Table of Contents

Summary
Methodology Notes
Interview Questions
Finding Highlights
Recommendations
Final Commentary

Summary

The Ohio State University Japanese Collections, part of the Language and Area Studies Department within the Main Library Research and Reference Services, is managed by the staff of one professional librarian and a group of student assistants. The librarian provides instructional and reference support for nearly 30 faculty members, selects and acquires both Japanese- and English-language materials on Japan, and helps to process those materials for public access. One of the primary public services has been the librarian’s participation in team teaching of Japanese 800: Japanese Bibliography and Research Methods, a graduate course offered annually in the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. The librarian has also consulted regularly with individual faculty members about their research and teaching needs since they first arrived on campus, and has informed the faculty on new research sources and databases through e-mail messages and library liaison and committee systems. Another major current program has been a grant-funded cooperative project known as Portal to Asian Internet Resources, which has selected, cataloged, and annotated high-quality online resources on Asian studies. The Japanese studies librarian at Ohio State University has been responsible for evaluating and organizing Japan-related web sites.

This study was proposed by Maureen Donovan, Japanese studies librarian, and Yuji Tosaka, Kent State library science practicum student, to conduct formal information needs assessment in light of multiple transitions facing users of the Japanese Collections. Major issues included the renovation of the Main Library and the temporary relocation of the library holdings to a former factory two miles away from the present location, the increasing location of library materials to the remote book depository, and the cancellation of many journal subscriptions. In particular, the study was intended to identify the impact of the increasing amount of digital resources available to our users because they are emerging as a primary means of accessing library collections and services in a fast-changing, dynamic information environment.

The methodology used for the study was an extensive series of structured interviews with 13 faculty members. Part of the findings were presented to a group of interested librarians at an informal staff seminar in the Main Library in early March, and at the public services panel in the annual meeting of the Council on East Asian Libraries under the Association for Asian Studies in Chicago at the end of March.

Among the primary findings of the faculty interview was the high level of user satisfaction with the library’s collections and document delivery system, including OhioLINK and ILL. However, several areas of information needs emerged repeatedly during the interview process, including the need to enhance user awareness about the library collections and services (in terms of both outreach and instruction programs) and the need to promote the library’s web site as a main gateway that provides access to “virtual” collections and helps the users manage the information overload in an increasingly electronic environment.

Several goals were identified as providing new approaches to meet the increasingly complex information needs of the users of the Japanese Collections at minimum staff costs, such as the promotion of instructional support and the creation of more robust online presence geared to a cohesive outreach program. Objectives under these goals include the use of new technology (blog and RSS) as a means of marketing library resources and services and planning for ongoing development of new research and instruction support, such as web-based guides and tutorials and class-integrated instruction and regular workshops introducing faculty and students to databases and new research techniques.

Methodology Notes

In the November meeting, Donovan and Tosaka decided to conduct information needs assessment for users of the Japanese Collections. After examining a series of data-gathering instruments listed in articles and books on library evaluation, Tosaka prepared an extensive list of possible questions for interviews and focus-group discussions. Following initial discussions, the list was pared down to 10 questions focusing on overall user satisfaction, user concern about the Main Library renovation, and user familiarity and support need as to digital resources and services (see the interview questions attached), and it was also decided to limit the data-gathering method to faculty interviews on the ground that focus-group discussions with faculty members would be impossible to arrange and there would not be enough time to speak with students in addition to individual faculty. Survey questionnaires were rejected due to concern about response rates.

Donovan contacted Japan-related faculty in person and via e-mail and scheduled interviews with a total of 13 faculty members over the three-week period from late January to mid-February. Each interview lasted approximately from 45 minutes to 1 hour. The interviews followed the semi-structured format and mostly went over the same set of 10 questions that also had been sent to all Japan-related faculty in the initial e-mails requesting their cooperation in the evaluation project.

Interview Questions

The following e-mail text was sent in advance to Japan-related faculty. The faculty were also given printed copies of the questions for personal reference during the interviews.

Finding Highlights

The primary finding of the faculty interview was the high level of user satisfaction with the library’s collections and document delivery system, including OhioLINK and interlibrary loan. The faculty also appreciated the ability to request books and articles from Japanese academic libraries.

At the same time, faculty information needs showed several common themes. One interesting finding was limits of traditional communication with faculty. They receive regular notice of new library resources and collections through department liaisons, library committees, and e-mail updates. But it seemed that many people have a hard time dealing with the ever-increasing problem of information overload today with the result that a noticeable number were not fully aware of the electronic resources essential to their research and teaching.

In addition, many people expressed various levels of concern about information management issues, including the need to keep track and gain a deeper understanding of the growing electronic resources and services that provide them with options for sophisticated information searching and retrieval in their teaching and research fields. At the same time, many faculty showed interest in having the ability to access guides and tutorials online all the time at the time of need. Also, they expressed the need for more opportunities to receive librarian support for learning (or re-learning) and helping to teach students new resources, services, and information skills, such as regular workshops and in-class instruction.

Recommendations

The following list of plans is based on the data that resulted from the information needs assessment of the users of the Japanese Collections at Ohio State University. The next stages are to incorporate them progressively as part of the overall workflow of the Japanese studies librarian and staff.

The main goal is to promote awareness of the library resources and services that meet the increasingly complex information needs of the users at minimum staff costs. Key objectives are to provide new approaches for outreach and instruction programs, including the use of new technology to strengthen the Japanese collections web site as a gateway that provides access to “virtual” collections in an increasingly digital information environment. Also important is planning for ongoing development of new information support services, such as web-based guides and tutorials and class-integrated instruction and regular workshops introducing faculty and students to databases and new research techniques.

Users’ Need Means of Meeting the Need
To learn to use electronic resources outside one’s fields Create guides on effective searching strategies
Use new technology (blog, RSS) to increase user awareness and communication, supplemented by e-mails (twice a quarter)
To find journal articles Create user handouts (web) on online browsing techniques (e.g., Nichigai, NACSIS indexes)
To find journal tables of contents Current awareness services (scanning TOCs)
Create user handout (web) on online browsing techniques (e.g., Nichigai, NACSIS indexes)
To find articles, chapters, and works in muli-volume sets Special project: analytics, content notes
Create user handout (web) on database searching
Create guides on Japan-related collections that are integrated
To obtain information about new books Create new acquisition lists on focused topics for online access
To access guides and tutorials when needed Use the home page as information gateway
To learn to use library collections Create guides and tutorials on local resources
Create online tour of the OSU collections
Create guides on using Unicode
Create guides on levels of access for resources (OSU, non-OSU, etc.)
Support for non-specialists with limited or intermediate Japanese skills (expanding constituency) Acquire introductory books in Japanese and/or on Japan
Create guides on using Japanese collections and accessing Japanese resources
Create guides on visual resources (Nihon no bijutsu, etc.)
Support for teaching and research needs Offer class instruction/orientation
Offer regular workshops
Outreach and liaison opportunities to arrange individual instruction and discuss research/teaching needs
Create user handouts on commonly needed topics (some in Japanese)
Promote Portal to Asian Internet Resources as a gateway to quality web sites
Support for the growing constituency in Japanese classes/film studies Acquire more multimedia materials
Interest in Japanese bibliography class materials Conversion to online access for faculty and other users
Need for in-depth information about manga and using manga collections Create guides on using manga collections (e.g., genres, authors)

Final Commentary

This study was conducted because the fast-changing information landscape, as well as the planned renovation of the Main Library, was felt to warrant a new study of the information needs of the users of the Japanese Collections. Future studies will need to include a different subpopulation, i.e., graduate and undergraduate students interested in Japanese studies. An open workshop scheduled for early May will be the first step in this direction. Graduate students as well as faculty will be introduced to the new blog-based home page for the Japanese Collections and other Japan-related information resources. Their feedback will be used further to enhance the usability of the redesigned web site and restructure service to faculty and students.

The partnerships that were generated by the information needs assessment process were significant. A number of faculty expressed an interest in inviting the Japanese studies librarian to offer workshops and in-class instruction on Japan-related information resources. The increased awareness of the value of the library’s services and resources was another fruit of this evaluation study. Preliminary indications are that evaluation itself also served as an important tool for library outreach and marketing.