The need for qualitative methods in online user research in a digital library environment

Greifeneder, Elke

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/15002 Copy

Description

Title

The need for qualitative methods in online user research in a digital library environment

Author(s)

Greifeneder, Elke

Issue Date

2010-02-03

Keyword(s)

• Digital Library
• Qualitative Methods
• User Research
• Research Design

Abstract

"Online users of digital libraries are multi-local, multi-lingual and live in multiple time-zones. Getting ""purposeful data"" in online user research requires that the research be done online because the users are there. This content analysis looks at a broad sample of international publications to address the following two research questions: 1) what methods do we use for online user research and 2) what are the purposes behind the research questions? The poster suggests that we currently use methods that match poorly to the purpose of the study and that there is a real need to use qualitative methods to study online users to be able to produce purposeful data."

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/15002

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