College and Research Libraries Research Notes Identifying CD-ROM Use Patterns as a Tool for Evaluating User Instruction Bruce A. Leach Workstation sign-up records were used to determine use patterns for individu- als searching CD-ROM databases in the Biological Sciences Library at The Ohio State University between January 1987 and June 1991. Data were gathered for the number of database uses, interval between first and last database use, and number of academic quarters in which databases were used. More than half the individuals recorded all use within one month. Over one-third recorded use on only one day. Results suggest that the library should emphasize basic point-of-use instruction for first-time searchers and de-emphasize workshops. • D-ROM databases have en- joyed such popularity that scheduling workstation use has been a necessity for most academic libraries. If carefully main- tained, workstation sign-up records will yield information about CD-ROM use patterns (e.g., number of uses, use fre- quency) of individual database search- ers. This information can serve as a basis for evaluating the instructional needs of the user group. In the Biological Sciences Ubrary at The Ohio State University, CD-ROM da- tabase use has increased 15 to 20 percent each year. Satisfying the resultant in- crease in demand for instruction and as- sistance has been a challenge. The insight gained by identifying CD-ROM use patterns has helped the library to change the emphasis of user instruction and to make the most effective use of staff time. Considering the amount of resources devoted to CD-ROM user in- struction in other libraries, this exercise may help other librarians when allocat- ing scarce resources to various methods of instruction.' REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Few studies have examined the pat- terns of CD-ROM database use by indi- viduals. Ann-Marie Belanger and Sandra Hoffman examined demographic and other factors related to frequency of use of ERIC on CD-ROM. Their data on prior CD-ROM use were gathered via ques- tionnaire. 2 Tim Bucknall and Rikki Mangrum conducted an electronic sur- vey of users of fifteen different CD-ROM Bruce A. Leach is Head of the Biological Sciences Library, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210. 365 366 College & Research Libraries databases mounted on a local area net- work. Level of experience (number of prior database uses) was a . relatively small portion of the total study. 3 Ann Nisto and others and Carlo Pedemonte and others described software for ga th- ering statistics on database use by indi- viduals, but neither presented data about their user groups.4 Several authors have described software for gathering statistics on database use by groups of searchers (faculty, graduate students, nonstudents, etc.).5 So far, no published studies have used workstation use re- cords covering an extended period of time to determine patterns of CD-ROM database use by individuals. The literature on user instruction for CD-ROM is voluminous. Among papers dealing with evaluation, many have measured user satisfaction or success af- ter instruction.6 Others have used searcher responses to determine the ap- propriate content for instructional ses- sions and materials? The study by Belanger and Hoffman suggests that data on CD-ROM use frequency by groups of students can be used to target workshops to their specific needs.8 Nev- ertheless, no published studies have used database use patterns as a basis for determining the emphasis of an instruc- tion program. BACKGROUND The Biological Sciences Library is one of five life science libraries at Ohio State (the others are Agriculture, Health Sci- ences, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medi- cine). The primary users of the library are 900 undergraduates, 325 graduate students, 100 staff, and 85 faculty from the College of Biological Sciences. De- partments and programs served by the library include Biochemistry, Biotech- nology, Biophysics, Entomology, Envi- ronmental Biology, Microbiology, MCDB (Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology), Molecular Genetics, Plant Biol- ogy, and Zoology. The staff of the library includes one professional, three sup- port staff, and two full-time equivalent (FfE) student assistants. All public service is offered from the circulation July 1994 desk; a separate reference desk is not maintained. The current CD-ROM sub- scriptions, Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) and the Life Sciences Collection (LSC), draw a few users from the Colleges of Agriculture, Medicine, and Engineering. Retrospective disks for AGRICOLA (1970-78, 1979-84) have re- ceived very little use because current subscriptions are available in other places on campus. No published studies have used database use patterns as a basis for determining the emphasis of an instruction program. ASFA and the LSC have been available in the library since January 1987; (AGRI- COLA was added in February 1988). De- mand for these data bases was so great that within a week of their introduction, it became necessary to schedule worksta- tion use. The practice continues today. Daily sign-up sheets are maintained on a clipboard at the circulation desk. These sheets divide the day into half-hour seg- ments. Users are allowed to reserve two · consecutive segments at a time. All work- station use is recorded in this way. All but a very few of the first-time CD-ROM users request (or require) in- struction. This impression is supported by the results of a survey of 103 first- time ASFA and LSC users in the Biologi- cal Sciences Library (conducted during the 1990-91 academic year), in which 85 percent of respondents indicated no pre- vious CD-ROM experience.9 Before this project, all new CD-ROM users were actively encouraged (but not required) to attend a 30-45-minute workshop. Each workshop began with a few words of advice concerning the strengths and limitations of CD-ROM. The balance of each session covered da- tabase content, search strategy (includ- ing use of thesauri), simple Boolean logic, basic workstation "housekeeping" . (handling disks, starting software, etc.), a demonstration of basic searching (includ- ing truncation and phrase searching), displaying and printing/ downloading citations, and a demonstration of all menu commands. Workshops were of- fered once or twice a week during most of the autumn, winter, and spring quar- ters. Only a small proportion of new data- base searchers attended. Before September 1990, most new searchers received basic instruction through one-on-one contact with a library staff member. One-on-one instruction cov- ered workstation "housekeeping," rudi- mentary search strategy (including the use of AND/OR), basic searching, and dis- playing/printing citations. Previous experience teaching end-users to search a menu-driven online system suggested that most new searchers would not use handouts, preferring instead to ask library staff for assistance at each and every step of the search. Beginning with the 1990-91 academic year, library staff had the option of di- recting first-time ASFA and LSC users to a brief computer-based tutorial pro- duced in-house. The tutorial was in- tended to provide basic instruction in situations where library staff were un- available for one-on-one instruction. It was composed of four sections: Search Strategy, Running Your Search, Display- ing and Printing, and Ch~nging Disks. Most users completed the tutorial in less than ten minutes. In 1990-91, it was used by over 40 percent of the first-time CD- ROM searchers surveyed.10 Instructional handouts ("cheat sheets") were not offered for basic instruction. Pre- vious experience teaching end-users to search a menu-driven online system sug- gested that most new searchers would not use handouts, preferring instead to ask library staff for assistance at each and every step of the search. PROBLEM TO BE STUDIED After several years of teaching and assisting CD-ROM searchers, the library staff formed two impressions about da- Identifying CD-ROM Use Patterns 367 tabase use: (1) Most new searchers used · the databases on one occasion (i.e., day) and never returned; (2) a small number of habitual searchers were responsible for most of the database use. If these impressions were substantiated, then a re-evaluation of the library's user instruction program would be in order. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to determine the actual use patterns of individuals searching CD-ROM databases in the Biological Sciences Library. To establish database use frequency for an individual, it is necessary to have data on the number of occasions the da- tabases were used and the period of time over which use occurred. By including data that show how the database uses were distributed over the time examined (i.e., in how many quarters), a clearer pattern of database use emerges. There- fore, workstation sign-up records were examined to answer the following ques- tions: (1) On how many occasions did each user search the CD-ROM data- bases? (2) Did CD-ROM use by each in- dividual occur within a short period or over a long period of time? (3) Over how many academic quarters was the data- base use of each individual distributed? METHODOLOGY All of the available workstation sign- up sheets from January 1987 through June 1991 were used to obtain the names of database users. The data from each daily sheet (users' names and date) were entered into a text file using WordPerfect 5.1. Because library policy limits work- station reservations to two consecutive half-hour segments, database users who require more time to complete a .search usually reserve two or more nonconsecu- tive blocks within the same day. To avoid hindering the identification of one-occa- sion users, multiple entries within the same day were reported as one use. The completed list was printed, then edited to consolidate entries with vari- ant forms of the same name. The final edited and sorted list contained 5,652 entries representing use by 1,501 indi- viduals. The number of database uses, the number of academic quarters in which 368 College & Research Libraries the databases were used, and the inter- val between first and last database use were calculated for each individual. These figures were entered into a text file, then summarized and cross-tabulated using Minitab 8.2 statistical software. RESULTS Table 1 summarizes the number of da- tabase uses by individuals. Nearly 75 percent of those examined used the TABLEt DATABASE USES %' of Database Number Total Cumulative % Uses of Users Users of Total Users 586 39.0 39.0 2 270 18.0 57.0 3 155 10.3 67.3 4 112 7.5 74.8 5 84 5.6 80.4 6 60 4.0 84.4 7 46 3.1 87.5 8 26 1.7 89.2 9 36 2.4 91.6 10 29 1.9 93.5 11 17 1.1 94.6 12 18 1.2 95.8 13-80 62 4.1 99.9 Total , 1,501 99.9 Percentages rounded to nearest .1. TABLE2 INTERVAL BETWEEN FIRST AND LAST USE IN MONTHS Interval Cumulative in Months Number Cumulative % (1 (months) ~1 <24 ~24 ~24 Number of quarters 1 2-5 ~6 ~5 Number of uses (range) 1-7 2-25 7-80 2-16 Percentages rounded to the nearest 1%. 370 College & Research Libraries At the other extreme, a few (about 4 percent) of the observed individuals recorded database use in six or more quarters over a period of twenty-four months or more. These habitual data- base searchers accounted for about 20 percent of all reported database use. This pattern does not confirm the im- pression that a small number of habit- ual searchers accounted for most of the database use. Another 4 percent of searchers re- corded database use in five or fewer quarters over a period of twenty-four months or more. These infrequent search- ers accounted for about 7 percent of all reported database use. Many of them recorded single uses (or clusters of use) separated by long periods of time. The remaining one-third of the ob- served individuals used the databases in two to five quarters over a period of less than twenty-four months. This group of "typical" searchers accounted for half of all reported database use. IMPLICATIONS FOR USER INSTRUCTION If the patterns of database use ob- served in this project continue, what do they suggest about the instruction that should be offered to new database searchers? Since over half of all new searchers will become short-term data- base users, it is reasonable to offer them only the most basic instruction before their first search. Basic instruction should continue to emphasize worksta- tion "housekeeping" (handling disks, July1994 starting software, etc.), simple strategy formation, searching, displaying, print- ing, and nothing more. As small changes in the searching soft- ware occur regularly, individuals who identify themselves as infrequent occa- sional CD- ROM users should be treated like new searchers when they seek to reinforce their skills. In-depth instruc- tion (i.e., workshops) should continue to be offered. However, it should be recom- mended only for those who wish to de- velop more sophisticated searching skills. Workshops should be thorough, but they should consume only a small portion of the staff time available for user instruction and assistance. In response to the patterns of CD- ROM use observed in this project, the emphasis of our instructional program was adjusted. Workshops were still of- fered, but they were not promoted ag- gressively. The number of scheduled workshops was reduced by one-half. Until August 1993 (when it was out- dated by the conversion of the ASFA and LSC databases to Silver Platter software), most first-time database users were di- rected to the computer-based tutorial. As one-on-one instruction has always been an important part of the progtam, more time was spent training and updat- ing the library staff. Overall, the knowledge gained by identifying patterns of CD-ROM use has helped the library to make the most effective use of limited resources. Librar- ies in similar circumstances may also find this exercise to be worth the effort. REFERENCES AND NOTES 1. Laurie A. Potter, ''Measuring Library Staff Time Spent Training Patrons to Use Health-Re- lated CD-ROM Databases," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 80 (July 1992): 299-300; Cathy Seitz Whitaker, "Pile-up at the Reference Desk: Teaching Users to Use CO-ROMs," Laserdisk Professional3 (Mar. 1990): 30-34; Jean Reese, "CD-ROM Technology at Vanderbilt University: Impact on Library Staff and the Educational Community," Optical Information Systems 9 (Jan./Feb. 1989): 38-43; Howard Silver, "Managing a CD-ROM Installation ... A Case Study at Hahnemann University," Online 12 (Mar. 1988): 61-66. 2. Anne-Marie Belanger and Sandra D. Hoffman, "Factors Related to Frequency of Use of CD-ROM: A Study of ERIC .in an Academic Library," College & Research Libraries 51 (Mar. 1990): 153-63. 3. Tim Bucknall and Rikki Mangrum, "U-Search: A User Study of the CD-ROM Service at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill," RQ 31 (Summer 1992): 542-53. Identifying CD-ROM Use PaHems 371 4. Ann S. Nista, Karen M. Albert, and Beth M. Lewis, "Cost Recovery and Usage Tracking of CD-ROM Databases with Menuing Software," Medical Reference Services Quarterly 10 (Winter 1991): 15-27/ Carlo Pedemonte, Cristina Fare, and Donatella Ugolini, "CD-ROM Access Control: Special Software for a Statistical Survey," CD-ROM Professional 4 (July 1991): 40-43. 5. Peter Brueggeman, "Software to Monitor CD-ROM Usage," Laserdisk Professional2 (Nov. 1989): 44-48; David L. Burke, "CD-ROM Master: A Complete CD-ROM Statistics Gathering Program," CD-ROM Professional4 (Nov. 1991): 5fk>5; Karyle S. Butcher and Shirley R. Scott, ''User Statistics for CD-ROM Selection and Management," College & Research Libraries News 53 (Sept. 1992): 505-6; Carson Holloway and Margaret Jackson, "Using the Microcom- puter to Keep Statistics on the Use of CD-ROM," Laserdisk Professional1 (Sept. 1988): 67-69; Howard Silver and Sharon Dennis, "Monitoring Use of CD-ROM Databases Using Signln- Stat," Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 78 (July 1990): 252-57. 6. Dorothy F. Davis, "A Comparison of Bibliographic Instruction Methods on CD-ROM Data- bases," Research Strategies 11 (Summer 1993): 156-63;/ Richard F. Kenny and Eileen Schroeder, "An Evaluation of a Training and Assistance Program for the CD-ROM Data- bases: Reflections on the Process," Reference Services Review 20 (Summer 1992): 41-48;! Domenica M. Barbuto and Elena E. Cevallos, "End-pser Searching: Program Review and Future Prospects," RQ 31 (Winter 1991): 214-27;/ Rebecca Bostian and Anne Robbins, "Effectjve Instruction for Searching CD-ROM Indexes," Laserdisk Professional3 (Jan. 1990): 14-17;1Ramona J. Steffy and Nikki Meyer, "Evaluating User Success and Satisfaction with CD-ROM," Laserdisk Professional2 (Sept. 1989): 35-45; 'Patricia Lynn and Karen Bacsanyi, "CO-ROMs: Instructional Methods and User Reactions," Reference Services Review 17 (Summer 1989): 17-25. 7. Carol Tenopir and Ralf Neufang, ''The Impact of Electronic Reference on Reference Librari- ans," Online 16 (May 1992): 1 54-60; Gillian Allen, "CD-ROM Training: What Do Patrons Want?" RQ 30 (Fall1990): 88-93;-kim Schultz and Kristine Salomon, "End Users Respond to CD-ROM," Library ]ournal115 (Feb. 1, 1990): 56-57. 8. Belanger and Hoffman, "Factors Related to Frequency of Use of CD-ROM," 155. 9. Bruce Leach, "Computer-Based CD-ROM Tutorials-Providing Effective On-Demand In- struction," CD-ROM Professional6 (July 1993): 113-17. 10. Leach, "Computer-Based CD-ROM Tutorials," 116. 11. Bruce A. Leach, "An Automated Tutorial for the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts and the Life Sciences Collection on CD-ROM" (poster session presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, Ga., June 30, 1991).