Research Instruments
The Study on the use of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs) in Brazilian Public Libraries aims to identify needs and opportunities
for the use of ICTs in these spaces. With a particular interest in the
opportunity to use ICT as a resource that increases the relevance of public
libraries in their communities.
The planning of this research was developed in cooperation between the Fundação Pensamento Digital (Digital Thinking Foundation), the National System of Public Libraries (SNBP) and the Gates Foundation and counts on the use of three instruments built from the relevant factors and development domains: a questionnaire for public library users and two interview scripts intended for coordinators of state or local libraries systems. The structured interview scripts were compiled within spreadsheets using the Excel software and predicting that the interviews are conducted with the aid of a laptop allowing the researcher to type subjective answers and mark multiple choice answers during the interview. The questionnaire for users is provided with a print out on paper and a pen for marking answers.
The instruments try to investigate the vision of the subjects involved with the Brazilian Public Libraries regarding the importance of libraries in the communities where they are inserted and to local governments, the need for ICTs in libraries, and the opportunities that ICTs can bring to libraries in terms of qualifying services already offered, as well as enable new services.
The three instruments were tested during the initial phase of the field research in order to verify if they meet the desired role, or if they manage to capture the vision of the respondents to the above themes. During the testing, the following issues were observed: the clarity of the questions, the understanding of the users, the length of the interviews and the tolerance of respondents to the time given to answer them (if a user responds up to the end, or becomes distracted or upset due to the length of time); if the alternatives for the answers to the multiple-choice questions were appropriate, if the questions lead the respondents to an analysis of the desired topics, and the type of response tab (simple choice, multiple choice, levels of intensity or frequency, priority levels, or open field).
In addition to the instruments themselves, the testing process also served to experience research procedures such as scheduling visits, local transportation, circulation within the libraries, and support of library staff to approach the users, the receptivity of the three groups to answer the questions and accept the terms of consent.
The testing was conducted in two stages. The first one in Rio Grande do Sul and the second one in São Paulo. The initial phase in Rio Grande do Sul involved interviews with the coordinator of the State Library System, interviews with managers of Municipal Libraries in the cities of Tramandaí and Porto Alegre, and resulted in improvements in instruments for the System Manager and the Library Coordinator. Due to the limited use of technology in these places and the small number of users present in the libraries during summer vacation, it was necessary to extend the testing to field work in the Southeast region.
In São Paulo the fieldwork was conducted in three cities with visits to seven libraries. In this region, the researcher had the opportunity to interview two coordinators of Municipal Systems. Applying the questionnaire to users was more significant in this region, but still shorter than the ideal number due to time constraints. These applications were enough to experiment the questionnaire, to get to know the respondents reaction and to make improvements and additions to the instrument.
The planning of this research was developed in cooperation between the Fundação Pensamento Digital (Digital Thinking Foundation), the National System of Public Libraries (SNBP) and the Gates Foundation and counts on the use of three instruments built from the relevant factors and development domains: a questionnaire for public library users and two interview scripts intended for coordinators of state or local libraries systems. The structured interview scripts were compiled within spreadsheets using the Excel software and predicting that the interviews are conducted with the aid of a laptop allowing the researcher to type subjective answers and mark multiple choice answers during the interview. The questionnaire for users is provided with a print out on paper and a pen for marking answers.
The instruments try to investigate the vision of the subjects involved with the Brazilian Public Libraries regarding the importance of libraries in the communities where they are inserted and to local governments, the need for ICTs in libraries, and the opportunities that ICTs can bring to libraries in terms of qualifying services already offered, as well as enable new services.
The three instruments were tested during the initial phase of the field research in order to verify if they meet the desired role, or if they manage to capture the vision of the respondents to the above themes. During the testing, the following issues were observed: the clarity of the questions, the understanding of the users, the length of the interviews and the tolerance of respondents to the time given to answer them (if a user responds up to the end, or becomes distracted or upset due to the length of time); if the alternatives for the answers to the multiple-choice questions were appropriate, if the questions lead the respondents to an analysis of the desired topics, and the type of response tab (simple choice, multiple choice, levels of intensity or frequency, priority levels, or open field).
In addition to the instruments themselves, the testing process also served to experience research procedures such as scheduling visits, local transportation, circulation within the libraries, and support of library staff to approach the users, the receptivity of the three groups to answer the questions and accept the terms of consent.
The testing was conducted in two stages. The first one in Rio Grande do Sul and the second one in São Paulo. The initial phase in Rio Grande do Sul involved interviews with the coordinator of the State Library System, interviews with managers of Municipal Libraries in the cities of Tramandaí and Porto Alegre, and resulted in improvements in instruments for the System Manager and the Library Coordinator. Due to the limited use of technology in these places and the small number of users present in the libraries during summer vacation, it was necessary to extend the testing to field work in the Southeast region.
In São Paulo the fieldwork was conducted in three cities with visits to seven libraries. In this region, the researcher had the opportunity to interview two coordinators of Municipal Systems. Applying the questionnaire to users was more significant in this region, but still shorter than the ideal number due to time constraints. These applications were enough to experiment the questionnaire, to get to know the respondents reaction and to make improvements and additions to the instrument.