Recent Submissions
Item Assessment of a Broad-Based CCC “Get It Now” Program Implementation
Messner, Kevin; Hurst, Susan; Bazeley, Jennifer; Withers, RobWe conducted a year-long pilot of the Copyright Clearance Center’s “Get It Now” rapid document delivery program. Get It Now is intended to supplement traditional library journal collections by providing rapid on-request electronic access to a deep body of journal literature, for a per article charge which is absorbed by the library. Our pilot project provided the service to all constituencies within our university community: undergraduate, graduate student, staff and faculty. This differs from many implementations which are limited to certain populations e.g. faculty-only. With a full year of data, we assess whether this broad availability of service is sustainable financially with current resources; whether it makes sense from a collections development standpoint; who the major users are when the service is available to all; and what subject areas the requested articles predominate. Our general experience in setting up and managing the service is discussed.Item Minding Your Ps & Qs: A Q-Methodology Workshop
Brinkman, Stacy; Messner, Kevin; Shrimplin, Aaron; Waller, Jen; Waller, Jen; Miami University; wallerjl@miamioh.eduLibrarians are continually turning to new metrics to evaluate services, impact, and priorities. Q-methodology - a hybrid of qualitative and quantitative research techniques - is a systematic study of subjectivity that enables researches to understand user's beliefs or attitudes about particular issues. This workshop will train librarians to utilize Q-methodology through hands-on activities. Librarians will learn tangible skills that they can use to assess services, collections, and initiatives at their home institutions.Item Contradictions and Consensus — Clusters of Opinions on E-books
(2011-03) Shrimplin, Aaron; Revelle, Andrew; Hurst, Susan; Messner, KevinQ methodology was used to determine attitudes and opinions about e-books among a group of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates at Miami University of Ohio. Oral interviews formed the basis for a collection of opinion statements concerning e-books versus print. These statements were then ranked by a second group of research participants. Factor analysis of these rankings found four distinct factors that reveal clusters of opinions on e-books: Book Lovers, Technophiles, Pragmatists, and Printers. Two of the four factors take a more ideological approach in their understanding of e-books: Book Lovers have an emotional attachment to the printed book as an object, while Technophiles feel just as strongly about technology. In contrast, the other two factors are more utilitarian: Printers might find e-books more palatable if usability were improved, while Pragmatists are comfortable with both print and e-book formats.Item Book Lovers, Technophiles, Printers and Pragmatists: The Social and Demographic Structure of User Attitudes toward e-Books
(2012-09) Revelle, Andrew; Messner, Kevin; Shrimplin, Aaron; Hurst, SusanQ-methodology was used to identify clusters of opinions about e-books at Miami University. The research identified four distinct opinion types among those investigated: Book Lovers, Technophiles, Pragmatists, and Printers. The initial Q-methodology study results were then used as a basis for a large-n survey of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty so that we could have a more complete picture of the demographic and social makeup of the campus population. Results from that survey indicate that academic discipline is strongly associated with the respondents’ opinion types. Gender and educational status are also associated with respondents’ opinion types.Item Patron Space-Use Analysis of a New Library Facility
(2014-03-26) Messner, Kevin R.Item Contradictions and Consensus: Clusters of Opinions on E-books
(2012-09-12) Hurst, Susan; Messner, Kevin; Revelle, Andrew; Shrimplin, AaronQ methodology was used to determine attitudes and opinions about e-books among a group of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates at Miami University of Ohio. Oral interviews formed the basis for a collection of opinion statements concerning e-books versus print. These statements were then ranked by a second group of research participants. Factor analysis of these rankings found four distinct factors that reveal clusters of opinions on e-books: Book Lovers, Technophiles, Pragmatists, and Printers. Two of the four factors take a more ideological approach in their understanding of e-books: Book Lovers have an emotional attachment to the printed book as an object, while Technophiles feel just as strongly about technology. In contrast, the other two factors are more utilitarian: Printers might find e-books more palatable if usability were improved, while Pragmatists are comfortable with both print and e-book formats.