1
STUDYING
STUDENTS
TO
ENHANCE
LIBRARY
SERVICES
AT
RUTGERS
UNIVERSITY:
PRINCIPLES
AND
PRIORITIES
FOR
MOVING
FROM
RESEARCH
TO
REDESIGN
AND
DEVELOPMENTOF
THE
LIBRARIES
WEBSITE
THEFINALREPORT
OF
OUR
ETHNOGRAPHICRESEARCHPROJECT
INTRODUCTION
We
carried
out
this
ethnographic
research
project
t
investigate
the
research
behaviors
of
Rutgers
University
undergraduate
studentsgraduate
,
students,
and
faculty
in
an
effort
to
discover
how
library
and
information
resources
are
used,
in
particular
the
Rutgers
University
Libraries
website.
We
intended
that
the
research
would
highlight
ways
in
which
the
website
might
be
improved
both
to
enhance
the
research
experience
for
users
and
to
attract
new
users.
This
final
report
details
the
principles
and
priorities
developed
by
the
core
team
for
guiding
improvements
to
the
Libraries
website.
Project
methods
and
detailed
results
are
contained
in
two
reports
available
on
the
Libraries
website
at:
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/ethnography/reports.shtmlAlso
.
at
the
same
location
are
coded
comments
from
the
surveysofgraduate
and
undergraduate
students
and
review
reports
with
specific
recommendations
from
relevant
councils
and
committees
on
the
coded
comments
contributed
by
survey
respondents.
The
study
gathered
a
great
deal
of
dataThe
.
various
reports
describe
the
"what"
of
improving
our
website.
The
design
team
will
determine
the
“
”
PRIMARY
FINDING
The
Libraries
website
needs
to
be
viewed
quite
differently
by
librarians
and
library
staff
than
it
has
been
to
date.
Instead
of
being
a
vehicle
for
library
information,
it
must
become
a
tool.
Website
users
do
not
want
to
read
and
be
instructed,
except
perhaps
by
choice.
They
desperately
need
and
want
the
website
to
carry
out
actively
what
they
need
to
have
done.
As
Roy
Tennent
has
written:
“You
know
you
want
it.
Or
you
know
someone
who
does.
One
search
box
and
a
button
to
search
a
variety
of
sources,
with
results
collated
for
easy
review.
Go
ahead,
give
in—after
all,
isn't
it
true
that
only
librarians
like
to
search?
Everyone
else
likes
to
find
.” 1
Our
results
confirm
this
view.
1
Digital
Libraries-
Cross-
Search:
One-
Shopping ,
by
Roy
Tennant.
Library
Journal,
10/15/01.
Viewed
February
3,
2010:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA170458.html.
162 · Representative Documents: User Feedback
Rutgers University
Studying Students to Enhance Library Services at Rutgers University
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/ethnography/reports/ERP_Final_Report.pdf
STUDYING
STUDENTS
TO
ENHANCE
LIBRARY
SERVICES
AT
RUTGERS
UNIVERSITY:
PRINCIPLES
AND
PRIORITIES
FOR
MOVING
FROM
RESEARCH
TO
REDESIGN
AND
DEVELOPMENTOF
THE
LIBRARIES
WEBSITE
THEFINALREPORT
OF
OUR
ETHNOGRAPHICRESEARCHPROJECT
INTRODUCTION
We
carried
out
this
ethnographic
research
project
t
investigate
the
research
behaviors
of
Rutgers
University
undergraduate
studentsgraduate
,
students,
and
faculty
in
an
effort
to
discover
how
library
and
information
resources
are
used,
in
particular
the
Rutgers
University
Libraries
website.
We
intended
that
the
research
would
highlight
ways
in
which
the
website
might
be
improved
both
to
enhance
the
research
experience
for
users
and
to
attract
new
users.
This
final
report
details
the
principles
and
priorities
developed
by
the
core
team
for
guiding
improvements
to
the
Libraries
website.
Project
methods
and
detailed
results
are
contained
in
two
reports
available
on
the
Libraries
website
at:
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/ethnography/reports.shtmlAlso
.
at
the
same
location
are
coded
comments
from
the
surveysofgraduate
and
undergraduate
students
and
review
reports
with
specific
recommendations
from
relevant
councils
and
committees
on
the
coded
comments
contributed
by
survey
respondents.
The
study
gathered
a
great
deal
of
dataThe
.
various
reports
describe
the
"what"
of
improving
our
website.
The
design
team
will
determine
the
“
”
PRIMARY
FINDING
The
Libraries
website
needs
to
be
viewed
quite
differently
by
librarians
and
library
staff
than
it
has
been
to
date.
Instead
of
being
a
vehicle
for
library
information,
it
must
become
a
tool.
Website
users
do
not
want
to
read
and
be
instructed,
except
perhaps
by
choice.
They
desperately
need
and
want
the
website
to
carry
out
actively
what
they
need
to
have
done.
As
Roy
Tennent
has
written:
“You
know
you
want
it.
Or
you
know
someone
who
does.
One
search
box
and
a
button
to
search
a
variety
of
sources,
with
results
collated
for
easy
review.
Go
ahead,
give
in—after
all,
isn't
it
true
that
only
librarians
like
to
search?
Everyone
else
likes
to
find
.” 1
Our
results
confirm
this
view.
1
Digital
Libraries-
Cross-
Search:
One-
Shopping ,
by
Roy
Tennant.
Library
Journal,
10/15/01.
Viewed
February
3,
2010:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA170458.html.
162 · Representative Documents: User Feedback
Rutgers University
Studying Students to Enhance Library Services at Rutgers University
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/ethnography/reports/ERP_Final_Report.pdf
