Recent CommunityFocused Research Activity Joan C' Durrance Professor University of Michigan School o

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Recent Community-FocusedResearch Activity
Joan C. DurranceProfessorUniversity of
MichiganSchool of Information

• Presentation to Doctoral Students
• October 27, 2003

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Recent Funded-Research Projects

• Approaches for Understanding Community
  Information Use A Framework for Identifying and
  Applying Knowledge of Information Behavior in
  Public Libraries. Funder U.S. Institute of
  Museum and Library Services (IMLS). National
  Leadership Grant. Co-PI Karen Pettigrew.
  249,996. November 2002-October 2004.
•  
• How Libraries and Librarians Help
  Context-Centered Methods for Evaluating Public
  Library Efforts at Bridging the Digital Divide
  and Building Community. Funder U.S. Institute
  of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Co-PI
  Karen Pettigrew. 317,800. November
  2000-October 2002.
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• Community Support Systems Information Systems
  that use and replenish social capital. . Funder
  W.K.Kellogg Foundation, June1999-June 2001. Co-PI
  Paul Resnick. 198,000.
• Help-Seeking in an Electronic World The Role of
  the Public Library in Helping Citizens Obtain
  Community Information Over the Internet. Funder
  U.S. Institute for Libraries and Museums (IMLS).
  Leadership Grants. 1998-2000. 189,000. (Co-PI
  (Karen Pettigrew, Post-Doc) Project URL
  http//www.si.umich.edu/Helpseek.

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Research Questions That Shaped Study of
Community Networks

• Research questions addressed
• the situations that prompt citizens to use/not
  use digital CI systems for everyday help,
• the specific types of CI that they are seeking,
• how they deal with different barriers that they
  encounter, and
• how they are helped by the CI that they obtain.
• Study also focused on
• how public libraries and community service
  providers perceive digital CI systems help
• their clients, their own organizations, and the
  community at-large.
• how the publics perceptions of digital CI
  systems related to those of service providers and
  librarians.

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Methods Used In Study of Community Networks

• Study was exploratory and aimed at yielding rich
  data, we, thus used multiple methods over two
  stages.
• Stage 1 comprised a national survey with 500
  medium and large-sized public libraries regarding
  their involvement with digital CI systems.
• For Stage 2, we used a standard design to conduct
  intensive case studies in three communities that
  received national recognition for their
  respective community network and in which the
  local public library system played a leading
  role.
•  
• Data collection methods at each case study site
  included
• (a) an online survey and follow-up telephone
  interviews with adult community network
• users who access tagged CI web pages, along
  with
• (b) in-depth interviews, field observation and
  focus groups with public library community
• network staff, local human service providers, and
  members of the public.
•  
• The steps taken to address methodological
  considerations when conducting
• online surveys are discussed in Pettigrew and
  Durrance, 2000).

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Graphic Representation of Factors In Examining
Digital CIS
outcomes
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Key Characteristics of HLLH Contextual Model

• Outcomes arise from the changes that result from
  the interaction between individuals and service
  activities Clientele generate communicate
  outcomes
• HLLH Outcome model seeks to help evaluators
  understand outcomes fostered by focusing on
• User-centered community-focused public library
  services
• Service model
• Activities
• Staff
• Target clientele-individuals, organizations
• Needs
• Uses
• Changes in clientele, others
• Process seeks to help decision-makers select,
  analyze, synthesize, and use outcomes

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Selected Case Studies from HLLH

• Queens Borough Public LibraryThis case study
  focused on the outcomes of a variety of immigrant
  services of the New Americans and Adult Learner
  Programs.
• After-school community technology programs Our
  study of after-school community technology
  programs in digital divide neighborhoods show the
  outcomes of different public library after-school
  technology program models. Both increased
  computer and Internet skills (that's why the
  teens come). Outcomes of these programs varied
  based on program activities and policies.
• Wired for Youth Centers, Austin Public Library
  System
• Flint Public Library Community Information
  Agents Online (CIAO)
• Peninsula Library System's Community Information
  ProgramThe Peninsula Library System's Community
  Information Program provides countywide community
  information to local nonprofit agencies. This
  case study sought to reflect the outcomes of
  these services. We determined, in addition, that
  CIP fosters county wide collaboration among
  agencies. Outcomes are synergistic.

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Queens. Immigrant Context

• 41.1 of the Queens population claim birth
  outside the United States,
• More than half of Queens residents speak a
  language other than English 14 say they do not
  speak English well.
• Queens residents speak more than 100 languages.
  Some residents are illegal aliens and fear
  recognition.
• Skill levels vary from those who come from oral
  tradition cultures to those who speak and read
  several languages and hold advance degrees.
• As seen above, immigrant needs vary considerably.
  

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Queens Public Library New Americans Program
Selected Program Activities As Contextual
Factors

• Services for non-English speaking users are
  provided primarily through the Adult Learner
  Program (which includes ESOL and Literacy) and
  the New Americans Program (NAP), both of which
  are in the Programs Services Department.
• Services and materials are provided in multiple
  languages. Staff in aggregate are multi-lingual.
  
• Activities include
• thousands of public programs/year on multiple
  topics (cultural programs, etc.)
• ESOL classes at various levels
• tutoring
• conversation groups
• workshops on coping skills of various sorts),
• collaboration with community organizations.
• Extensive marketing using ethnic media.

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Selected List of PL Outcomes Identified by How
Libraries and Librarians Help

• Attitude/perception changes (e.g., negative to
  positive)
• Increased access to information noted
• Personal efficacy (self esteem, confidence
  building, a changed outlook on life and future
  prospects, feelings of accomplishment and hope)
• Skill levels increased (e.g., increased
  technological literacy, language facility,
  communication skills, social etc.)
• Learning gains (e.g., increased interest in
  learning, active participation in learning, etc.)
  
• Knowledge gains (wide range, individually
  focused, e.g., knowledge of the community,
  knowledge needed to pass the GED, etc.)
• Progress toward a goal.
• Social networks (e.g., increased social and
  community connections increased social capital)
• Status changes (e.g., decide to return to school,
  got a job, become a citizen, increased
  participation as a citizen)
• Decreased transaction costs (Saving time, money
  energy, increased convenience)

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Intellectual Products Resulting from
twoFederally Sponsored Research Projects

• This research has multiple audiences. Grant
  proposal had to address dissemination to multiple
  audiences, including other scholars, decision
  makers, librarians, community informationists.
• Outputs (so far)
• Juried journal articles for academic researchers
  (4 articles)
• Juried journal articles written for a broader
  audience (5)
• Juried conference proceedings (5)
• General and focused conference presentations (12)
• Chapters in books (3)
• Books (1 published in 2002 2nd in progress)
• Reports and major web-documents (5)
• (See IMLS Final Report September 30, 2003)

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• Outcomes Toolkit
• http//www.si.umich.edu/libhelp/

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IBEC Information Behavior In Everyday Contexts

• Purpose
• to gather empirical data that will inform
  librarians of
• citizens' information seeking behavior and
• service providers' use of community information. 
  
• Project aims
• Create a set of approaches and methods designed
• to help librarians understand their communities'
  needs so that librarians can determine the
  effectiveness of their services from a user
  perspective. 

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http//www.ischool.washington.edu/ibec/