Analyzing Demographics: Assessing Library Use Across the Institution

Nackerud, Shane; Fransen, Jan; Peterson, Kate; Mastel, Kristen

doi:10.1353/pla.2013.0017

Cited by 31 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In some cases, findings are relatively consistent across studies: for example, arts and humanities are usually found to be the biggest users of library materials (De Jager, 2002;Maughan, 1999;Whitmore, 2002). Nackerud et al (2013) found, at a more granular level, that College of Design undergraduates were the highest library borrowers in their study. But in other instances, different ways of defining subjects and user groups can lead to confusion in understanding exactly how findings may apply in other settings.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…But in other instances, different ways of defining subjects and user groups can lead to confusion in understanding exactly how findings may apply in other settings. For example, many studies found engineering students to be the least engaged library users across resources (Kramer & Kramer, 1968;Bridges, 2008;Cox & Jantti, 2012;Nackerud et al, 2013). However Chrzastowski and Joseph (2006) found that graduate students from the physical sciences and engineering used online resources more than graduates in other disciplines.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have looked specifically at usage by discipline. Nackerud et al (2013) showed use by college of all types of library use, finding, for example, that 100% of pharmacy students visited the library in one semester. Nonetheless, much of this work continues to examine usage in the context of attainment.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding Patterns of Library Use Among Undergraduate Students from Different Disciplines

Collins¹,

Stone²

2014

EBLIP

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2014 Collins and Stone. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncsa/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same or similar license to this one. AbstractObjective -To test whether routinely-generated library usage data could be linked with information about students to understand patterns of library use among students from different disciplines at the University of Huddersfield. This information is important for librarians seeking to demonstrate the value of the library, and to ensure that they are providing services which meet user needs. The study seeks to join two strands of library user research which until now have been kept rather separate -an interest in disciplinary differences in usage, and a methodology which involves large-scale routinely-generated data.Methods -The study uses anonymized data about individual students derived from two sources: routinely-generated data on various dimensions of physical and electronic library resource usage, and information from the student registry on the course studied by each student. Courses were aggregated at a subject and then disciplinary level. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Whitney tests were Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2014, 9.3 52 used to identify statistically significant differences between the high-level disciplinary groups, and within each disciplinary group at the subject level.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 87%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding Patterns of Library Use Among Undergraduate Students from Different Disciplines

Collins¹,

Stone²

2014

EBLIP

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“…This is an issue noted in studies, such as "Analyzing Demographics" by Nackerud et al 29 Most of these studies have taken place at medium-to largesized institutions. The assessment model in this research uses a research tool common to a wide range of institutional types and sizes because it is less labor and technology intensive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Relationship of Library Usage to Student Outcomes

Stemmer

Mahan²

2016

CRL

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This study connects library user surveys, a common library assessment technique, to institutional data to demonstrate the value an academic library brings to student learning and student outcomes. Using regression techniques, the study identifies multiple significant correlations, both positive and negative, between student use of the library and student learning and outcomes as measured by retention, graduation, and grade point average (GPA). The library factors associated with student outcomes change over the course of the four-year undergraduate experience. Methods used in this study could be a model for other institutions seeking a means for assessing the library's relationship to student learning and outcomes.hile libraries were once "the heart of the university," their value is no longer taken for granted. Librarians are increasingly facing the task of demonstrating the value they provide to the university communities they serve. Universities are expected to provide information on assessment and evaluation of their educational efforts. In this environment, it is not surprising that the academic library, as a creature of higher education, finds itself working to identify measures to more clearly demonstrate the library's value by its influence on institutionally relevant outcomes-faculty productivity or student outcomes.This study gathered data from user surveys on three different areas of library influence-resources, services, and place (or space)-and how these areas relate to student success across the undergraduate years. This research has developed a model of library usage that considers multiple variables at various points in time during the undergraduate experience. Specifically, how does the student's reported usage of the library's services and resources relate to their success after controlling for exogenous characteristics?The Spellings Commission Report of 2006 influenced American higher education to more closely examine accountability and assessment.

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“…Wood and Walther (2000) reminds us that, although there is a wealth of free information on the Internet, the profit motive remains strong for publishers, and patrons will need libraries to receive free access to subscription material. Nackerud, Fransen, Peterson, and Mastel (2013) collected demographic data on licensed database, e-journal, and e-book usage and website logins at the University of Minnesota via a "click-thru" script, and found that 65% of undergraduates used electronic resources or logged into the website, while 82% of graduate students did so. Marek (2011) offers comprehensive advice on setting up and using web analytics in a library.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Library Website Visits and Enrollment Trends

Anderson¹

2016

EBLIP

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the terms of the Creative Commons-AttributionNoncommercial-Share Alike License 4.0 International (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly attributed, not used for commercial purposes, and, if transformed, the resulting work is redistributed under the same or similar license to this one. AbstractObjective -Measures of trends in Iowa State University library website visits per student/faculty/staff headcount show decreased use. Analysis was conducted to test for a relationship between this decrease and decreasing graduate/undergraduate enrollment ratios and decreasing visits to a popular digital collection. The purpose was to measure the influence of these factors and to produce an adjusted measure of trend which accounts for these factors.Methods -Website transaction log data and enrollment data were modelled with Box and Jenkins time series analysis methods (regression with ARMA errors).Results -A declining graduate to undergraduate enrollment ratio at Iowa State University explained 23% of the innovation variance of library website visits per headcount over the study period, while visits to a popular digital collection also declined, explaining 34% of the innovation variance. Rolling windows analysis showed that the effect of the graduate/undergraduate ratio increased over the study period, while the effect of digital collection visits decreased. In addition, estimates of website usage by graduate students and undergraduates, after accounting for other factors, matched estimates from a survey.Conclusion -A rolling windows metric of mean change adjusted for changes in demographics and other factors allows for a fairer comparison of year-to-year website usage, while also Evidence Based Library and Information Practice 2016, 11.1 5 measuring the change in influence of these factors. Adjusting for these influences provides a baseline for studying the effect of interventions, such as website design changes. Box-Jenkins methods of analysis for time series data can provide a more accurate measure than ordinary regression, demonstrated by estimating undergraduate and graduate website usage to corroborate survey data. While overall website usage is decreasing, it is not clear it is decreasing for all groups. Inferences were made about demographic groups with data that is not tied to individuals, thus alleviating privacy concerns.

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Analyzing Demographics: Assessing Library Use Across the Institution

Cited by 31 publications

References 14 publications

Understanding Patterns of Library Use Among Undergraduate Students from Different Disciplines

Understanding Patterns of Library Use Among Undergraduate Students from Different Disciplines

Investigating the Relationship of Library Usage to Student Outcomes

Library Website Visits and Enrollment Trends

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