Browsing by Author "Cullen, Rowena"

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Assessing the Effectiveness of Information Services: an Evaluative Model
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2001) Cullen, Rowena
The thesis presents a body of research on the evaluation of library and information services that is unified under a general model of evaluation that defines the approaches to the evaluation of an information service in terms of the attributes of four key elements of the information service, its stakeholders, users, the information products employed and their knowledge content, and the attributes of the service itself. The introductory sections of the thesis argue that information services are complex organisations that play multiple roles for a variety of users and stakeholders, and require a similarly multifaceted approach to service delivery and evaluation. That approach needs to address the views of all stakeholders and respond to a variety of user needs. While performance measures focus primarily on the attributes of the various elements of information services themselves, as they are defined in the central model, satisfaction and service quality measures focus on relationships between the attributes of users and stakeholders, and information service and product attributes. The papers included cover integrative models of existing systems of evaluation in Library and Information Services, investigations of stakeholder perceptions of effectiveness and their relationship to performance measurement, and studies of information services in relation to user needs in the health sector and in government information. The research presented in these papers is related to the developing body of knowledge on evaluation published over the past forty years, and the general model of evaluation that forms the core argument of the thesis.
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Citizens’ Concerns About the Privacy of Personal Information Held by Government: a Comparative Study, Japan and New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2008) Cullen, Rowena
The paper reports an investigation of the concepts of information privacy and trust in government in Japan, and compares the findings with an earlier study in New Zealand which used a similar instrument. Cultural and other factors are sought which might explain differences in attitudes shown in the two studies. The responses of Japanese citizens interviewed indicated that they had major concerns about information privacy, knew little about any protection offered in law, and had considerably less trust in government than New Zealand respondents showed. Cultural factors that might contribute to these differences, such as the difference between a collectivist versus a more individualistic culture were reflected in some of the respondents' explanations of their views.
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How Prepared are New Zealand Public Library Staff to Assist Low-Literate Adults Make Use of Public Libraries?
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2008) Tedesco, Vanessa Paola; Cullen, Rowena
Over one million New Zealand adults lack the literacy skills needed to meet the demands of everyday life. Public libraries are generally seen to have an obligation to support and promote literacy. The Library & Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) acknowledges this responsibility in its Public Libraries of New Zealand: A Strategic Framework 2006 to 2016 (2006), by highlighting lifelong learning and literacy as one of its main objectives. No evidence is however available as to the level of preparedness of New Zealand public library staff to assist low-literate adults make use of public libraries. This mixed-methods study aimed to remedy this deficiency by surveying public library staff's awareness of adult literacy issues and attitudes towards assisting low-literate adults. A questionnaire was sent to all New Zealand public libraries to obtain quantitative data about the topic. A small number of interviews were then held with staff from two public library networks to further explore the subject from a qualitative perspective. The research indicated that overall New Zealand public library staff are aware of the barriers which can deter low-literate adults from using public libraries, and of many of the skills and qualities which they require to help minimize such barriers. They however hold multiple understandings of the concept of adult literacy, and while most acknowledge their obligation to assist low-literate adults, this endeavour is often not given a high priority. Recommendations for action are included.
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Information Seeking Needs of Mothers Who Bottle-Feed Their Young Infants: How the Information Seeking Process Affects Them and What Libraries Can Do to Help Them.
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2010) Smith, Shiobhan Alice; Cullen, Rowena
Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the information seeking experiences of mothers who bottle feed young infants. What are their information needs and how do they seek to fill them? What emotional impact does the information seeking process have on this group? What role can Libraries play in helping this group find information? Methodology: This research utilises Dervin's sense-making methodology. At the heart of sensemaking is the situation-gap-outcome triangle. Kuhlthau's uncertainty principle is also used to help analyse the results and understand the connection between emotion and information seeking. Other research is also used to understand the experiences of the interviewees and place them in a wider context. Results: Mothers who bottle-feed young infants often feel guilt and anger. They are often unprepared for bottle-feeding, especially if they planned to breast-feed, and access to information on bottle-feeding is limited. Health professionals are sometimes reluctant to provide information on bottle-feeding. Informal information sources, such as family, friends and other mothers, are very important. There is little awareness that Libraries are able to provide information on bottle-feeding even among mothers who are frequent Library users. Libraries can best support bottle-feeding mothers by becoming inclusive community spaces for mothers to meet and share information.
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Institutional Repositories and the Role of Academic Libraries in Scholarly Communication
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2009) Chawner, Brenda; Cullen, Rowena
This paper explores the development of institutional repositories as a global phenomenon, comparing their objectives with the core principles of scholarly communication that have preserved and disseminated western knowledge for the past two centuries.
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Institutional Repositories in New Zealand: Comparing Institutional Strategies for Digital Preservation and Discovery
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2008) Chawner, Brenda; Cullen, Rowena
This paper outlines an ongoing project to create of a knowledge base to support the development of institutional repositories in New Zealand. The knowledge base wiki includes a summary of key literature to date, highlighting best practice, and standards relevant to the New Zealand sector, and a set of case studies of how New Zealand institutions have developed their repositories to date. These case studies are analysed, and different strategic approaches taken by institutions across the sector identified. These will then be discussed in relation to the issues identified in the literature. The paper also outlines new research areas being developed by the research team, a national approach that will link individual institutional approaches with the goals of the New Zealand Digital Strategy, and incorporate a survey of the perceptions and responses of NZ academics, and other key stakeholders, that are critical to the success of both the national strategy and individual institutional initiatives.
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Management information and the use of management information systems in library and information services
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 1990) Cullen, Rowena
The thesis examines the development of management information in libraries, and the feasibility of the development of Management Information Systems in libraries. Standards and performance measures, information needs of planning, and the organisational structure and culture are included in the literature review. The history of the concept of Decision Support Systems is outlined, and some examples of decision support being used in libraries are noted. The role of automated systems in producing data which can be manipulated and analysed to give improved management information is examined. A model of a library Management Information System is presented in the form of charts of source data, related performance measures and decision types. Case studies of the use and extent of management information in four New Zealand libraries are included. The study concludes that Management Information Systems can and should be introduced into libraries, but that they are likely to be based on performance and output measures and quantifiable objectives in the context of an organisational culture committed to the use of appropriate management information, rather than being solely dependent on the information derived from automated library systems.
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Subject and authorship trends: a content analysis of New Zealand Libraries and The New Zealand Library & Information Management Journal, 1937-2009
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2011) Vandenberg, Celeste Maria; Cullen, Rowena
As New Zealand’s longest running professional library journal, New Zealand Libraries (NZL) (later renamed The New Zealand Library & Information Management Journal (NZLIMJ)) has been part of the development of libraries and librarianship in this country for more than 70 years. No analysis of the first 70 years of NZL has been done to consider its content in terms of subject and authorship. The aim of this research was to identify the popularity of subjects and authorship characteristics found within NZL from 1937-2009, to determine the extent to which the future was discussed by authors in their articles, and to determine how changes to the stated purpose of NZL was reflected by changes to the content of the journal. All issues of NZL from 1937-2009 were analysed using content analysis. A prevalidated classification scheme was used as the basis for the coding. Subjects falling into the Applied/Operations subject category comprised the highest volume of the journal’s subject content in each decade analysed. Individual subjects were discussed if they showed significant changes in popularity over time. Authorship characteristics of gender, occupation, and institutional affiliation were analysed and showed changing trends in each of these areas over the seventy years. Author productivity was assessed based on all articles used for the analysis and the results were consistent with previous research. As the stated purpose of NZL/NZLIMJ changed over the decades, this was reflected in the content of articles being published.