The Role of Virtual Reference in Library Web Site Design: A Qualitative Source for Usage Data

Fuente: ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
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Autori principali: Powers, Amanda Clay, Shedd, Julie, Hill, Clay
Natura: Recurso educativo Open Access
Lingua:en
Pubblicazione: 2011
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author Powers, Amanda Clay
Shedd, Julie
Hill, Clay
author_facet Powers, Amanda Clay
Shedd, Julie
Hill, Clay
Powers, Amanda Clay
Shedd, Julie
Hill, Clay
collection Education Resources Information Center
contents The Role of Virtual Reference in Library Web Site Design: A Qualitative Source for Usage Data Powers, Amanda Clay Shedd, Julie Hill, Clay Grounded Theory Web Sites Research Libraries Word Frequency Internet Reference Services Users (Information) Usability Synchronous Communication Evaluation Academic Libraries Higher Education Library Services Librarians Electronic Libraries Computer Mediated Communication Transcripts (Written Records) Gathering qualitative information about usage behavior of library Web sites is a time-consuming process requiring the active participation of patron communities. Libraries that collect virtual reference transcripts, however, hold valuable data regarding how the library Web site is used that could benefit Web designers. An analysis of virtual reference transcripts played a key role during the 2010 Mississippi State University Libraries' Web site redesign process. The virtual reference project manager partnered with the Web services department to examine chat and e-mail transcripts as a potential source of qualitative Web site usability information. To determine the usefulness of the virtual reference data, chat transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory model to derive codes for each question asked and each answer given. This information was then aggregated into concepts that offered insights into user behavior online. In an attempt to extract more usage information from the virtual reference data, the Web services department used Wordle to create word frequency charts for e-mail and chat entry questions from September 2008 through May 2010. These data not only offered insights into patterns of user behavior for the Web redesign, but also for the work of the reference department and service providers across the library. (Contains 7 figures.)
format Recurso educativo Open Access
id eric_EJ928058
institution ERIC Institute of Education Sciences
language en
publishDate 2011
record_format eric
spellingShingle The Role of Virtual Reference in Library Web Site Design: A Qualitative Source for Usage Data
Powers, Amanda Clay
Shedd, Julie
Hill, Clay
Grounded Theory
Web Sites
Research Libraries
Word Frequency
Internet
Reference Services
Users (Information)
Usability
Synchronous Communication
Evaluation
Academic Libraries
Higher Education
Library Services
Librarians
Electronic Libraries
Computer Mediated Communication
Transcripts (Written Records)
The Role of Virtual Reference in Library Web Site Design: A Qualitative Source for Usage Data Powers, Amanda Clay Shedd, Julie Hill, Clay Grounded Theory Web Sites Research Libraries Word Frequency Internet Reference Services Users (Information) Usability Synchronous Communication Evaluation Academic Libraries Higher Education Library Services Librarians Electronic Libraries Computer Mediated Communication Transcripts (Written Records) Gathering qualitative information about usage behavior of library Web sites is a time-consuming process requiring the active participation of patron communities. Libraries that collect virtual reference transcripts, however, hold valuable data regarding how the library Web site is used that could benefit Web designers. An analysis of virtual reference transcripts played a key role during the 2010 Mississippi State University Libraries' Web site redesign process. The virtual reference project manager partnered with the Web services department to examine chat and e-mail transcripts as a potential source of qualitative Web site usability information. To determine the usefulness of the virtual reference data, chat transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory model to derive codes for each question asked and each answer given. This information was then aggregated into concepts that offered insights into user behavior online. In an attempt to extract more usage information from the virtual reference data, the Web services department used Wordle to create word frequency charts for e-mail and chat entry questions from September 2008 through May 2010. These data not only offered insights into patterns of user behavior for the Web redesign, but also for the work of the reference department and service providers across the library. (Contains 7 figures.)
title The Role of Virtual Reference in Library Web Site Design: A Qualitative Source for Usage Data
topic Grounded Theory
Web Sites
Research Libraries
Word Frequency
Internet
Reference Services
Users (Information)
Usability
Synchronous Communication
Evaluation
Academic Libraries
Higher Education
Library Services
Librarians
Electronic Libraries
Computer Mediated Communication
Transcripts (Written Records)
url https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ928058