User Research
Libraries are impacted by the ways in which individuals engage with technology; how they seek, access, contribute, and use information; and how and why they demonstrate these behaviors and do what they do. We're collaborating with librarians to shape their services around a set of expectations that have been influenced by consumer technologies and modern research and learning environments. By providing the library community with behavioral evidence about individuals’ perceptions, habits, and requirements, we can ensure that the design of future library services is all about the user. Our efforts are amplified by strategic partnerships and focus in these two areas:
Presentations

What's Format Got to Do with It? The Role Information Formats Play in Evaluating Search Results.
Topics: User Research, Student Support, Information Literacy

Snake News or Fake News? A Game Show About How Students Evaluate Scientific Information in Google Search Results
Charleston, SC, USA
This game show-style presentation gives an overview of a study that uses simulations of Google Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs), a think-aloud protocol, and interviews to capture student’s point of selection behavior and real-time cognition in judging the helpfulness, citability, and credibility of online resources.
Topics: Information Literacy

Authority, Context, and Containers: Student Perceptions and Judgements When Using Google for School Work
Athens, Greece
Two of the investigators of the “Researching Students’ Information Choices” project provide an in-depth update on this project that examines and compares the judgments and perceptions of students as they select resources for science-related school inquiry projects.
Topics: Information Literacy, Research Methods

"You Can Just Tell Whether a Website Looks Reliable or Not." People's Modes of Online Engagement
Bogota (Colombia)
Learn about the Digital Visitors and Residents project, how research supporting the project was completed, results focused on digital literacy, and recommendations for libraries.
Topics: User Research, Information Literacy

Online Engagement and Information Literacy: The Many Faces of Digital Visitors & Residents
Milan (Italy)
Learn more about OCLC's Digital Visitors and Residents work, identifying how individuals are engaging with technology, acquiring information, and why they make their choices.
Topics: Digital Visitors and Residents, User Research, Information Literacy

Digital Literacy in the Era of Fake News: Key Roles for Information Professionals
Washington, D.C. (USA)
In this presentation, Silipigni Connaway describes how people determine whether an online information source is credible and how libraries can play a role in ensuring patrons are accessing trustworthy sources.
Topics: Information Literacy, User Research