Abstract

Discovery tools have been widely adopted by academic libraries, yet little information exists that connects common practices regarding discovery tool implementation, maintenance, assessment, and staffing with conventions for research and instruction. The authors surveyed heads of reference and instruction departments in research and land-grant university libraries. The survey results revealed common practices with discovery tools among academic libraries. This study also draws connections between operational, instructional, and assessment practices and perceptions that participants have of the success of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated successful implementation of their discovery tool hailed from institutions that made significant commitments to the operations, maintenance, and acceptance of their discovery tool. Participants who indicated an unsuccessful implementation, or who were unsure about the success of their implementation, did not make lasting commitments to the technical maintenance, operations, and acceptance of their discovery tool.

Notes

This is a post-print Authors’ Accepted Manuscript. The Version of Record of this manuscript has been published and is available in the JOURNAL OF WEB LIBRARIANSHIP, February 22, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2017.1284632.

Keywords

discovery tools, academic libraries, assessment, attitudes, technical support, librarians, undergraduates, faculty, assessment, information literacy, library instruction, research

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2017

DOI

10.1080/19322909.2017.1284632

Link to Article at Publisher Website

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