and Information Technology subjects in the senior secondary school curriculum in New South Wales /​ Toni Downes
# 5. The social construction of Computing and Information Technology subject subculture /​ Catherine Harris
# 6. Boy nerds, girl nerds: constituting and negotiating Computing and Information Technology and peer groups as gendered subjects in schooling /​ Kerry Robinson and Cristyn Davies
# 7. CIT teachers' cultures in a globalising world /​ Carol Reid and Jose van der Akker
# 8. Perceptions of changing pedagogies in Computing and Information Technology /​ Susanne Gannon

Doctoral research and scholarly communication : candidates, supervisors and information literacy

This study investigates information literacy and scholarly communication within the processes of doctoral research and supervision at a distance. Both doctoral candidates and supervisors acknowledge information literacy deficiencies and it is suggested that disintermediation and the proliferation of information may contribute to those deficiencies. Further to this, the influence of pedagogic continuity—particularly in relation to the information seeking behaviour of candidates—is investigated, as is the concomitant aspect of how doctoral researchers practise scholarly communication. The well-documented and enduring problem for candidates of isolation from the research cultures of their universities is also scrutinised. The contentious issue of more formally involving librarians in the doctoral process is also considered, from the perspective of candidates and supervisors. Superimposed upon these topical and timely issues is the theoretical framework of adult learning theory, in particular the tenets of andragogy. The pedagogical-andragogical orientation of candidates and supervisors is established, demonstrating both the differences and similarities between candidates and supervisors, as are a number of independent variables, including a comparison of on-campus and off-campus candidates. Other independent variables include age, gender, DETYA (Department of Education, Training & Youth Affairs) category, enrolment type, stage of candidature, employment and status, type of doctorate, and English/non-English speaking background. The research methodology uses qualitative and quantitative techniques encompassing both data and methodological triangulation. The study uses two sets of questionnaires and a series of in-depth interviews with a sample of on-campus and off-campus doctoral candidates and supervisors from four Australian universities. Major findings include NESB candidates being more pedagogical than their ESB counterparts, and candidates and supervisors from the Sciences are more pedagogical than those from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, or Education. Candidates make a transition from a more dependent and pedagogically oriented approach to learning towards more of an independent and andragogical orientation over the duration of their candidature. However, over tune both on-campus and off-campus candidates become more isolated from the research cultures of their universities, and less happy with support received from their supervisors in relation to their literature reviews. Ill The study found large discrepancies in perception between the support supervisors believed they gave to candidates in relation to the literature review, and the support candidates believed they received. Information seeking becomes easier over time, but candidates face a dilemma with the proliferation of information, suggesting that disintermediation has exacerbated the challenges of evaluation and organisation of information. The concept of pedagogic continuity was recognised by supervisors and especially candidates, both negative and positive influences. The findings are critically analysed and synthesised using the metaphor of a scholarly 'Club' of which obtaining a doctorate is a rite of passage. Recommendations are made for changes in professional practice, and topics that may warrant further research are suggested.

Classifying Australian PhD theses: linking research and library practices

This article draws on the findings from, and the methods and approach used in the provision of a database of Australian PhD thesis records for the period 1987 to 2006, coded by Research Fields, Courses and Disciplines (RFCD) fields of study. Importantly, the project was not merely the creation of yet another database but constitutes a valuable research resource in its own right. The database is significant as it can be used to track knowledge production in Australia over a twenty year period and contains approximately 54,000 bibliographic records. Recommendations for practice relate to university libraries, doctoral candidates, and the coded database.

Discovering the value that the library can contribute to quality teaching and learning through student evaluation data

Large surveys of library user service quality perception are common. However, student evaluation of teaching (SET) data often show a disparity between ratings of library service quality and library resource quality. In this situation, perhaps SET data can also provide insights into what contributes to the perception of library resource quality, and hence identify leverage points for quality improvement interventions. This paper documents an analysis of available Deakin University SET data relating to student interaction with, and evaluation of, library resources. It highlights significant correlations associated with library-related SET items, and from them infers actions that the library could undertake to improve the value and perception of the quality of library resources. The following results were observed. High ratings for library resources were likely to be associated with high general ratings of teaching and unit quality. Postgraduate coursework students rated library resources significantly higher than students in the first three years of undergraduate programs. Students in one faculty (Health) rated library resources significantly higher than students in all other faculties. There was a strong correlation observed in Australasian Survey of Student Engagement data for both 2009 and 2010 between the two items “Used library resources on campus or online” and “Worked on an essay or assignment that required integrating ideas or information from various sources”. These findings suggest the following conclusions. Well-planned learning environments are likely to integrate meaningful student interaction with the library. Initiatives to improve the value and perception of the quality of library resources should be focussed on the specific characteristics and needs of particular student cohorts to have maximum impact. More sophisticated assessment tasks that require students to interact with the library have the potential to result in higher student ratings of the value of library resources.

Using quantitative and qualitative unit profiling for identifying the contribution of library resources to teaching quality

This paper presents the development and application of a new methodology incorporating both quantitative and qualitative profiling to help discern the characteristics of units of study that are the differentiators of student ratings of library resource quality. From the sub-set of those units with an ‘unremarkable’ rating for teaching quality, those units with the ‘extreme’ library resource quality ratings were selected for investigation. Examination of the handbook descriptions for those units suggests that units of study which explicitly incorporate student interaction with the wider literature and other information resources beyond those provided within the unit environment may lead students to engage with the library in deeper ways that highlight the value of library resources, and hence lead to higher mean ratings of library resource quality. This finding suggests potential areas for intervention to enhance student perceptions of the quality of library resources.