Learning the Library: Taxonomy of Skills and Errors

Abstract

A theoretical scheme classifies user behavior into three domains of library activity-affective, cognitive, and psychomotor-and into three levels of learning-orientation, interaction, and internalization. Examples are given of library skills and errors in each of nine major classes.Applications are suggested in the areas of library orientation and instruction, testing and diagnostics, reference, signs, and guides. his paper presents a theory of user behavior that allows librarian to understand better what patrons feel, think and do when they use the library's resources and services. The theory's main feature is a classification scheme for cataloging the very large body of skills and errors that make up the activities of library users. Librarians will find the scheme helpful in a number of ways. Those responsible for signs and guides will learn the range of visual skills of users and the errors users may make. Staff concerned with circulation policy might consider how patrons comprehend new instructions. The preparation of orientation programs, tours, bibliographic instruction, and courses can incorporate a classification of the skills to be acquired at different levels, as well as errors to be avoided.Consulting the taxonomy of skills and errors will facilitate the assessment of user needs and the testing of skills. Reference services can be designed to address specific user difficulties. Finally, cataloging and administrative decisions can profit from a better understanding of the actions, thoughts, and feelings of library users. In fact, all librarians could benefit by having more organized information about user behavior and a common focus through which to view their respective roles in improving patrons' use and enjoy-. ment of the library. TAXONOMY OF USER BEHAVIORLibraries are organized according to a classification scheme for books and other materials in the collection. There are many possible schemes for grouping categories of items. In our judgment it is a sign of theoretical maturity . and sophistication in a profession when its practitioners come to a general agreement about a standard classification scheme.Library science needs two kinds of classification schemes: one for books and materials, the other for user needs and behaviors. Every librarian works with both types of schemes, one of which is explicit (e.g., the Dewey Decimal Classification and the Library of Congress Clal?sification) while the other is implicit or even unconscious. For instance, reference collections, services, and displays are accommodated to specific groups of patrons. To do this successfully, librarians must have access to certain information about the patrons, for example, their specific information needs, interests, and educational or intellectual level. This information is ordered and evaluated by the librarians making decisions, the equiva-

Problem Solving, Creative Librarianship, and Search Behavior

“…Memory skills (7) 9. Use skills (15) The list of more than 100 skills is not exhaustive and will expand with further research. A classification scheme that would provide a theoretical framework for managing library use skills is clearly needed.…”

“…15 The searcher's affective state or information need is personal, subjective, and manifests behaviorally in a variety of ways. The searcher's cognitive problemsolving state corresponds to the act of formulating a search strategy.…”

Measuring the Psychological Characteristics of Titles of Journal Articles and their Subject Headings

“…In an attempt to study the psychological characteristics of titles, three measures were devised to represent the three generally agreed upon psychological domains of behaviour, namely, the affective, the cognitive, and the sensorimotor 23,24 .…”

“…Two hundred respondents were male and female college students in their early twenties enrolled in the Psychology Major program for undergraduates in their Sophomore year (age range [21][22][23][24].…”

Measuring Information Searching Competence

“…7 Table 1 summarizes the taxonomy. Following the work of Benjamin Bloom and associates on educational objectives, all possible search activities that users can perform in a library are automatically defined as separate skills.…”