Dissertation Information for Janice H. McCue NAME: - Janice H. McCue
- (Alias) Janice Helen McCue
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Columbia University (USA) (1988)
ADVISORS: - Ellis Mount
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Phyllis Dain - Redmond Kathleen Molz - Jane Anne Therese Hannigan - Michael Edward Davison Koenig
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: Online searching in public libraries : a comparative study of performance
Abstract: The 1980s brought great emphasis on providing information resources to meet society's growing and changing needs. A major part of this movement was the growth of online database searching. The purpose of this exploratory study was to compare and analyze the quality of results of forty-two online database searches conducted in twenty-one public libraries located in sixteen states across the continental United States. Unobtrusive measurement was applied in the data collection process to obtain a true picture of the search service routinely offered at these twenty-one libraries from June 25, 1984, to October 24, 1984.
An outside team of database search experts from leading United States financial institutions evaluated search results using a point system of scoring. The focus of the evaluation was the skill of the twenty-one online searchers in (1) retrieving citations that would provide information for a single multifaceted research question and (2) using two different databases. The experts affirmed that the best searches were attained by those searchers who used a broad search strategy thus retrieving a large number of citations. Regression analysis revealed that there is a strong relationship between the dependent variable quality and the independent variable quantity (the number of citations retrieved).
Confirming the study's first hypothesis, the comparison of performance scores showed there was a wide difference in the quality of online searching from library to library. Addressing the study's second hypothesis that variability and quality of search performance was related to many factors, the only statistically significant variable that emerged from forty-two follow-up interviews was the monthly frequency with which the searchers perform searches.
There are many issues within the sphere of quality online searching in public libraries that need answering. This study shows that the quality of the online search results in public libraries needs to be evaluated and measured with respect to the complete process such as the impact of (1) the nature of the topic, (2) the input with respect to the requestor, (3) the level of skill of the searcher, and (4) the input of the administrative practices.
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MPACT Scores for Janice H. McCue A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-07-25 19:09:07
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