I have now completed two rounds of usability testing at Iowa. We are testing a beta site, designed with some of my recommendations from the previous study. Even with improvements students are still having a damn hard time finding things. I am beginning to think that information literacy needs to target instructors more than it needs to target students. I think the best chance for students to succeed is if they are told the same thing from every 'information-authority.' Essentially that they need to hear the same words "databases" "smart search" from both professors and librarians.
The problems that continually present themselves in my usability studies are the participants abilities to understand what a citation is. Participants still experienced considerable trouble finding the article, even after I explained what each section of an MLA citation meant.
So what is going on here? Is it a lack of information literacy of the students (or maybe a general apathy towards research). Or is there a lack of instructors who know how to use the library (or maybe a general apathy towards their students?).
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
interview AND success NOT("screw up" AND rush)
Some tips for reference librarian interviews
1. Make sure you research possible questions you might get asked
2. Go over those questions with friends
3. Don't have a script in front of you, but just try and play it naturally and try your best to 'be cool.' (I dislike the use of the word 'cool' but it really sums up my point here).
4. Remember steps 1-3 when your phone interview begins
5. Don't give short, and sometimes meaningless, answers to questions.
#5 is particularly important as you might experience a kind of 'out of brain' feeling during an interview which, might, cause you to sound dis-interested and like an overall idiot.
Also, if you have a list of questions that you want to ask it might be a good idea to have those in front of you. If you neglect to do this (and try to play it by ear) you might end up asking questions that have little or no relevance to the position you are applying for, in which case you will sound stupid, and again dis-interested. Do not do this.
This post has no basis from my own life and has nothing to do with trying to get a job that I really wanted and feel as though I totally blew the phone interview.
1. Make sure you research possible questions you might get asked
2. Go over those questions with friends
3. Don't have a script in front of you, but just try and play it naturally and try your best to 'be cool.' (I dislike the use of the word 'cool' but it really sums up my point here).
4. Remember steps 1-3 when your phone interview begins
5. Don't give short, and sometimes meaningless, answers to questions.
#5 is particularly important as you might experience a kind of 'out of brain' feeling during an interview which, might, cause you to sound dis-interested and like an overall idiot.
Also, if you have a list of questions that you want to ask it might be a good idea to have those in front of you. If you neglect to do this (and try to play it by ear) you might end up asking questions that have little or no relevance to the position you are applying for, in which case you will sound stupid, and again dis-interested. Do not do this.
This post has no basis from my own life and has nothing to do with trying to get a job that I really wanted and feel as though I totally blew the phone interview.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)