Information Needs Assessment: Surveys and Interviews in LIS
Ann Bishop
(abishop@uiuc.edu)
(ready to use)
ASK
Subject Areas
Grade Levels
Unit Keywords
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Research methods, community analysis, information needs assessment, user studies |
Open Directory Category
Rationale of the Unit
In order to develop collections and services for libraries, information centers or websites, information professionals assess the needs of their target audience. How are needs assessments done in LIS? Two of the most popular methods are surveys and interviews.
The purpose of this Inquiry Unit is to provide beginning MLS students with some basic tips on how to conduct surveys and interviews in the context of performing an information needs assessment.
Examples of survey and interview instruments associated with assessing needs in the Family and Community Activity Center project (currently underway in North Champaign neighborhoods surrounding the Douglass Library) are provided. |
Background and Resources
BACKGROUND -- brief overview, or URL for the overview article.
Evans, G. E. (2000). Developing library and information center collections. 4th ed. Ch. 2: Information needs assessment, pp. 31-68. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
[http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/articles/access.html#380 ]
Definition
Evans (p. 32) defines information needs assessment as "the concepts and processes of learning more about a target population" and states that "Knowledge of the service community is the key to effective collection development, which in turn is the way to effective services... the more [you] know about the customers' work roles, general interests, education, information or communication behavior, values, and related characteristics, the more likely it is that the collection will provide the desired information at the time the service population wants it."
Key issues for the Researcher:
- What do you need to know?
- How will you get the data you need?
- How will you analyze your data?
Primary Methods:
- Interviews with key informants (people in a position to know community needs)
- Community forum (town hall meeting)
- Social indicators (descriptive statistics found in public reports, e.g., sociodemographics like age and gender, education, ethnicity; population factors, like distribution and mobility; spational
arrangements of institutions; and health and social well-being characteristics, such as housing conditions and suicide rates)
READINGS -- texts, slides, audio/video
Patton, M. Q. (Nov. 2001). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3d ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
[http://www.sagepub.com/Shopping/Detail.asp?id=14045 ]
Fink, A., & Kosecoff, J. (1998). How to conduct surveys: A step-by-step guide. 2d ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (2001). Handbook of interview research: Context and method. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Glazier, J. D., & Powell, R. R. (1992). Qualitative research in information management. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Note: Includes chapters on a range of methods used in LIS settings, like case studies, focus groups, interviews, and Brenda Dervin's "sense-making" approach.
Stanfield, J. H. (1999). Slipping through the front door: Relevant social scientific evaluation in the people of color century. American Journal of Evaluation, 20(3), 415-431.
WEB SITES -- sites for exploration and interaction.
Survey Research
http://trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/survey.htm
Qualitative Research in Information Systems
http://www2.auckland.ac.nz/msis/isworld/
RESOURCES AND SUPPLEMENT MATERIALS
The GSLIS Library Research Center will help you design surveys and interviews [http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/gslis/research/lrc.html ]
Check out GSLIS Prof. Carole Palmer's syllabus for "Information Use and Users" [http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/~palmer/436-2001.htm ]
Needs Assessment for Organizational Websites
Rosenfeld, L., & Morville, P. (1998). Information architecture for the World Wide Web. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly. Chapter 7: Research.
[http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/articles/access.html#380 ]
In Chapter 7 on "Research," the authors describe how to assess user needs when designing the online collection of information that serves as an organization's website. They identify the basic steps as:
- Define goals (What is the mission of the organization? How will the website support that mission? What are short and long term goals for the website?)
- Decide how success in achieving goals will be measured.
- Learn about the intended audiences (Who are most important and most frequent users? What will these audiences want to do when they visit your website?)
- Indentify content and function requirements
- Decide how content will be grouped.
The data collection methods recommended for such a website needs analysis include: brainstorming meetings, creation of content "wishlists," and simple questionnaire forms that ask staff to rank the goals, audiences, and types of content by importance.
Related Inquiry Units:
Why don't adults in the community surrounding the Douglass Branch Library make use of its resources as much as the children do?
(Annie Estabrook)
http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10689.xml
How can new literacy tools aid citizens who are active in their communities do research and communicate their findings?
(Ellen Knutson)
http://www.inquiry.uiuc.edu/bin/update_unit.cgi?command=select&xmlfile=u10796.xml |
Activities and Open-ended problems
Last Spring, a group of people from across the community and university began planning for the establishment of a "Family and Community Activity Center" for North Champaign. Our primary goal was to find convenient places in local neighborhoods to conduct activities simultaneously for kids and their parents. Community information exchange was a big part of the vision, too.
We formed a Needs Assessment group, and began:
- Consulting social indicators and other descriptions of neighborhood characteristics and needs in public reports;
- Convening monthly meetings, which represent a combination of community forum and key informant interviews .
Our next step was to develop a survey that would be conducted by volunteers in their neighborhoods and churches. Below is our draft survey instrument. It is MUCH shorter than the neighborhood survey instrument we used in the Community Networking Initiative, where we surveyed household members about their activities, information needs, and computer use and attitudes.
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FAC NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY (DRAFT)
INTRODUCTION
A group of local people have been meeting for the past 3 months to pull together neighborhood resources for developing family activities in North Champaign. The basic idea is to organize activities for parents and kids that would go on at the same time in convenient neighborhood locations.
We would like to find out from more local residents what kind of activities they want to see developed. We are also spreading the word to find out how people in the neighborhood want to be involved.
NEEDS/RESOURCES FOR KIDS
1) What type of activities for kids do you think are needed most?
2) The following have been suggested. Which do you think are good ideas? For each one you think is a good idea, do you have children who might want to attend? What would make each one work best for them (what would be the best times, location, etc.)
Dance group:
__ Good idea
__ Have children who might want to come
What would make it work best:
Drum group:
__ Good idea
__ Have children who might want to come
What would make it work best:
Computer and Internet training:
__ Good idea
__ Have children who might want to come
What would make it work best:
Neighborhood basketball league:
__ Good idea
__ Have children who might want to come
What would make it work best:
3) Would you personally be interested in helping with neighborhood activities for kids? If so, how? Think about your talents and skills and what you enjoy doing. For example, could you: spend an hour telling kids stories or helping them make your favorite recipe, provide transportation, be on hand to help supervise kids for any of the activities mentioned above, make and post fliers about upcoming activities, donate a box of crayons?
4) Are there any other neighborhood resources (people, facilities, whatever) you think we should know about?
NEEDS/RESOURCES FOR ADULTS
1) What type of activities for adults do you think are needed most?
2) The following have been suggested. Which do you think are good ideas? For each one you think is a good idea, which might you personally want to attend? What would make each one work best for you?
Cooking classes:
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
GED classes:
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
Computer and Internet training:
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
Practical literacy (improving reading and math for everyday use):
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
Parenting workshops:
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
Health related programs/activities:
__ Good idea
__ I might want to come
What would make it work best:
3) Would you personally be interested in helping with neighborhood activities for adults? If so, how?
DOUGLASS LIBRARY, CENTER, and ANNEX
We are also collecting neighborhood feedback on and suggestions about Douglass Park facitilities, especially the Douglass Library, Center, and Annex. What do you think of these facilities? Any suggestions to improve them?
CONTACT INFORMATION
The informal Family and Community Activity Center group has been meeting at St. Luke?s CME church on the fourth Wednesday of every month, from 11:45-1:00. Would you like to join us or be notified about our progress and upcoming neighborhood activities for adults and kids?
If so, please let us know how to contact you:
Name:
Address:
Phone No:
Email address:
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** Comments on the survey draft from another group member **
Hi-
Thanks a lot Ann for doing a first draft!!
I would add "singing" to the "dance group" for kids below.
I would also leave out "Practical literacy" and just go with the plain
English.
I would also encourage those who give out the survey to use their own words
to ask the questions since this isn't a scientific survey.
Great work, Ann. This should be an exciting and educational process!
Angela
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We also created an even briefer survey to be handed out to people attending the first Family Fun Night organized by the Family and Community Center project group:
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Family and Community Activity Center
First Family Fun Night
Many parents talk about the lack of affordable activities for children and parents in our community. We hope that this will be the first of many free Family Nights. In the future what kinds of activities would you like to see for children and for adults?
ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN:
ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS:
If you are comfortable leaving the information below, we?ll let you know when the next Family Night is scheduled.
Name:________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________
Telephone Number/Numbers:_____________________________________
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Dialogues, Discussions, and Presentations
How does the form of survey or interview vary with the overall orientation and goals of the needs assessment? For example, why weren't traditional survey and interview techniques--which treat research participants as subjects--used in the Afya project with SisterNet women?
See:
Bishop, Ann P., Bharat Mehra, Imani Bazzell, and Cynthia Smith.
"Socially Grounded User Studies in Digital Library Development."
First Monday 5(6) June 2000
[http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue5_6/bishop/ ]
Bishop, Ann P., Imani Bazzell, Bharat Mehra, and Cynthia Smith.
"Afya: Social and Digital Technologies that Reach across the Digital Divide."
First Monday 6(4): April 2001.
[http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_4/bishop/index.html ]
What ethical issues must be addressed in research with human subjects?
See the "Summary Guide For Investigators" from the UI Institutional Review Board For the Protection of Human Subjects in Research at:
http://www.uiuc.edu/unit/vcres/irb/hbcontents.html |
Assessment, Related Questions, and Story of the Unit
ASSESSMENT
RELATED QUESTIONS
STORY OF THE UNIT -- How did it go?
RESPONSES FROM OTHERS (teachers) |
Uploaded Files:
week-13-ab-lecture-notes.pdf
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