Presented by Deirdre Costello and Christi Showman Farrar at Computers in Libraries 2015. Presentation focuses on our findings about student research habits and the decisions EBSCO has made based on these findings.

1. Behind the
Curtain
Adapting and Developing
Student Digital Resources
Computers in Libraries
April 27, 2015

2. Who Am I?
Librarian
Educator
Photographer
Baker
Ninja
Reader
@librarychristi
EBSCO Information Services

3. Who Am I?
@deirdre_lyon
Librarian
Researcher
Horse person
Batman expert
Animal Rights Advocate
EBSCO Information Services

4. The Projects
Secondary
Research
Literature
review of
elementary,
middle and high
school search
habits
Video Diary Study
High school students
self-reporting their
research habits and
preferences
Contextual
Inquiry
One-on-one
sessions with high
school, college and
graduate students
discussing their
research habits

5. What We Thought

6. Reader
Rule-Follower
Overachiever
Naturally internally motivated
All avatars created by Deirdre Costello using FaceYourManga.com
Hermione

7. Supportive Home
Hates Homework
Relies on Hermione
Learns from a Friend
All avatars created by Deirdre Costello using FaceYourManga.com
Ron

8. All avatars created by Deirdre Costello using FaceYourManga.com
Nervous
Clumsy
Very Little Support
Finds his subject
Neville

9. Motivation: The Turning Point
External Internal
“Glenfinnan Viaduct” by Nicolas17 is licensed under CC BY
2.5

10. Elementary School: Grazers
• Students think very
concretely
• They have developing
motor skills
• Their reading
comprehenion is still low
• Comfortable exploring
new interfaces
• Solve problems by trial
and error
• Skill mastery occurs
when student feel
confident and successful

11. Grazers: In Short
• Interpreting information is a challenge
• Interacting with information is a challenge
• Positive reinforcement for exploration
builds a foundation for future skills

12. Middle School: Loopers
• Keywords are a struggle
• Have difficulty
understanding hierarchies
• Will reject anything
“childish”
• Unsure about progress on
their own
• Positive view of
technology
• Autonomy and
independence are
extremely important
• Motivated by familiarity,
authority and intellectual
challenge

13. Loopers: In Short
• Students are ready to search on their own
• They can perform simple strategies modelled
for them
• They need consistent reassurance and
guidance to move forward

14. High School: Skimmers
• Keywords are still a struggle
• Quick to reject anything
difficult or inconvenient
• Experience anxiety about
producing a high-quality
product
• Difficulty forming a search
strategy – finding a topic,
determining keywords, writing
• Comfortable with
technology
• Familiar with web
conventions
• Capable of analysis and
synthesis
• Enjoy learning and finding
information

15. Skimmers: Key Opportunity
9th Grade “Boot Camp”
• Students are resistant when they’re doing it
• When they get to college, they appreciate it
• They become the “helpers” that other students
turn to when they’re struggling

16. Google + Wikipedia =
Googlepedia
• It’s familiar
• It’s simple
• It’s rewarding
• It’s trustworthy
It’s not going
away.

17. Data to Design
A B
C
Goal:
Remove obstacles to improve experience

18. Empathy
Frustrating
Overwhelming Hard
I don’t know where to start
Nervous

19. What We Did

20. What We Did

21. Avoid Childish

22. Consistent Experience
Primary
Secondary
Public Library

23. A Starting Point

24. Context

25. In Tune

26. At The Right Level
QuantitativeQualitative
Reader & Task

27. Takeaways
• 9th Grade “Boot Camp”
• Avoid “childish” designs
• Scaffold experiences
• Provide context
• Look at all aspects of complexity

28. Contact Us
@librarychristi
@deirdre_lyon
cfarrar@ebsco.com
dcostello@ebsco.com
EBSCO is here

29. THANK YOU