User Studies for Digital Library Development - 9781856047654

Digital libraries have grown quickly as electronic access to information has become more widespread. But while evaluations and feedback from users is considered essential in many environments, the authors found that they are "rarely consulted" or considered in DL research. This book is intended to help fill that gap and to ensure that digital libraries are effective, accessible, and sustainable. The authors address digital library user studies in a variety of contexts: modeling, types of studies, and user needs; questionnaires, focus groups, and other means of engaging users in evaluations; other considerations such as children and digital libraries, the move toward mobile devices, and user engagement and social media, and studies across the cultural heritage sector. Editors are Dobreva (library, information and archive studies, U. of Malta), O'Dwyer (digitized content, BBC), Felicati (ICT services and senior researcher in information science, U. of Macerata, Italy). Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)