Affective relationships between users & libraries in times of economic stress

Affective relationships between

users & libraries in times of

economic stress

Angeliki Giannopoulou & Giannis Tsakonas

Library & Information Center, University of Patras, Greece

10th Northumbria International Conference on

Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services

Aim & scope of research

• The aim of this study is to identify the critical parameters that

govern the affective relationships between academic libraries

and users.

• The context of these parameters is an asphyxiating one:

• the Greek academic libraries context in the era of austere

fiscal measures.

• We use the S.O.R. (Stimulus / Organism / Response)

framework to identify these parameters and their perceived

importance.

• It is probably the first time S.O.R. has been implemented in

the Greek academic libraries.

Background - Library assessment views

• Library assessment is considered the set of processes through

which someone assigns value to a given unit on a given time

point.

• Ideally, we want this to be standardized, iterative and

comparable.

• Inevitably, this leads to system-centered or system-generated

statistics, whereas user-centered are prone to context

dependence (increased subjectivity).

Background - Nation-wide efforts in Greece

• There are few nation-wide systematic surveys; mainly

between formal bodies.

• The Total Quality Management Unit (MOPAB) is the body

that annually collects academic libraries’ statistics. MOPAB

focuses on collections growth, personnel figures, usage,

book price rates, etc.

• The Hellenic Statistical Authority biannually collects data on

the same areas.

• Otherwise, there have been recorded many scarce user

surveys, but with limited coverage and effect.

• The challenge was to develop a valid methodology to survey

users on a national level.

Exploring affective relationships

• Much of the work in library evaluation has been focused on

user satisfaction and preferences. Yet, not much on ‘feelings’.

• Feelings, the emotional states which someone experiences,

can shape the user experience in the library.

• Implicitly they form affective relationships that are altered in

times of stress.

• Users work in difficult conditions; seeking for security,

understanding, comfort, warmness, etc.

• State organizations are shielding vulnerable classes of users.

However they are also approached with ‘prejudice’.

• Users want motivational spaces; seeking for confidence,

excitement, willingness, etc.

Setting

Research setting - Sample & instrument

• Sample

• 950 registered users of

academic libraries (target:

1000 questionnaires)

• Quota sampling

• Period: April - July 2012

• Instrument

• Questionnaire of total 210

variables

• five (5) scale Likert,

together with dichotomous

nominal

• Pilot: 30 users of LIC,

UoPatras; reliability:

Cronbach α >0.7

Library Population Questionnaires

ASFA 1.600 6

AUTH 41.930 165

Agricultural U. 4.229 17

Demokriteio 12.390 49

International Hellenic 470 2

Uo Athens 11.169 44

NTUA 15.149 60

Ionion U. 5.433 21

Economic & Business 12.903 51

Aegean U. 9.943 39

Uo Western Macedonia 3.000 12

Uo Thessaly 20.677 31

Uo Ioannina 12.699 50

Uo Crete 16.237 65

Uo Macedonia 10.797 42

Uo Patras 25.033 99

Uo Peiraeus 22.808 90

Uo Central Greece 312 2

Panteion U. 18.014 71

Crete Polytechnic U. 6.958 27

Harokopeion U. 1.734 7

TOTAL 253.485 950

Research setting - The S.O.R. framework

• The Stimulus / Organism / Response framework is a model for

exploring customer behavior. It has been widely used in

retail/online market, business management, tourism, etc.

• The model empowers the ‘customer’ to act as an catalyst that

processes environmental stimuli to effects, emotional and/or

cognitive.

• The model has been also used for predictive purposes, taking

benefit of the sequential characteristics.

• In this setting, S.O.R. has been used for exploratory purposes;

to model and interpret the critical variables that shape the

affective relationships between users and libraries.

Research setting - The S.O.R. framework

STIMULI ambient cues

design cues

social cues

economic cues

ORGANISM

cognition

> emotions <

RESPONSE satisfaction:

approach

dissatisfaction:

avoidance

personal

&

situational

moderators

Results

Results - Demographics: personal

age

50% 50%

Male Female

gender

Results - Demographics: situational

5%

23%

3%

69%

Faculty member

Post-graduate student

External user

Graduate student

role usage

89.5 87.5

80.1 76.3 75.6

66.6 66.5

54.5 52.6 49.4

39.5 38.3 38.2

30.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Untitled 1

Website Reading rooms Circulation

Printed Books User Support PC Lab

Web OPAC OPAC Workstations Copying

E-Journals E-Learning system Printed Journals

Databases E-Books

30%> ILL 26.9, Room for individual study 23.2, IR 22.4, Digital collections 20.3,

ILL system 10.9, User instruction 9.3, ECD 6.6, AV Lab 3.9

Results - Cues

AMBIENCE

• lighting 3.86

• conditioning 3.40

• sound 3.34

DESIGN

• signage 3.66

• decoration 3.61

• coloring 3.51

ECONOMIC

• fines 3.22

• copying fee 2.95

• printing fee 2.85

SOCIAL

• willingness 4.00

• kindness 3.98

• knowledge 3.94

• trust 3.86

• understanding 3.80

• care 3.75

• attention 3.75

• responsiveness

3.72

• competence 3.71

Correlation: weakly and positive at all

cues

Results - Emotions

3.72 3.71 3.66 3.58 3.49 3.42 3.29

3.09

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

Results - Emotions by gender

3.413.64 3.7 3.74

3.49 3.58

3.053.44

3.68 3.72 3.73.5 3.58

3.13

0,0

0,5

1,0

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

5,0

Male Female

Results - Emotions by age

Results - Emotions by role

Results - Emotions by year of study

Results - Satisfaction

Discussion

Discussion – Methodological key points

• Factor analysis confirmed the four groupings of cues.

• No significant differences were found between the various

status categories with the exception of Safety. In academic

years, differences were found to be statistically significant for

Safety, Willingness and Confidence.

• Homogeneity of variations were found mostly insignificant.

• The age and the emotions have a weakly positive correlation,

while the correlation of the year of study and the emotions is a

weakly negative one.

• Stimuli cues have weakly positive correlation with all

emotions & Response correlates strongly with emotions. User

satisfaction correlates with their feelings while visiting the

library.

Discussion

• Our study’s impetus was internal; we argue that such topics

are difficult to be treated by external bodies.

• The users seem to prefer features that have immediate effect

to their daily interaction.

• An ideal service? A fathoming environment that facilitates

reading and cooperation with friendly and willing personnel

and affordable fees and fine rates.

Discussion - Work to be done

• The study highlighted the features that shape an affective

relationship between the users and the library.

• It remains to explore:

• If and how they interact together.

• If they are drivers to social or systemic interactions.

Thank you

for your attention!

Questions?

contact us at agianop@upatras.gr