Exploring User Experiences with Digital Library Services: A Focus Group Approach Kaur Kiran and Diljit Singh Department of Information Science Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology University of Malaya Malaysia
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Abstract. This study is a description of how university students perceive digital library services, or the integration of digital library elements within the traditional or hybrid library services in academic libraries. These services were identified through a preliminary study that evaluated the digital services offered by twenty university libraries. The top five university libraries with most services offered were selected. Qualitative method of data collection using ten focus groups consisting of 81 postgraduate students was employed. Overall, the focus group discussions reveal that digital services are very well received by users. The most popular being access to online databases, e-journals and e-books. Users almost unanimously request for more online help to assist in search for information and improve their information seeking skills. The results have implications for academic libraries providing digital services in a networked environment and recommendation made include providing better guidance to users, and solicit feedback to make evidence-based decisions on digital library service delivery. Keywords: Digital Library, academic library, web-based services.
1 Introduction The rapid expansion of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has had a great impact on how libraries are managing their collections and services. In an environment of increasing technological innovations, academic libraries must attempt to measure quality and effectiveness to align themselves with criteria by which higher education institutions are judged (Pritchard, 1996); justify financial investments (Kyrillidou & O’Connor, 2000) and respond to the changes brought about by the digital revolution. Technological progress has changed how libraries do their work, not why (Kuny & Cleveland, 1996). In the academic library scenario, the digital library has expanded from mere means of offering a collection of digital objects that people can access from their desktop, to a means of offering innovative library services over a networked environment, mainly the web. Henderson (2005) points out that “virtual library”, “digital library”, “electronic library” are all terms used to describe libraries and information services delivered via the Internet. These services G. Buchanan, M. Masoodian, S.J. Cunningham (Eds.): ICADL 2008, LNCS 5362, pp. 285–293, 2008. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008
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may include access to purchased databases, catalogue databases, electronic theses & dissertations, electronic document delivery, reference service, forums, internet resources, and others (Venkatalakshmi & Sonker, 2002). As there have been significant efforts in the development of digital libraries, there is need to identify evaluation strategies to assess digital libraries that can yield a variety of data regarding the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of digital libraries (Bertot, 2004). In his review of digital library assessment approaches, Bertot underlines that usercentered approaches evaluate the quality of the presentation of resources and services, and the inclusion of user needs. One must observe changes in the information environment to realize that a new breed of users is evolving. This new breed of self-sufficient users do not see the library as the centre of their information environment - they rely on the Internet and WWW. The competition faced by libraries from other information providers such as Google or even Amazon, has been recognized and discussed but very few libraries have taken the challenge seriously and taken steps to actively formulate strategies to counter these developments (Bawden & Vilar, 2006). The availability of digital resources is not enough if not complimented by additional services to support activities that occur during the information seeking process. This brings up the issue of what users want, when, where and how? Even the most experienced and knowledgeable librarian cannot predict user’s needs and expectations. Therefore it is necessary for us to find out what users want, and what more effective way than to ask them directly? This study is part of an ongoing research to develop an approach to measure digital library service quality, specifically in academic libraries. In this initial phase, a focus group methodology is applied to gain insights on how users, particularly post graduate students, perceive digital library services.
2 Literature Review A review of the literature confirms that that there is substantial lack in research relating to the uptake of electronic information services offered via digital libraries. Research has focused on areas such as design, architecture and functionality. Francisco-Revilla et. al. (2001), report that digital libraries are increasingly being defined as ones that collect pointers to WWW-based resources rather than hold the resources themselves. Greenstein (2000) shares this view and states that the digital library is known less for the extent and nature of the collections it owns than for the networked information space it defines through its online services. Jeng (2005) concludes that these views can be seen as calling a library website a portal-type digital library. The service aspect of a digital library has been noted in the literature (Borgman, 1992; McMillan, 2000; Chowdhury & Chowdhury , 2003; Choi, 2006). According to McMillan, a library is a fusion of resources in a variety of forms, including services and people supporting the entire life cycle of information. Often referred to as the ‘virtual’, ‘electronic’ or digital’ library, these libraries have several different definitions or explanations attributed to it. Choi (2006), in his study on reference services in digital libraries, revealed that the availability of digital resources is not enough if not complimented by additional services to support other activities that occur during the information seeking process.
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Although research has been conducted on digital libraries in the past decade, the majority of the literature concerns design and evaluation of the use of the homepages. Bertot (2004) in his review of the literature, expresses research in digital library services in four broad areas: outputs assessment, performance measures, service quality and outcome assessment, all of which may be library-centered or user-centered. Shropshire (2003) found that the literature commented only on the beginning (design) and the end (evaluation) of the process. Zhou (2003) examined the history of Web portals and their development in libraries and reported that only very few libraries have adopted the portal technology despite wide spread use of my.yahoo.com -type. In 2000, Lee & Teh evaluated the content and design of 12 Malaysian university library Web sites. Their study revealed that generally university libraries have set up well-designed and useful Web sites, but a very small number offered internal electronic databases, including examination papers, thesis abstract, university publications and public lectures, external electronic databases and some form of electronic reference service. Later in the same year Kiran (2000) examined the content and functionality of 13 public and private Malaysian university libraries on the Web and drew similar conclusions. Suggestions were made for academic libraries to take advantage of the networked access of the Internet and offer resources and services for the virtual user. As the number of databases may be limited by the expenses incurred, libraries could use the World Wide Web to build subject specific links and offer value-added information service to its user community. In 2006, Kiran found that more Malaysian academic libraries had begun to offer services such as web-based OPAC, access to online databases, e-journals, e-books, digitized local content, online forms for document delivery requests, online reserves and requests for purchase, online reference and online information searching skills training, via the library web site. Since a library is not expected to house all that there is available, the librarian should stop and ask the users if this is what they want, or what is it that they want?
3 Methodology An initial examination of university libraries on the Web was carried out to identify libraries that offer digital services or may also be referred to as web-based services. This study used a qualitative data collection approach using focus group discussions. The purpose of the focus groups was to learn about postgraduate students’ perception and experiences with digital library services available via the academic library web site. A total of ten groups, comprising of 81 participants were carried out from January 2008 to March 2008. Participants were selected by issuing an e-mail invitation to diverse faculties in all five institutions. Each focus group lasted about 60-90 minutes and was audio recorded. All responses were separated to individual statements and categorized according to revealing issues. A second phase of categorization further consolidated the issues and allowed for broad categorization and identification of issues in each category.
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4 Results and Discussion All participants were first asked to describe their familiarity with digital library services, where and when they accessed these services, what makes their experience memorable or difficult and their overall perception of the services. Overall it is found that a majority of the postgraduate students agreed that they used the digital library services very frequently for preparation of assignments and for literature search for their research activities. The most common usage is the online databases, e-journals and e-books. Since these students are mainly part-timers, they access digital services from their workplace or at home, specially late at night. A small number which consisted of mainly international students stated that they use the digital library services at the library, using either the PCs at the computer labs or own laptops. Among the memorable experiences, though very few responded to this, were ; “fantastic! The first time I was shown the online databases by a librarian and I could download latest articles still ‘in press’ – that was so wonderful..I told the whole class about it” “once a badly needed an article which was not full-text..so I went to the library to ask how I can get…the librarian showed me how to ask for the article by filling in a form on the web site…and I could do it from home…I got the article in 2 weeks…its so useful” Participants were encouraged to channel their thoughts as their perception of the performance of the digital library services. After reviewing the transcripts, several main issues emerged, which will be discussed in the following categories: 1. The environment in which the digital library service is offered 2. The delivery process of the digital library services 3. The outcome of using the digital library services 4.1 The Environment in Which the Digital Library Service Is Offered One of the major issues discussed among all groups was the environment in which these services are provided. Easy access to the web page containing these digital services was a main concern. Although they were appreciative of the availability of remote access and being able to access services at any time of the day, most participants expressed the difficulties faced to login into the system. Only two of the libraries use a proxy server for remote access that allows users to login in only once to access all the digital content, others need users to know a set of different usernames and password for each online resource that they want to access, may it be a subscribed databases or a institutional database of digitized resources. Consequently users are put off when they don’t know the particular password for a database and rather turn to the Internet for quick and easy access. Besides accessibility issues, users also place importance on the appearance of the site and want all links to be up-dated and working. Since quite a number of students
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Table 1. Focus group description of the digital library service environment Focus Group Participant Description of the digital library service environment: Accessibility
• • •
Site design and layout
• •
System reliability
• •
Links Equipment
• •
“User friendly- simple and easy to login” “Why do we have to login. The system should be able to recognize us from campus. If out of campus I understand- maybe for security but it is troublesome to remember so many passwords.” “Password is given but different for every database. Why not login once and can search all databases.” “The site is very friendly…I like the simple look” “There is so much of text in one single page. I have to use my glasses and better layout. Not complicate but crowded”. “Server must be OK all the time…you finally get to a working PCs [at the library] and then find the system so slow ..takes ages for page to appear” “It’s so frustrating when the system hang just when you click submit[online form].” “I think it is important that all the links are good [working]” “Wireless not good at the library…also not enough PC so I prefer to use my notebook.”
use the equipment at the library to access digital services, they want enough PCs and wireless access to be available. As one international student puts it “ so rich in information …but so difficult to get a good working PC to access!” 4.2 The Delivery Process of the Digital Library Services As participants were probed to discuss the digital services that they used, many begun to bring up the issue of ease of search. Mainly there were two broad issues here, one being the ability to recognize what were the services being offered on the site and the other was having the ability to search for relevant information as quickly as possible. Many users prefer to have information resources arranged by research areas or subject discipline. One concern expressed by the users was their lack of skills in searching for information. Many expressed the “need for online help”, let it be technical or to search the resources. Though some libraries provided online help for searching databases, most of the help was in PDF files supplied by the database vendors. Participants are more receptive towards an “online tutorial” or clear interactive guidelines on how to search. Most users were aware that some restrictions on access were placed by online database vendors and library had little control over them, however they hope that the library continually provide access to a comprehensive, up-to-date, relevant, trustworthy and accurate information sources. Besides digital information resource provision, it is very important that libraries uphold good communication channels with their users. Some participants said that they do not know who exactly to contact as usually only the webmaster’s email is given. Participants look forward to be told what the library has to offer and kept up-to-date about the changes and improvements in the digital library services. Many participants in the focus groups were unaware of online document delivery request and online reference services. They had very negative perception towards librarians. Librarians are generally considered as unapproachable and not willing to help. Troubleshooting or help when users are in difficulty is also asked for. Participants expressed the need for support from the library in the form of a 24 hour online helpdesk that would assist them in technical problems, login and also searching for information.
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Focus Group Participant Description of the digital library service delivery: Organization of • “Maybe they could list relevant material according to faculty or field” information • “List journal according to subject area, eg; these are the journals for the education” • “Online databases too complicated, too many subjects” Ease of • “he problem is that the search terms you use for different database. Time searching/use consuming to use different suitable search terms for different databases. The library can create ontology- very important” • “Not as easy to search as Google” Information • “So far I am happy with the journals content and find it relevant to my needs…” Content • “content of the dbases is comprehensive – very good - get all articles full text” • “..with the library databases the information can be trusted… other web sources maybe cannot trust so much.” Communication • “Somehow I think I don't use is because I do not see a face – a human. I don’t know anybody there. I would love if during the orientation the CL comes and introduce. There must be a relationship. I find myself very remote from the professionals in the library” • “I think the library staff is knowledgeable but we don’t have contact with them” Customer support • “Students are not alert of this service[online reference]. Librarians should … create awareness. If we cannot find we will know we can ask for help” • “So much information but we don’t know. Nobody tells us.”
4.3 The Outcome of Using the Digital Library Services Discussion about what they experience after using the digital library services brought about some interesting responses. Basically, library users want digital library services that are dependable and create a feeling of assurance that their needs are taken care of. Participants feel that the library must make sure the fulfill users expectations and make them feel important. Ignored feedback from users is not appreciated and discourages users from returning to the service. What was assuring was that some participants agreed that frequent use of digital services has improved their confidence in searching for information and consolidating the relevant resources from the vast resources. Focus Group Participant Description of the digital library service outcome: Reliability • “If they claim they have it must be there” • “Very risky to e-mail because a lot of virus. Very hard to complain to the library because a lot of students use. I don’t think they can control.” Assurance • “The question is how fast can we get an answer” • “Won’t take any action anyway even though a complaint form is filled. Self-reliance • “During my first degree there was a tour by the library so I am quite familiar” • “After a few times I feel confident in using the digital library” Functional benefit • “When the article I need is found I am happy. If article hard to find it is frustrating.” • “quickly get what I am looking for”
Overall the participant felt that as long as the “get what I want” and as “quickly” as possible the digital library service is performing well.
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4.4 Area of Concern During the discussion with all ten groups, the reference to Google was inevitable. Participants tend to compare the digital library service with Google. Among the comments were : “I use Google first then I use database to search for the article - because it is free, faster and easier.”
5 Conclusion and Recommendations It is concluded that basically there are three main areas of concern when providing digital library services, the environment in which the service is provided, the delivery of the service and the outcome factor. Within these three categories, main issues of concern are • Easy access – users want fast and convenient access. There has to be enough equipment (PCs) for access, including wireless access. Username and passwords are an inconvenience to users. • Need help - these self-reliant Internet savvy users seem to need help in terms of technical help at the point of use and also help to search for relevant information. Within the digital library, with or without a digital librarian, providing reference and user education is not to be compromised. • Communication – there seems to be a barrier between users and service providers in the digital library. Unlike other services, such as e-retailing, e-commerce, etc., that removes the service provider, digital libraries cannot completely remove the human interaction. Users seem to want someone in the digital environment that can help build a relationship and guide users to be self-reliant information seekers. What use is a fantastic collection of digital resources if users can’t get to or are frustrating when using because the process it so complicated. It is of concern when many of the participants in this study made comparisons of the digital library to the service provided by Google! Their main concern seems to be “easy”, “fast” and “sure to get something”. The revelation that lack of information searching skills is a main factor users are turning to Web search engines to search for information should have digital librarians working towards educating users with skills that would make it easier to search online databases and gain confidence to be able to select and consolidate relevant information. Current online information services, including digital libraries expect users to know what they want and formulate queries to represent their information needs, which is often not easy (Meyyappan, Foo and Chowdhury, 2004). The digital library environment requires a new technical and social set of competencies for librarians which were not previously required. Not only do they need to
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have the expertise to fully exploit the capabilities of technology to provide value added digital services, they also need learn how best to communicate with users in an online environment. As McMillan (1999) presents it : “ We have new roles to fill. While the format of our resources may change, while access to information may change, while styles of service may change, the vision of high quality, serviceoriented, information centres still fits the library's mission. We will serve our user communities best if we incorporate this into the [digital library].” By these insights and recommendations, it is hoped that digital library services will be able to entice more users to discover and efficiently use them.
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