2015 Charleston Library Conference

1. Planning Grants: The CliffsNotes Version
Katy Ginanni, Peter Johnson

Library planning grants typically provide funding to engage the services of third-party consultants for a wide range of planning activities. A planning grant is a powerful tool that may be used to assess the need for new services, identify ways to improve existing services, plan library spaces, develop technology plans, or conduct planning to support a larger grant. Perhaps the most valuable outcome of a planning grant is the objective feedback provided by expert consultants; this feedback can be used to justify budget requests for new resources or initiatives to serve library patrons. The presenters will share their experience in developing a proposal for a Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) Planning Grant and the process of administrating grant activities. 

2. Summon, Google Scholar, and the Journey of Discovery : Where do we go from here?
Tracy Gilmore, Cynthia Schwartz

As part of a four year assessment study of the Summon Discovery Service, librarians at Virginia Tech used  a mixed methods approach to gain insight on Summon usage among students and faculty. Our findings show that Virginia Tech students are using Google and Google Scholar in tandem with Summon to discover library content. The reasons are as interesting as they are varied. We will examine what participants shared with us about their use of multiple platforms in lieu of Summon.

The study employed 3 online surveys, 10 focus group sessions, and 8 interviews conducted in 2012 through the spring semester of 2015.  We’ll talk specifically about the methodologies used and our current findings; the recommendations made from our findings; and the changes that were implemented as a result of the study. We will also discuss our rationale, marketing, and promotion of the overall study.

3.Ethnographic Research in Academia: More than just shadowing customers 
Margot Lyon, Maria Stanton, Kate Lawrence

The details of ethnographic user research sound complicated, don’t they? Distilling findings, synthesizing results, modeling after the Six Sigma method – it can sound overwhelming.  But in this session, Kate Lawrence of EBSCO Information Services and Margot Lyon and Maria Stanton of ATLA will break down this research method into digestible bits.
Come hear about the innovative ways their organizations have been observing and understanding the workflow, motivations, and goals of users of diverse library database products.  We will provide an overview of why ethnography differs from other methods and present key findings from various ethnography studies of college students, graduate students and faculty. Panelists will discuss the foundations of ethnography, and provide an overview that empowers attendees to return to their institutions with the skills to conduct a basic ethnographic study. This session will also provide resources and tips on how to get started with ethnographic research in your own environments. 

4. Leveraging Usage Data & User-Driven Development to Extend the Use of Collections 
Kristen Garlock

This session will present a case study that employed usage data analysis and a low-cost rapid development model to build an experimental tool for educators. The rapid development model used for these projects is reproducible and effective, and could be applied to many library-driven efforts. 

In 2014, the JSTOR Labs team used an algorithm to identify more than 9,000 articles on JSTOR that exhibited patterns of use consistent with being used in the classroom or assigned as coursework. Using a rapid development approach called “flash builds,” the team validated and built a prototype browser for this dataset with the direct involvement of teachers at the secondary and introductory college levels. This dataset is now available as "Classroom Readings," a free and open experimental resource. Classroom Readings (http://labs.jstor.org/readings) is designed for educators at the secondary school and college introductory levels and aims to help them quickly and efficiently find articles on JSTOR that are good candidates for teaching. 

While the direct application of Classroom Readings is specific to JSTOR, we believe that libraries have the assets to be similarly successful with this approach. We’ll share our lessons learned and processes that have now been used to create several more added-value tools.