User Behavior Studies & Synthesis
What do we know about changing user behaviors? We're helping libraries calibrate their services around a completely new set of user expectations that have been shaped by consumer technologies. By providing the library community with behavioral evidence on their users' perceptions, habits and requirements, we can ensure that the design of future library services is all about the user. Our efforts here are amplified by strategic partnerships.
Current Activities
This project proposes a new model that enables Virtual Reference Services (VRS) to remain viable despite today’s environment of reduced resources. It will investigate the possibility of seamless collaboration between knowledge institutions such as libraries and the Social Q&A (SQA) community.
Digital Information Seeker Report
OCLC Research analyzed twelve final reports of library user studies from JISC, OCLC, and RIN, issued 2005-2009, and summarized the findings in a report issued under the auspices of JISC.
Digital Visitors and Residents: What Motivates Engagement with the Digital Information Environment?
A JISC-funded collaboration with the University of Oxford to investigate the theory of digital residents and visitors among learners in four educational stages, from late-stage secondary (high school) into post-degree professional practice.
This project includes the evaluation, sustainability, and relevance of virtual reference services, which are human-mediated, Internet-based library information services. The study of VRS users, non-users, and librarians provided a fuller understanding of their behaviors, needs, and preferences in virtual environments, in order to improve libraries' ability to respond to increased demand on libraries to provide reference services online.
Virtual Research Environment (VRE) Study
The goal of this study is to identify, gather and analyse evidence of researchers’ behaviors in digital environments from a selection of recent relevant JISC-funded projects in order to derive an evidence-based picture of the researcher of today. A cooperative project of OCLC Research and JISC (UK).
Some of the activities listed here have prototypes or demonstrations you can explore and play with. You can find a list of just those hands-on activities in ResearchWorks.
A few of these activities have generated software that you can download and build upon. Go to our software page for a list of only those activities.
The OCLC Research Library Partnership has sponsored the activities with this mark.
OCLC Research on YouTube
Watch OCLC Research YouTube Channel videos that feature some of our current work or recent findings