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8

Accommodating users

“Internet-savvy students told us that the online world offers many advantages over the alternatives—school-issued textbooks and their school and community libraries. They said the Internet is much easier and more convenient to access. It is as close as the nearest Internet connection—which is often in their homes—and does not require a ride in a car or bus. Students said school and community libraries have limited selections of multimedia, while online sites routinely offer downloadable graphic images, photographs, animations, video and sound. However, a unanimous “no” echoed throughout the OCLC focus groups when we asked if they are able to complete their entire projects on the Internet. ‘You still need a lot of resources,’ said one student.”7

“Senior citizens, at the other end of the spectrum, told us their primary reasons for going online include doing e-mail, reading newspapers and searching for information on prescriptions, finance and investments, hobbies, recipes, movies and garage sales. They told us the reasons they use the library include book sales, taking grandchildren to reading programs and reading newspapers. ‘Computers are kind of a shortcut to information. They really are. But, I still think the library and the printed word…you have to have that, too,’ said one senior.”7

While there are some outstanding examples of libraries making efforts to take services and content to users, it is still the case that most library users must go virtually or physically to the library. Library content and services are rarely pushed to the user although more and more libraries are using RSS feeds and content packaged for handheld devices as a way to get into users’ spaces.

Here are some key points about accommodating users made by people OCLC interviewed:

• We need to stop looking at things from a library point of view and focus on the user’s point of view.
• Users don’t care if content is a Web page, a blog, a book or a serial.
• A common interface to content is not a big deal anymore.
• Personalization and categorization are really important for the end user as a way of filtering through large sets.
• Undergraduates are using a lot more primary material.
• Librarians underestimate users’ knowledge of searching the Web—how did we learn to read newspapers without help? Aren’t they collections of unrelated material too?
• There is a high level of satisfaction with self-service applications in libraries.
• Librarians cannot change user behavior and so need to meet the user.
• Vendors are always looking to see how people’s needs are not being met and stepping into that hole—libraries don’t do this. They try and make the people fit the library.
• Libraries are behind the curve—services have not been built to support user interests.
• Use drives selection—convenience is more important than it was. Convenience of service has increased as an expectation from the public, as they expect hours of service to match retail hours of service.
• We confuse building-based services with services in general. Why should a user care if content comes from the law library or the medical library?

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