Blog
Video Diaries, Mapping and Photo Elicitation; Ethnographic Research-a-go-go!
- By: Alison Hicks
- On: 02/01/2013 15:02:20
- In: dospuntocero
What do LibGuides, ethnographic research and 3D printing have in common? To my mind, these are some of the latest crazes to sweep libraryland, and guaranteed to cause eye-rolling or cult-like following, depending on your point of view. Naturally, I have my own opinions about these trends (LibGuides, bleurgh; 3D printing, interesting!) but the one where I admit I am a fully hoodwinked, blinkered, paid up adherent and member of the cause, is ethnographic research. (Wait, come back, eye rollers!) And just as my first column tried to emphasise that Web 2.0 is not about the shiny new technological tools, this column will explore how participatory design fits into web 2.0, and how we as subject specialists can use this in our liaison and outreach work, among other things.
Also known as participatory design, ethnographic research comes from the field of anthropology and sprung onto the library scene after the publication of Nancy Foster and Susan Gibbons' “Studying Students” book in 2007. In a nutshell, ethnographic research aims to study and understand user behaviour and experience in a specific scenario, not only to understand how users interact with a system or situation, but also to try and gain insights into the meaning people may ascribe to that process. By understanding some of these contexts as well as mental models, libraries can try and address common obstacles or troublesome sticking points to create, ultimately, more user-centered services. This fits in perfectly with the Web 2.0 focus of letting go of control to collaborate with patrons and create more user-friendly spaces and processes that will work for your community (wow, alliteration a-go-go too!)
Most ethnographic research has focused on large scale design projects, for example for a learning commons. However, there are other ways that subject specialists can get involved and bring user-centered principles to liaison and outreach work as well.
Surveys
For quick questions, you can't beat the humble survey. Whether you want to know when or where to hold office hours, which core journals or magazines are valued most or what workshops students want to see, surveys can give you a quick idea of general feelings. These could obviously be done online using tools such as Survey Monkey or through social media such as Twtpoll or Facebook surveys. However if you have access to the department building, a surprisingly successful way to solicit feedback is to leave your questions on a clipboard or whiteboard for a couple of days and ask students to vote using stickers.
Focus Groups
For more complex or detailed questions, a focus group or group interview can provide a tonne of useful and insightful data. The group situation, especially when students are in the same department, can stimulate broad discussion and creative thinking, all of which provides valuable data on student needs and whether the library is meeting these goals. Some of the most useful questions could focus around current usage of the library, to help find out what is memorable or useful, as well as service gaps. Questions could also ask students to talk about current frustrations. This can often throw up interesting insights into the intersection of the library within the departmental or disciplinary culture. Future needs or how students see their information habits or practices changing is also helpful, especially to prioritize needs or understand where students see technology or research in their field going. Collected data can often indicate if there is a need to create more awareness of existing services, or possibilities for additional outreach opportunities, as well as information on how best to achieve this.
These ideas just scratch the surface, and for subject specialists who have their own library, the sky's the limit! Papers such as Andrew Asher and Susan Miller's “A Practical Guide to Ethnographic Research in Academic Libraries” can help the planning process. Ethnographic research can be very simple, doesn't need a great deal of setup and students will often volunteer to improve “their” library without the offer of incentives. In return, you'll not only gather insightful data but it'll go a long way to improving community relations, with nary a LibGuide or a 3D printer in sight...
Alison Hicks
University of Colorado, Boulder
Categories
- All categories
- News
- In Case You Missed It
- Scholarships
- Book Fairs & Trip Notes
- Institutional News & Research Grants
- In Memoriam
- Enlace Scholarship
- Secretariat
- New Members
- Honorary Members
- Dan C. Hazen Fellowship
- Institutional Collaborative Initiatives Awards
- Job & Internships
- José Toribio Medina Award
- Member Highlights
- Presidential Messages
- SALALM Conferences
- SALALM Speaks
- dospuntocero
Archive
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
Contributors
- Manuel Ostos
- Adan Griego
- David Block & Paula Covington
- Betsaida Reyes
- Taylor Leigh
- Jana Krentz
- Jean Dickson
- Anonymous
- Antonio Sotomayor
- David Block
- Holly Ackerman
- Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez
- Kaydee McCann
- Suzanne Schadl
- Luis A. Gonzalez
- Lynn Shirey
- Gayle Williams
- Hortensia Calvo
- Lisa Gardinier
- Ashley Larson
- Bronwen Maxson
- Daisy Domínguez
- Elmelinda Lara
- Marisol Ramos
- Martha Mantilla
- Melissa Guy
- Nelson Santana
- Jesús Alonso-Regalado
- Paloma Celis-Carbajal
- Peter Johnson
- Rachel Stein
- Richard F. Phillips
- Roberto Delgadillo
- Ryan Lynch
- Sócrates Silva
- Timothy Thompson
- Bruce Bachand
- Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Paula Covington
- Maria Pizarro
- Michael Scott
- Diego Godoy
- Pamela Graham
- Daniel Schoorl
- David Woken
- Meaghan Lacy
- Paula Covington & Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Christine Hernández
- Stephanie Rocio Miles
- Alison Hicks
- Sarah Buck-Kachaluba
- Aquiles Alencar Brayner
- Jill Baron
- Tina Gross
- Laura Geiken
- Anne Barnhart
- Marta Raposo
- Nerea Llamas
- Pamela Graham & Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Patricia Figueroa
- Rafael Tarragó
- Talia Guzman Gonzalez
- Teresa Chapa