The Australian Library Journal

Through the looking glass for librarians: a training lens to improve and fast track learning of databases

Kirsty Williamson and Marion Bannister

Manuscript received August 2002

This is a refereed article

This paper discusses literature relevant to training issues in database use for public librarians and then presents the method for the project, along with the findings of the initial fieldwork: the results of the observation of skills in a sample group and the investigation of self-perceived skills and training needs in the same group. It concludes with the outline of the training modules which are proposed. These modules will use a 'lens' to improve and fast track learning of databases.

Strong links have been made between staff with effective levels of training and successful electronic library service implementation, or even the success or failure of the information service in general. This article discusses literature relevant to training issues in database use for public librarians, including the impact of training on library and service development; the need for online database training; and possible approaches to training. The method for the project is then presented, along with the findings of the initial fieldwork: the results of the observation of skills in a sample group and the investigation of self-perceived skills and training needs in the same group. The paper concludes with the outline of the training modules which are proposed. These modules will use a 'lens' to improve and fast track learning of databases. The researchers believe that, with the aid of the 'lens', librarians can master any new database, including its idiosyncrasies, very quickly. In this way, librarians should gain more confidence in working with databases, and feel less stressed by the constant proliferation of interfaces and formats. Alternatively, the modules can be used to train new reference staff on the use of databases in general.

Introduction

In the short term at least, training of staff and patrons alike in the confident use of databases is a crucial precondition for their successful application in libraries (Williamson et al. 2001: 174).

This quote comes from an article which reports some of the findings of the project, 'Evaluation of the usability of electronic library resources'.[1] This project involved focus groups with librarians and database trials and interviews with ten patrons in each of four Victorian public library services. A key finding was that the four electronic databases (World Magazine Bank, Health Reference Center - now Health and Wellness Resources Center - Custom Database and Electric Library), offered on a trial basis in Victorian public libraries in 2000 by the State Library of Victoria under the Gulliver Program, were not being used to an optimal level. This was largely because, at that time, many librarians were not sufficiently familiar with the databases either to be comfortable about using them on behalf of their clients, or to instruct clients in their use. Anecdotal evidence from about the same period (2000-2001) was that the situation in NSW public libraries was similar. A recent comparative study of libraries in New Zealand and China (Cullen and Cheng 1999) similarly found that training in online databases is sought by staff in the face of growing patron demand for access to electronic resources. Its authors concluded that:

A major concern about staff training highlights the need to upgrade staff skills on a regular basis in the new technologies, and to train staff so that they can pass on their skills to users ... there is room for more in-depth analysis of training needs, and for systematic staff training programmes (210).

The training project reported in this paper was initiated partly as a result of the findings of the Victorian project (Williamson et al 2001). The State Library of NSW (SLNSW), supported by the National Library of Australia (NLA), had perceived that similar problems existed for their staff and believed that a project to develop the competency of Australian public librarians in using online databases would be worthwhile. The objectives of this project include:

• to investigate perceptions of librarians about their present skills and needs for training in using online databases to satisfy clients' requests for information;
• to test the range of skills in the target population through objective measurement using a sample of librarians;
• to investigate ways of building generic training modules which will include core sets of competencies and which will apply across a range of databases and search engines; and
• to test and evaluate the training modules with the original sample against specific learning outcomes.

Literature review

This overview of the literature considers the impact of training on library and service development; the need for online database training, including issues of interface design and training, the need for learner support, the impact of learner attitudes; and, finally, possible approaches to training. As will be discussed later in the paper, many of the views of participants in the State Library of NSW/National Library of Australia training project are consistent with the findings reported in the literature.

The impact of training on library and service development

Strong links have been shown to exist between the presence of staff with effective levels of training and successful implementation of electronic library service (Rodwell 2001; Palmer 1996; Kajberg 1997; Popp and Fazle Kabir 1990: 77) or even with the success or failure of the information service in general (Friend 1990: 121). Given that the major budget item of most public libraries is salaries, optimising skills through development and effective training is a critical issue. The impact of effective training in the context of academic libraries was outlined by Matthews (1997). He identified training as having a positive organisational effect, and lack of training a negative impact, in terms of staff morale, motivation, performance, staff turnover, the adoption of change, costly errors or accidents, fulfilment of organisational objectives and levels of service. It is particularly important to consider the impact of training on enhanced library service to patrons, especially in the many rural Australian public libraries where small populations are served by one, or only a few, library staff. This view is supported by a study from the US Pacific Northwest:

Libraries throughout Oregon that offer appropriate training in emerging technologies and current methods to library staff have been more likely to provide enhanced service to patrons (Chavez 2001: 27).

Need for online database training

According to a recent combined New Zealand and China study:

Needs for training in Wellington libraries focus on CD-ROM, online searching (the highest reported need), the internet and PC-software. This appears to be only partly related to levels of staff competency and previous training, and more to overall information retrieval skills and the need to stay competent (Cullen and Cheng 1999: 205-206).

This finding reinforces the need for the present project. Williamson et al (2001), in their project which focussed on the Gulliver databases, found that training was needed so that staff could have some practice with the databases. There was also considerable interest in the suggestion that there be some accreditation for staff based on database searching exercises. The researchers saw this as being important in terms of encouragement, rather than of compulsion.

Issues of interface design and training

The implication of interface design for database training arose with the Williamson et al (2001) study. Using a range of databases was made difficult by differences between the databases with regard to key commands, screen layouts and search options. As one focus group member put it, 'If I was a member of the public and I was confronted with all these databases - every one has a different interface, every one does something different - it would be an absolute nightmare' (172). It was generally felt that this applied to many staff as well. Reinforcing this view is Twidale and Nichols' (1998: 178) observation that with the ongoing proliferation of interfaces and versions, no less than databases themselves, 'even the most enthusiastic user of information searching technology is faced with a continual need to update her skills'.

The researchers in the Williamson et al (2001) project concluded that the resources were not being used to an optimal level, even by experienced library staff. For example, the use of different kinds of searches such as key word, natural language, relevance, results in different search results depending upon the database being used. As one librarian said: 'Staff need training on all the different aspects of these databases, because they are not always apparent from the first screen' (Williamson et al 2001: 172)

Need for learner support

Support for learning to enable library staff to build confidence in database use has been identified as a key issue for successful implementation of training strategies. A British Library funded study (Jones and Sprague 1998: 7-8), which examined library staff training on ICT, using independent and flexible learning strategies found that 'learners would like someone to talk to, a mentor to encourage and to check out problems', rather than a professional tutor or an IT expert. Concern was expressed that poorly motivated students would struggle with this type of learning without adequate support.

Other important learner support issues for flexible delivery are good and uninterrupted access to computers which are not in the public area of the library, and adequate, allocated time for learning (Jones and Sprague 1999). It is crucial for the independent learner that the pros and cons of different environments conducive to learning are taken seriously, as constant interruption and noise levels have a detrimental effect on the quantity and quality of learning (7). Most studies point to lack of time to learn as the main issue for most independent learners (Jones and Sprague 1998: 7; LIC 1998b: 9.26; Bunker 1995: 135).

Attitudes of learners

Bichtaler (1986 in Bunker 1995), in a study of thirty-two special libraries, found that librarians were often reluctant to engage in any online searching outside their previous boundaries of experience. Although the Bichtaler study took place in the early days of online searching, this finding seems to be still relevant. Unlike traditional printed sources, online resources can cause anxiety and be perceived as a threat to librarians. Common responses include a sense of being overwhelmed by the complicated framework of software and hardware, and mystification about the ways that a computer 'thinks'. Beyond this, there is the fear of giving users the wrong impression that the online environment is somewhat 'magical' and easily engaged with (Mosby and Hughes 1990: 111). Similar issues emerged in the Library and Information Commission study (LIC 1998b) which reported on ICT training in public libraries. According to Jones and Sprague (1999):

Commonly staff are afraid of looking foolish in front of customers, feeling that they lack the skills and confidence. However, most also think that they could cope with the changes provided they were given the tools to do the job (97).

Approaches to training

It would be difficult to disagree with Bunker (1995:12) who said that effective training must be concise and interactive, interspersed with exercises and hands-on experimentation. There is a range of recommended approaches to training in the literature, which often take into account some of the issues discussed above. (See, for example, LIC1998a; Kendall 2000.) One that stands out as appropriate to library staff is the Dialog Classmate Program (Dyckman 1995). Although designed for university library users, its emphasis is on developing confidence in generic, computer-based information retrieval skills transferable to a range of databases.

The LIC (1998a) study found that in terms of ensuring effective learning, certain factors were more important to participants than actual training methods. These included:

• determining individual training needs beforehand;
• selecting the right people to train first;
• employing trainers who understand the library environment and who have good interpersonal and training skills;
• relating training to specific contexts;
• giving trainees the opportunity to practise what has been learned, and ensuring that they have access to appropriate hardware and software and have the time to use it; and
• ensuring trainees have access to ongoing support - follow-up sessions, help lines, newsletters, manuals (9.26)

Ideally, both the individual and the organisation should be involved as partners in learning, with the organisation taking responsibility for providing a learning culture which, in turn, provides the moral support, guidance, finance, time and recognition for the learner, to 'enable learning to happen' (Jones and Sprague 1998: 98). This philosophy of shared management/individual librarian responsibility for learning strongly underpins the LIAC (Legal Information Access Service) of the State Library of NSW.[2]

Method for the SLNSW/NLA Project

Taking into account the background outlined above the researchers embarked on the training project for SLNSW/NLA. For the first stage of the fieldwork, the searching strategies and skills of professional librarians were observed and qualitative methods were used to investigate their perceptions about their present skills and training needs for using online databases to satisfy client enquiries. In the second phase, action research will be used with the original cohort to test the generic training modules developed as a result of the initial fieldwork. Evaluation methods will be used to assess the effectiveness of the training modules as part of the action research. Adjustments will be made to the modules which will be tested on a new cohort of participants in late 2002. The two databases chosen for the objective tests were Health and Wellness Resource Center and APA-FT (Australian Public Affairs - Full Text), with each participant being tested on one database of the two.

The first stage of the fieldwork for the project took place at three venues between 20 November 2001 and 4 February 2002: SLNSW; Wagga Wagga Headquarters of the Riverina Regional Library; and NLA on 4 February, 2002. The sample totalled twenty-six library staff, of whom twenty were females and six were males. The majority (60.5 per cent) were aged between 30 and 49. Almost half of the participants came from metropolitan libraries; nine participants from country regional libraries; three from small country libraries; and three from the NLA. The majority of participants (twenty) held the position of reference librarian, manager, reference department, or senior library manager. The remaining six held the position of librarian. Almost all participants were very experienced reference librarians; all but one participant had received some database training.

Findings from the first fieldwork stage

The findings from the first stage are complex and voluminous, and will be reported here only briefly. Further information can be obtained from the researchers. Findings are presented in two parts: those which came from the observation of skills and those that emerged from focus groups.

Observation of skills

For each of the two databases, a pro-forma which aimed to observe the use of all the major functions of the databases, together with related strategies and searching skills, was compiled by the researchers. A wide range of skills was observed: from identifying the purpose of the databases, to formulating search terms, to undertaking basic and advanced searches, to using truncation and nesting, for example. Participants were encouraged to 'think out loud' to the researchers about their problems or progress as they moved through the search. In this way, the researchers could better understand the librarians' thinking through of the search strategies and problems as they progressed through the search.

APA-FT proved a more difficult database for participants than Health and Wellness Resource Center (HWRC), although one reason might be the fact that more participants had used the latter, and been trained on it. The other reason was that HWRC is a simpler and more user-friendly database than APA-FT. In general, the following weaknesses, which lead to poor search outcomes, were identified during the observations, and to some degree in the focus groups.

• There was a tendency to use inappropriate search terms which were either too broad or too narrow, along with ineffective strategies to evaluate searches accurately.
• In APA-FT, at times the controlled vocabulary fields were used when the keyword or free-text searching mode was appropriate.
• Less than one-third of participants using APA-FT demonstrated they understood the full functionality of the index (the list of computer generated terms) and how it might be useful in constructing searches.
• Participants had problems with Boolean operators (except for 'and'); proximity operators; nesting; and the wild card. Truncation was not performed as well in Health and Wellness Resource Center as it was in APA-FT.
• 'Help' was often used ineffectively, partly because of its confusing and user-unfriendly organisation in both databases.
• Participants used incorrect spelling at times and did not always have strategies for identifying the correct spelling.
• Use of incorrect default operators or phrasing was common, and there were problems in sorting and the handling of dates.

Focus group findings

The focus groups confirmed many of the findings from the literature regarding the importance of training for librarians to make effective use of databases, both on behalf of their users, and to assist their users to search for themselves. Confirming the findings of Jones and Sprague (1998), they saw a need for learner support, believing that management plays a big role in creating the climate and providing the resources for successful training and learning to take place (as previously discussed, above, in 'approaches to training'. Confirming the findings of Williamson et al (2001), they were concerned about the multiplicity of interfaces and deceptively simple interfaces which give search results that are less than satisfactory but are time-consuming to obtain. They claimed that they have learnt by experimentation or trial and error - really building on prior learning. However, it is our observation that knowledge and skills are often inappropriately transferred from one database to another.

Learner needs

A range of issues, focusing on learner needs, shared management/learner responsibility, aids to learning and impediments to learning, was identified. These ranged widely across all learning for librarians, rather than specifically for database learning. Generally, participants' clear preference was for face-to-face training, which allows for good, interactive feedback. However, experienced staff preferred self-paced training, provided they were given the time and place to learn. Lack of time and access to uninterrupted learning opportunities in a busy workplace were undoubtedly seen as the biggest problems for learning at work (confirming the findings of Jones et al. 1999). As one participant stated:

'... if you were doing it as training yourself online ...you don't have paid staff time during library hours to actually sit and do it (self-paced learning online) effectively.'

Another need was described as 'confidence building.' Lack of confidence was perceived to be an issue, especially where infrequent use became an impediment to learning:

'They don't want to use the database because they are not really confident to use it.' (Participant in study)

Training which provided familiarity through practice and was adaptable enough to address different levels of understanding and experience was seen to be important, as was reinforcement of learning through follow-up and ongoing support and mentoring. With regard to the latter point, one participant's comment was:

'I think you need some kind of follow-up to that (the initial training) because that's where you get rusty. You think that you know it and you get all enthusiastic and then in a fortnight's time, it's like "How does that work?" '

Other aids to learning mentioned were: cheat sheets as prompts on key features; good relevant learning materials which are well structured and professionally developed; the provision of practical 'hands on' training; a step-by-step incremental learning approach; strategies for learning the idiosyncrasies of individual databases; and the building in of self-assessment tasks.

Preferred delivery and support models

A range of training models - from self-paced learning for experienced librarians, to the trained trainer imparting knowledge to less experienced librarians in a face-to-face situation - were identified. Overwhelmingly, librarians wanted a means of being able to understand generically how databases could be searched effectively, rather than needing to learn specific databases. Access to advisers through phone contact; continuous feedback and self testing built into the training; follow-up on initial training to keep skills up-to-date; shared management/individual responsibility for training; and the need for accreditation were stressed. These findings confirm results of other studies or training projects: Williamson et al (2001); Dyckman (1995); McKibbon (2002); LIC (1998b).

Conclusion

Based on the first stage of the fieldwork, the researchers concluded that the key aims of training should be: to facilitate understanding of what are the common elements or problems in using all databases; and to develop an ability to understand the idiosyncrasies of different databases. These are essential for librarians to search databases effectively.

To achieve those aims, the researchers have suggested that a tool, to be called a 'lens', be developed and used as the focus of training. Such a tool would be used to identify the common elements, problems and the idiosyncrasies of databases. The lens would bring these parts into sharp focus for the librarian. A by-product of the lens will be a table which librarians can use to compare databases at a glance. (A similar table has already been used to compare the properties of search engines.)

It is proposed that two training modules will be developed, both of which will make use of the lens. The first will be a self-paced package for experienced librarians; and the other, adapted from it, will be a train-the-trainer module. It is envisaged that 'trained trainers' will deliver training to other library staff in face-to-face situations. Both modules should ideally include inbuilt self-assessment exercises and examples, and provide the opportunity for ongoing trainer/mentor feedback and support. Many of the suggestions from the literature and from the participants in the very fruitful initial stage of the fieldwork will be incorporated.

References

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Chavez, GT (2001) 'Workforce training and development in selected public libraries throughout the state of Oregon', Rural Librarian 21 (1): 25-46.

Cullen, R and H Cheng (1999) 'The use of new technologies in reference and information work: a survey of training needs in China and New Zealand', Asian Libraries 8 (6): 195-214.

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Footnotes

1 This project was undertaken in 2000 by two researchers in the School of Information Management and Systems at Monash University: Dr Kirsty Williamson who is director of Information and Telecommunications Needs Research and who is also one of the chief investigators for the project discussed in this article; and an information systems expert, Associate Professor, Frada Burstein. The project was funded by an Australian Research Council SPIRT grant and was undertaken in partnership with State Library of Victoria/VICNET.

2 LIAC has been in operation for ten years and in 2000 had a presence in 61 NSW public libraries and in that year fielded 19 000 enquiries.

The authors are members of the research group Information and Telecommunications Needs Research (ITNR), a joint venture of Monash University (MU) and Charles Sturt University (CSU). The Director, Dr Kirsty Williamson, holds appointments at MU and CSU and Marion Bannister is based at CSU. The present article reflects the philosophy of ITNR which has a specifically 'user' focus in relation to information and telecommunications needs of community groups. School of Information Management and Systems Level 7, 26 Sir John Monash Dve Monash University Caulfield East Vic 3145 ph 03 9903 1083 fx 03 9903 2005 kirsty.williamson@sims.monash.edu.au: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/itnr/