This research began with literature reviews that approached library web sites as sources of information. These are studies that used content analysis to study or evaluate web sites from various perspectives. This was followed by literature that approached the topic from an instructional viewpoint. From a constructivist perspective it can be seen how these two approaches can provide different ways of meeting student needs.
Library Web Sites as Sources of Information
There has been some research similar in approach to this study. They have involved the same methodology and have focused on web sites and libraries.
These studies have looked at the types of features that are offered through library web sites. One such study was a content analysis of Ohio public library web sites (Mason, 1998). This was a study of 113 sites, with organ- ization, scope, and presentation of links arranged topically. It basically showed that these libraries were at different stages of creating effective web sites. It is of interest to note that in her literature review, Mason found relatively few studies involving content analysis of web sites (Bates & Lu, 1997; Burt, 1997; Clyde, 1996; Neth, 1998). The coding sheet that Mason produced was fairly simple and short, but it demonstrated how one could be developed. It provided an example of approaches for evaluating web sites.
Some of the questions asked were about external links, the organization of ready reference links, the categories of links, the number of links, annota- tions, and more (Mason, 1998).
Another interesting study was a content analysis of the web sites of the fifty state library agencies of the United States of America (Berendsen, 1998). This was a study of 50 web sites in order to see what the State Library of Ohio’s web site should contain. The researcher listed 28 criteria on their coding sheet and from it created a frequency table. The research objectives
were to aid in determining what content and design features the State Li- brary of Ohio should include or exclude in its revised web site, and to identify content and design features of web sites of a particular genre (state library agencies). Their coding sheet asked about OPAC links, search en- gines, what’s new information, mail to links, counters, internal search en- gines, address, hours, forms, mission statement, and more (Berendsen, 1998).
Meyers (2000) analyzed 37 United States botanical and horticultural li- brary web sites. The intent was to determine the elements included in these web sites, to evaluate the sites based on their design, and to compare those results based on library type in order to provide a resource for future site development. Meyers’ review of the literature revealed little current pub- lished research on similar studies, although there was an abundance of lit- erature relating to web site design and evaluation. The data were analyzed in a standard frequency table. This was also done separately for each type of library, then for four different categories depending on size of collection, and then for four different categories depending on size of web site.
There were several studies that were related to this paper in one way or another. They each had interesting aspects to them and touched on some of the same issues, problems, areas, or topics.Tolppanen, Miller, and Wooden (2000)examined the web sites of 133 academic libraries from medium-sized universities. They examined all of their features in order to determine the core characteristics of the web sites for libraries at universities with pop- ulations of 6,000 to 13,000 students. They determined that the navigational and design aspects of library web sites need to be improved, and greater use of online instruction, tutorials, and virtual tours would be worthwhile end- eavors to supplement traditional face-to-face bibliographic instruction.
Dewald (1999), on the other hand, examined 20 web-based library tutorials to look at instruction over the web that focuses on one single area of dis- tance learning. She determined that online library instruction should not completely substitute for personal interaction with students. Independent learning has its place, but librarians still need to be in contact in one form or another with students in order to have instant feedback and a transaction of ideas. Library tutorials were lacking in the amount of interaction involved.
Janes, Carter, and Memmott (1999) looked at 150 randomly selected academic libraries to answer two questions: what proportion of libraries conduct digital reference services, and what are the characteristics of those digital reference services? They also tried to explain how they would handle possible limitations if they could not find the information on the web site.
They decided that if the searcher could not find such a service within 5 min,
they would stop searching. They felt that if they could not find it in five minutes, then neither could a patron.
Agingu (2000) sought to determine how useful the library web sites of historically Black colleges and universities are as tools for disseminating information and providing services to users. They studied 65 web sites and 12 different items. They found that these libraries are lagging behind other libraries in the amount of services they provide, and do not have the variety of resources other institutions offer, such as web-based databases, electronic books and journals, and web-interfaced catalogs. It was recommend that parent institutions increase support for the library and hire additional staff with appropriate technical expertise.
Clyde (1996)did an early survey looking at library use of the Internet in Iceland and the ways in which libraries were using the web to provide information via a home page. This study consisted of a content analysis of home pages of public libraries and school libraries in 13 different countries.
King (1998)took a different approach. She examined the home pages of 120 ARL (Association of Research Libraries) libraries. She meant to present a picture of the types of elements that ARL library web pages most often incorporated. This included details about: backgrounds, document headers, document footers, document body (graphics, links, and text), page length, number of steps to library home page from parent institution web site, and domain name servers.
Stover and Zink (1996)examined 40 higher education library web sites at the time that the web was a new tool in libraries. They looked at some of the basics: number of links on home page, if the author was identified, how many screens did the home page comprise, how many bytes were there in the largest image, how many images were included, was there a link to the university or college home page, were there any typographical errors, when was the page last updated, was there a mechanism for comments, and was there a statement of purpose. In the end they concluded that many home pages were badly designed and neglected fundamental principles of infor- mation organization.
Library Web Sites as Sources of Instruction
From an instructional perspective, academic librarians and library web sites provide a large number of services to students. They provide instruction on how to find and use library resources. As the amount of information con- tinues to grow and the tools for finding and obtaining information changes,
this becomes an increasingly daunting task. This section will describe some of the studies that have touched on these perspectives as well as some gen- eral papers that describe the types of services that libraries should provide.
Cooper et al. (1998)from DePaul University sent out an informal e-mail survey and followed it up with telephone interviews with six faculty. They also monitored four electronic discussion lists, and attended panel presen- tations at conferences on distance learning. They found that faculty expec- tations about library skills that distance learners develop are founded on older assumptions about how students learn to use a library. Faculty expect distance learners to use an academic library, but then they make no dis- tinction between the skills needed by a student on campus and one at a remote site. Most faculty believe that a combination of handouts (developed by themselves or by librarians) are sufficient to address students’ needs in negotiating their options for library use.
Taylor (2000) surveyed library webmasters about aspects of their roles and job tasks. This survey was intended to discover how decisions were made and responsibilities were assigned to maintain the library web site.
They found (N¼82) that the responsibilities for decision making about content were most often shared with managerial librarians, other librarians, and web committees, and were based on written policies developed by the library and the policies of the parent institution. Respondents reported problems with library committees, the slowness of decision-making, ill-de- fined roles, and concern that people were given responsibility without au- thority.
Stover (2000)completed a qualitative study to ascertain the opinions and attitudes of librarians toward the Internet as a tool for more productive reference services. They used a questionnaire on their web site and an- nounced it on listservs. This study supported using both qualitative and quantitative aspects in unison, as their surveys included both Likert scale questions and open-ended essay questions.
Much of the related literature dealing with library web sites and distance library services is based on the experiences of the authors of the various studies and their opinions. These writings are based on day-to-day oper- ations of those in the field, observations of what’s going on around us and reflections from speaking with other practitioners. While not as rigorous as research projects, these papers do provide insights into the general percep- tion of current practice.
So what are the library needs of distant learners? From one perspective the needs are the same for all library users regardless of location (Rodrigues, 1996). Distance learners need the same services as traditional students. They
still need services such as circulation, interlibrary loan and document de- livery, reference, and databases (Linden, 2000). They also need instruction in finding, evaluating, and using library resources. The differences, however, lie in the user’s need to rely on technology for communication and access and the arrangements used to compensate for the distance between the library and its patrons. Sometimes the descriptions of services outlined in the literature lead to a bit more detail. There are specific services that dis- tance learners should expect from their libraries, and there is a need for additional technology and/or organization to make services available to off campus clients that is distinctly different from those required to address traditional needs. Clients studying at distance need:
the ability to search periodical indexes, abstracts, CD-ROMs, and bib- liographic services such as ERIC;
the ability to electronically check out books and renew them over the telephone (preferably toll free);
the electronic delivery of photocopies, the results of literature searches, and government documents;
microfiche duplication;
access to answers to research questions;
access to tables of contents from professional journals;
the ability to internally track and deliver all interlibrary loan services;
an electronic feedback system.
Furthermore, these distance learners want to know how to log on to the web site from their PCs at home or work, to make database selections, to conduct expanded database searches, and to obtain guidance as to which resources work best under which situations. They do not want to read manuals, but they do want access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, periodical full-text articles, catalogs, reviews, biographies, statistics, and information on how to evaluate authors, books, journals, and web sites (Niemi, Ehrhard,
& Neeley, 1998).
Some of the literature goes beyond simply talking about these ideas and is based on new research. Some of this is tangential, providing complementary information and insight into the research process involved with libraries, web sites, and academia.
Studies such as one done by Pealer and Dorman (1997)have also gone further into evaluation of web sites in terms of content (currency, references, and readability), authorship (author credentials, bias), purpose, and esthe- tics (style, fonts, graphics, and layering). Other studies have been more extensive. Cohen and Still (1999) examined 50 library home pages at
Ph.D. – granting institutions and 50 at two-year colleges. Looking at web sites as information tools, reference tools, research tools, and instructional tools, they wanted to see how they fit into the structure of the parent in- stitution and how well the library web site reflected the college/university.
Curl, Reynolds, and Mai (2000) studied asynchronous credit courses in libraries. Purdue University offered a course titled Information Strategies using WebCT and Subramanyam’s circular model of the evolution of sci- entific information as the framework. They found a correlation between frequency of visits and grades earned, that students who used their own computers did better than those who used only computer labs, that com- puter skills that students brought to class were uneven, that students liked the flexibility, and that cooperative and collaborative learning was evident.
An interesting side note to this literature was that Lee and Teh (2000) found that studies of academic library web sites either exclusively used quantitative analyses or qualitative methods, concluding that there appears to be a lack of a mixed-method approach for the evaluation of academic library web sites that integrated the results of both kinds of studies. There- fore, this study was designed to add to the literature in terms of both re- search methodology and the specifics of library services to distance education students.