1 / 29

Training in Canada’s Public Libraries: What our Users Tell Us About Their Experiences

Training in Canada’s Public Libraries: What our Users Tell Us About Their Experiences. Heidi Julien Presentation to EPL PD Day December 13, 2006. The Study. Research Questions How do public library users experience the Internet?

Angelica
Download Presentation

Training in Canada’s Public Libraries: What our Users Tell Us About Their Experiences

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Training in Canada’s Public Libraries: What our Users Tell Us About Their Experiences Heidi Julien Presentation to EPL PD Day December 13, 2006

  2. The Study • Research Questions • How do public library users experience the Internet? • How have they obtained their information literacy skills training? • What is the role of the public library in developing Canadians’ information literacy skills? • Definition of IL • skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information (ACRL, 2006)

  3. Methods • National survey of public libraries • Library & Information Science Research 27(3), 2005, 281-301. • Semi-structured interviews with 25 public library customers in Fall 2004 at 5 public libraries in Canada • Observations of users of public Internet access computers • Interviews with 28 public library staff at the 5 libraries

  4. National Survey Results • IL training not a priority in public libraries, though survey respondents strongly agree that this is a legitimate role for the public library • A minority of public libraries are assuming major responsibility for development of IL skills among Canadians • Need for more resources to assume more responsibility • dedicated funding • trained staff • training space

  5. Interview/Observation PhaseThe Libraries • Different regions of Canada (the west, central Canada, and the east coast) • a main branch of an urban public library in a city of about 2,000,000 persons • a main branch of an urban public library in a city of about 1,000,000 persons • a library in a smaller city of 75,000 persons • a library in a small town of less than 1,000 persons • a public library housed within a community centre on a small First Nations reserve serving a community of less than 100 persons

  6. How are the public Internet access computers used? • primarily as communication tools (email, bulletin boards, forums, chat rooms, dating services, instant messaging) • to view or listen to an online news source • entertainment uses were also important (accessing information about entertainment, or entertainment products such as games or music videos) • at three of the libraries, visiting foreign language web sites (including ethnic community discussion forums) was also a popular use

  7. Dedicated teaching classroom

  8. Teaching space

  9. Teaching classroom

  10. Public Internet access area

  11. Public Internet access area

  12. The Physical Space • customers are not encouraged by the physical surroundings to inhabit the physical space in which those computers are located • uncomfortable stools, or no seating at all is common, and little privacy is afforded • one library had installed privacy screens on the computer monitors • two sites had dedicated space for training purposes

  13. Who are the Internet users in public libraries? • more men than women • most appear to be under 35 years of age • in the large urban centers, customers represented a diversity of ethnicities and visible minorities were proportionally over-represented • residents, visitors, and travelers

  14. Who was interviewed? • 13 females, 12 males, of various ages • mean annual income was lower than Canada’s average • 10 of 25 participants reported an annual income < $20,000 • 5 customers had home Internet access • 10 had Internet access elsewhere (e.g., work, a seniors’ or community centre, Internet cafés)

  15. Why did they use the library computers? • because they provide Internet access (n=11) • to access email (n=6) • because the location is convenient (n=3) • because they want to conduct job searches (n=3) • only 1 customer mentioned the ability to ask staff for help • 8 had home computer; 13 did not

  16. Are customers confident in their skills when using the Internet? • 16 feel very confident • 7 feel somewhat confident (all females) • 2 feel not confident

  17. Are customers information literate? • 13 say yes • 8 are ambivalent • 4 say no

  18. What skills do they claim to have mastered? • evaluation • searching • web design • tendency to equate IT literacy with information literacy

  19. What skills still need development? • keyboarding • database searching • patience • learning a wider variety of sources • learning specific software packages • One woman said, “I always feel that I’m not good enough and I should make more effort and I want to be better…so I will never feel really accomplished.”

  20. Are poor skills a barrier to efficient/effective information access? • majority (15) say no • 6 say yes

  21. Where did participants develop their current skill set? • 11 indicated that they were self-taught • 4 participants had received training in a school setting • 4 got training in a university or college setting • 4 were trained by family members • 2 had workplace training • 1 was trained by a friend • 1 mentioned the public library as a source of training

  22. How do users experience being information literate? • Nine of 25 customers reported feeling “nothing” special about being information literate. These participants made comments such as: • Doesn’t boost my self-esteem • Part of everyday life [like] brushing your teeth • It’s just another tool used around the home • For my age group it’s probably pretty normal…I’ve just grown up with it • I don’t feel very proud or anything like that

  23. How do users experience being information literate? • The ten customers reporting positive feelings used phrases such as • It’s a lot nicer than not • I think I’m in control • [I’m] just not easily coerced…I have a pretty good idea to watch out and be aware • Confident • Really pleased • Really proud • It’s a sense of empowerment • It’s exclusive • You are informed

  24. Where would participants like to get more training? • 11 of 25 would like to take further training • 6 would prefer to take such training in a school, university or community college setting • 5 indicated that the library might offer useful training (prompted)

  25. What kind of training is helpful? • Hands-on • Offered within a coherent and logical program (so people who need to start at the beginning may do so) • Offered by instructors who have • Training skills • Resources • Interest

  26. What is the role for Canada’s public libraries in training citizens in information literacy skills? • There is considerable need • Citizens outside a postsecondary context have few training opportunities • Experience using computers may develop confidence, but not IL skills • IL skills are fundamental to successful information seeking and use in our digital society (for citizenship, personal decision-making) • IL skills increase sense of community, of self-efficacy

  27. Conclusions • Currently most public libraries play a very small role • There is ample potential, but resources are a significant barrier • Libraries and customers may need convincing

  28. Acknowledgments • The library customers and staff who participated in interviews • The public libraries who allowed us to visit • Research Assistants • Claire Banton • Reegan Breu • Cameron Hoffman • Sarah Polkinghorne • Ina Smith • Michelle Whitehead • Funding by Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, SRG 410-2003-004

More Related