DETERMININGCOMMUNITYAWARENESSOFLIBRARYPROGRAMS

DeterminingCommunityAwarenessofLibraryProgramsOfferedin ServiceCenterILibrariesinKansas Team4 JasonHibbs,JessicaRaburn,ShelbySchellenger,EmilySchwarzeandSaraWorcester 7/12/2012 LI810

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PurposeofResearch Indesigningaresearchproject,themostimportantissueiswhatpurposeitserves.Aclearly statedresearchquestionwhichindicatesthispurposegivesguidancetoeverypartofthetask.Itallows allofthoseinvolvedinthedevelopmentoftheprojecttohaveacommonandunifyingconceptual frameworktowhicheachindividualcancomparetheirefforts.Ourresearchquestionservesthis functioninestablishingthateverypartofourresearchdesignshouldsupportthegoalofDetermining CommunityAwarenessofLibraryProgramsOfferedinServiceCenterILibrariesinKansas.The implicationsofthisresearchquestionare:ServiceCenterIlibrariesinKansasareinneedofattention, communityawarenessofprogramshasadirecteffectonlibraries,andthatcommunityawarenessisnot somethingeasilydiscoveredbylibraries. ServiceCenterIlibrariesinKansasformthesecondmostcommonlibrarydesignationinthe state(StateLibraryofKansas,2011).Thisfrequencyinthestate,pairedwiththelowlibraryservice populationwhichdenotesServiceCenterIlibraries,suggestssuchlibrariesmaybenefitgreatlyfroman outsidestudywhichprovidesinformationwithoutadditionalstretchingoffinancialorstaffingresources. Communityawarenessofprogramsisanindirectmeasurementoftheeffectivenessofalibrarys marketingoroutreachefforts.FundingtoServiceCenterIlibrariesisprimarilyachievedthroughlocal taxlevies(StateLibraryofKansas,2011).Ifthecommunityisnotawareofwhattheirlibrariesare accomplishingwithexistingfunds,thenrequestsforfurtherfundingarelikelytofallondeafears.Asan additionalbenefitofthisstudy,ourinstrumentrequestsdemographicinformationandpatroninterestin specificprograms.Bothofthesesetsofadditionalinformationcanbeutilizeddirectlytoimprove marketingandprogrammingefforts. Ourdevelopmentofasurveyinstrumentwhichcanbedistributeddirectlythroughthepostal systemortakenonlineanonymouslyisdesignedtoreachthemostpeoplefortheleasteffort.Itis outsideofwhatevermarketingchannelsthelibrariesalreadyuse,andthereforeismorelikelytogenerate aresponsefromindividualsnotalreadyconsideringthemselvesshareholdersofthelibrary. ResearchParadigm Manyoftheteammemberseithercurrentlylivein,havepreviouslylivedin,orhaveconnections withasmalltownandtheirpubliclibraries.Ithadbecomeapparenttousthatmanyofthelibrariansin thesesmallerlibrariesmadeavaliantefforttoservetheircommunity,butnotmanypeopletook advantageoftheirefforts.Amajorproblemfacingpubliclibrariesisnotsomuchalackofprogramsthat attempttoservethecommunity,butalackofawarenessoftheservicesavailable. Ourgroupcollectedinformationbysendingoutsurveystothepeopleofcertaincommunitiesin anefforttocompiledataaboutaspecifictypeofarea.Bytakingapositivistapproachtotheresearch, wewereabletogainadiversedatabaseofinformationpertainingtothepeoplelivingintheseservice

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areas.Oncethedatahasbeencompiledandgiventotherespectivelibraries,wewillknownotonly whatagegroupsandincomelevelsarebeingrepresentedbythecompletedsurveys,butwhich programstheyareawareof,value,andevenwhichservicestheythinkareunnecessary.Wegathered informationbasedontheexperiencesofotherpeopleandtheirperceptionsofthoseexperiences.With thisempiricalevidencebasedontheobservations,perceptions,andsensesoftheusers,librarieswillbe abletohoneinontargetareasoftheirmarketingaswellasrevisittheprogramsandservicestheyoffer, potentiallyevenabandoningsomeandrejuvenatingothers.Thisapproach,rootedinrealism,utilizes

thecommonsenseandnaiverealismofthepatronsandwhileeliminatingtheproblemof potentialrepresentativerealismasperceivedbythelibrarians.Thatis,doingwhattheydeemtobe

thebestcourseofactionratherthanwhatthecommunitytrulyneeds,shouldtheynothaveaccesstothe surveyresults. ResearchDesign Ourresearchdesigninvolvesamixedmethodologyapproachusingaselfcompletion questionnaireregardingtheirpubliclibrarysentviathepostalservicetoallmembersofacommunity selectedforthepurposesofthisresearch.Thediscussionofourdesignwillinvolvesectionsonspecific aspectsofourresearch:Participant/SampleSelection,ResearchInstrument,andParametersand Analysis. Participant/SampleSelection Identifyingoursamplewasamultistageprocess.Thefirststageoftheselectionprocessinvolved anumberofdecisionsmadebytheresearchteamregardingsamplingmethodology.Atrulyrandom samplingofKansasresidentswouldbedifficulttoorchestrateandnotreturninformationthatcouldbe readilyacteduponbyagivenpubliclibrarywithoutthesamplesizerepresentingasizableportionofthe statepopulation.Forexample,ifacompletelyrandomsamplewastaken,therewouldbenoreliable waytodetermineifasurveyedhouseholdbelongedtoacommunitywithaServiceCenterIdesignated publiclibrarywithoutreducingtheanonymityofsurveyedindividualsordamagingresearchcredibility. Giventhesedifficultieswithrandomsampling,itwasdecidedtopursueapurposivesample.Submitting thequestionnairetoallindividualsinaselectedpubliclibrarycommunityallowsforinformationtobe consistentandrealisticwithresultswhichpubliclibrariescanactupon.Thisapproachestablishesamore qualitativefocus,ineffect,formingcasestudiesofselectedcommunities.Selectingacasestudy methodologydoeslimitthetransferabilityanddependabilityofresearchresultsandfurtherstepswere takentomitigatetheselimitations. Thenextstageoftheselectionprocesswasdecidingbywhatmethodcommunitieswouldbe selectedforinclusionintheresearch.Conveniencesamplingoftheresearchers'localornearbylibrary

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communitieswasconsidered,butdismissedduetolackofsuitableServiceCenterIlibrarycommunities forallresearchers.Withadecisionalreadymadetoadministerselfcompletionquestionnairesthrough thepostalsystem,conveniencesamplingwouldnotbeanymoreconvenientthanothermethods,and wouldlikelyresultindiminishedtransferabilityanddependability.Snowballsamplingwasconsidered anddismissedforthesamereasonsasconveniencesampling.Ultimately,asamplingmethodology similartoquotasamplingwasdecideduponasbeingthemostlikelytoprovidedependableand transferableresults. Inimplementingoursamplingprocedure,theServiceCenterIlibrarieswithinKansaswere identifieddesignationsofthistypearedelineatedbypopulationandothercriteria.TheStateLibraryof Kansasidentifiessevendifferentregionstoselectforgreatertransferability,itwasdecidedtoselectone ServiceCenterIpubliclibrarycommunityperregion.Furthermore,itwasdecidedtoselecttheService CenterIpubliclibrarycommunitywithclosesttothetheoreticalmedianpopulationof1,750individuals indicatedbytheServiceCenterIdesignation.Itistheorizedintheresearchgroupthatthisformof selectionwillgivethegreatestchanceofotherServiceCenterIlibrariesbeingabletomakeuseofthe data.Smallerorlargerlibrarieswithinthecategorymaybeabletoseetheresultsandadjusttheir proceduresaccordingtotheirownsize.Selectingfromeachregionalsohelpstominimizeanypurely regionaldifferences,allowingotherServiceCenterIlibrariestocomparetheirexpectationstothe studiedlibraryfromtheirownregion.Thisdecisionprocessresultedintheselectionofsevenpublic librarycommunitiesasdescribedinthefollowingtable(StateLibraryofKansas,2011):

ResearchInstrument Ourresearchinstrumentisaselfcompletionquestionnairedevelopedwithinourgroupfor deploymentthroughthepostalsystemwithanonlineversionavailable.Itwillbepretestedthrough submissiontoatleastoneServiceCenterIpubliclibrarynotselectedtobepartofthisstudy.Thepublic librarywillcommentonthequestionnaireandfinalrevisionswillbemade.

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Itcontainsitemsdesignedtoelicitcurrentknowledgeandexperiencesoftherespondent'slocal publiclibraryaswellasfeedbackrelatedtotherespondent'sopinionsabouttheirlocalpubliclibrary anditsprograms.Allresearchteammembersassistedindevelopingquestionsandgavecareful considerationtothequestionsdevelopedbyothers.Eachquestionhasinstructionsassociatedwithit, generallyaspartofthequestionitself.Astandardizedformatinpresentingquestionsandoptionlistswas followedtominimizeanyconfusiononthepartoftherespondent.Itistargetedspecificallyat householdsratherthanindividualsduetotheimplementationmethodandneedtomaintainanonymity. Onthequestionnaireitself,andinthecoverletter,itisemphasizedthatthequestionnairerespondent shouldbeanadultmemberofthehousehold.AcopyofthequestionnaireisincludedinAppendixBto examineforquestionwordingandlayout.Thefollowinglistincludesadescriptionofthepurposebehind eachquestion: Question1Primaryquestionofthesurvey.Designedtoallowrespondenttoprovide informationaboutcurrentknowledgeoflibraryprograms,includingspacetolistprogramsnot otherwisediscussed,aswellastherespondent'sinterestinagivenprogramorservice.Table formatselectedforeaseofuseandoptimizationofspaceused. Question2Thisquestionisconcernedwithdetermininghowoftenanindividualvisitsthe publiclibrary.Itsinclusionrelatestoourresearchquestionasaresponseshouldhelpthe librarieswhosecommunitieswerestudiedtodeterminewhetherrespondentsarelikelytobe awareofmarketingeffortsthroughthelibraries'physicalorvirtualspace. Question3Determiningthesizeoftherespondent'shouseholdcanhelplibrariesunderstand howmuchoftheirservicepopulationcanbereachedthroughhavingtheirmarketingand outreacheffortscontactasingleindividual.Thisinformationcanalsobecombinedwith informationfromthedemographicssectiontohelplibrariesplanfuturemarketingefforts. Question4Gatheringinformationonprimaryaccessmethod(physicalorvirtual),allows greaterdepthoffeedbackindeterminingwhatsortoflibrarymarketingeffortsaremorelikelyto besuccessful.Thisknowledgecanalsobeusefulindeterminingwhethermoreprogramsneedto betargetedtowardvirtualorphysicalpatrons. Question5Collectinginformationonthedistancebetweenahouseholdandtheirlocalpublic librarycanleadtoinsightsabouttheeffectivenessofexistingmarketingchannels.Ifonlythose locatedclosetothelibraryareawareofprogramsoronlythoselivingfurtheraway. Question6Seekstogiverespondentsanopportunitytoofferdirectsuggestionsinhowthe librarycanbetterservethem.Ifresponsesincludethingsthelibrariesarealreadyattemptingthen itisknownthatabreakincommunicationhasoccurred.Ifsuggestionsarenewtothelibrary, thenprogramscanbedevelopedtobettermeetcommunityneed. Question7Allowscompletelyopencommunicationbetweentherespondentandtheirlibrary. Ideallythisquestionwillgivemoredetailedfeedbackaboutcurrentprogramofferingstotheir localServiceCenterIpubliclibrary.

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DemographicSectionThissetofquestionsseekstoidentifyinformationaboutthe respondent'shouseholdforuseindeterminingifthereisvariationinwhatpopulationsthe library'scurrenteffortsarereachingandintheformationofmoretargetedmarketingand outreachefforts.DemographicquestionsdevelopedwiththeaidofSurveyShare(N.D.)andthe NationalAssociationofLegalProfessionals(2012). Theresearchinstrumentisononepage,frontandback.Itwillbedistributedwithanattached coverletter(AppendixA),andaselfaddressed,postagepaidenvelope.Toconserveresources,bulk, nonprofitpostalchargeswillbesoughtandthemailingwillusetheserviceavailablethroughtheUnited StatesPostalServicewhichsendstoeveryaddressinagivenlocation/zipcode.Areminderpostcard (AppendixD)willbesenttwoweeksaftertheinitialposting.Theselfcompletionquestionnaireserves asthemostresourceeffectivemannerofreachingthemanypeopleourresearchattemptstocontactand insuresadministrationwillnotbeaffectedbybiasesordifferencesinadministrationbyresearchgroup members. ParametersandAnalysis Thenamesofrespondentsareatnotimecollectedandwillberemovedifvoluntarilysubmitted. Questionnaireswillallbereturnedeitherthroughtheselfaddressedincludedenvelopeorthroughthe onlineversion.Questionnaireswillallbeinspectedforcompletionandtodetermineifanyneedtobeleft outofconsiderationduetovulgar/inappropriatecontent.Questionsonethroughfiveandthe demographicinformationwillbetabulated,withspecialnoteofanyadditionalprogramsorservices listedintheOtherdesignationinquestionone.Theinformationfromthesequestionswillhaveacopy keptoftherawdataandanothercopyonwhichstatisticalanalysiswilltakeplaceatseveraldifferent levels.Ananalysisonthecompositeinformationfromallsiteswillbedoneaswellasanalysisatthe locationlevelofdata.Analysiswillincludeinformationsuchasthemostandleastcommonanswers.It willalsobepossibletodetermineifspecificanswersaremorelikelytooccurincertaindemographic groupsorifanycorrelationoccursbetweenquestions.Questionssixandsevenareentirelyopenended questionsandsowillneedacontentanalysisofresponsestoseeiftherearecommonpatternsof responseoneitherthecollectiveorlocationbasedlevelsofdata.Contentanalysiscategorieswill emergebyconsensusasresearchersinspectreturnedquestionnaires. Reportingontheresearchwilltaketheformofareportgeneratedforeachofthepubliclibraries whosecommunitywassurveyedaswellasanaccountofthetotalfindingsoftheresearchproject.The reportstobedistributedtotheselectedpubliclibrarieswillincludediscussionofnotableresultsfromthe questionnaireaswellasaselectionofresponsestotheopenendedquestionscollectedfromtheirown community.Notableresultsatthecollectivelevelwillalsobediscussed,especiallyinrelationtohow theymaycomparetothelocalresults.Theraw,anonymousdatagatheredfromacommunitywillbe

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attachedtothereportthatthelocalpubliclibraryreceives.Inthisway,ifthereisadesiretodrawtheir ownconclusions,thenweasresearcherswillnotbeobstructingthemandcanhavebeenofthemost benefittoServiceCenterIpubliclibrariesinKansas. EthicalConsiderations Duetotheinclusionofhumanparticipants,theresearchgroupwillneedtoobtainethics approvalfromtheEmporiaStateUniversitysInstitutionalReviewBoardfortheTreatmentofHuman Subjectsusingaformcompletedforthispurpose(AppendixC).Approvaloftheprojectbytheboard isanticipatedduetothefactthatallparticipantswillberequiredtoprovideconsentandwillbefully informedoftheresearchanditsintent.Additionally,theinformationwillbesafeguardedand deidentified.Further,childrenwillbeexcludedfromtheparticipantpool. Someimportantethicalconsiderationsinanyresearchprojectareinformedconsent,protection ofprivacyofresearchparticipants,informationsecurity,andspecialconsiderationifchildrenaretobe involvedintheresearch.Thisresearchprojecthasbeendesignedwiththeintenttosafeguardtherights oftheparticipantsandtoclearlyanswertheseethicalconsiderations. Themailinglistsusedtotargetresearchparticipantsforsurveyingwillbecollectedfrompublic informationonly.Thesurveyitselfwillincludeacoverpage(AppendixA)explainingtheintent,scope, anduseofthedatagathered.Itwilladdressanyethicalconcernsaparticipantmayhavebyclearly delineatinghowtheresearchgroupwillstoreandtransmittheinformationgatheredfromtheparticipants. Childrenwillbeaskedtogivethesurveytoaparentorguardianandtonotfilloutthesurvey themselves.Datawillbestoredonpasswordprotectedpersonalcomputersoftheresearchgrouponly andwillnotbereleasedoutsideoftheresearchgroupexcepttothelocalpubliclibraryinadeidentified aggregatereport.Thecoverpagewillincludeasectioninwhichtheparticipantwillacknowledgeby initialingthattheyhavebeengiventhisinformationandconsenttoparticipateintheproject.Lastly,since thisisaseriesofquantitativeandqualitativequestions,thereexiststhepossibilitythatsomeparticipants mayoftheirownvolitionoffernamesofotherfamilyorcommunitymembersinthequalitativeportions ofthesurvey.Thesewillbeimmediatelydeidentifiedbytheresearchgroupandnooriginalcopyofthe surveyshallberetainedinordertorespecttheanonymityofthepersonsmentioned. LimitationsofResearch Thoughweareemployingamixedmethodsapproach,thestudyisqualitativeinnature.When assessingthelimitationsofaqualitativestudy,onemustconsiderthestudyscredibility,transferability, dependability,andconfirmability. Thecredibilityofthisstudyishigh,giventhattherespondentsarehonestwiththeiranswers. Respondentsarenotlikelytolieabouttheirlibraryusageorawarenessoflibraryprogramsinan

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anonymoussurvey.Qualitativestudieshavearelativeadvantageoverquantitativestudies,inthat qualitativeworkisheavilyembeddedinreallifesituations,settings,andcircumstances.Therefore, qualitativeworkconsistsofdatathatspeakstothefindings. Thetransferabilityofthisstudyisnotveryhighbecausethescopeofthisstudyislimited.This studydealswithasmallsamplingofServiceCenterIlibrariesinKansas.Itmaynotreflectthestatusof programawarenessforsmallerorlargerlibrariesandlibrariesindifferentstatesorcountries. Thedependabilityofthisstudyishighbecausethefindingsarenotlikelytodifferwithina reasonableamountoftimepeopleslevelofprogramawarenessattheirlocallibrarydoesnotchange overnight.Neitherdoestheirlibraryusage.Thedemographicinformation,ofcourse,staysthesame. Theconfirmability/objectivityofthisstudyishighbecausethequestionsarestraightforwardand donotallowfortheopinionoftheinvestigatortointrude.Thisstudydoesnotmakeanassumptionthat respondentsusethelibrary,itgivesthemtheoptionofchoosingnotatallforlibraryusage.Italso doesnotassumethatrespondentsareawareofanyprogramsasitonlyasksrespondentstocheckall programsthattheyareawareoffromalisttheymaychecknoneiftheyarenotawareofany.

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References Bryman,A.(2008).Socialresearchmethods.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress. KansasStateLibrary.(2011).Kansaspubliclibrarystatistics2010:Publicservices.Retrievedfrom http://www.kslib.info/Documents/statistics/2010%2014%20%20PublicServ%5B1%5D.pdf NALP.(2012).Tipsoncollectingdemographicinfo.Retrievedfrom http://www.nalp.org/collecting_demographics NorthernArizonaUniversity.(1999).Believeitornot:Evaluatingthecredibilityofqualitativestudies. Retrievedfrom http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~mid/edr725/class/makingsense/credibility/reading531.html SurveyShare.(n.d.).Basicdemographicssurveytemplatewithsamplequestions.Retrievedfrom http://www.surveyshare.com/templates/basicdemographics.html

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Appendices AppendixA:CoverLetter DearCommunityMember, Thankyoufortakingthetimetofilloutthisshortsurveyaboutyourlocalpubliclibrary. Youhavebeenchosenbecauseyouliveinacommunitywithapubliclibrarywhichservesapopulation between1,000and2,500people.TheselibrariesserveamajorportionofresidentsinKansas. ThisispartofaresearchprojectbyMasterofLibrarySciencestudentsatEmporiaStateUniversity. Wewouldliketodiscoverwhatyouknowaboutyourlocalpubliclibraryaswellassomegeneral demographicdataaboutyou.Thisinformationwillbecollectedandanonymouslydistributedtoyour locallibrary. Ifyouarewillingtoparticipateinourproject,pleaseinitialthebottomofthesheettoindicatethatyou understandandpleasereturnthesurveyintheenclosedpreaddressedandstampedenvelope.

IunderstandthatIamparticipatinginaresearchprojectperformedbystudentsatEmporiaState University.Allofmyinformationwillbekeptinaconfidentiallocationandwillonlybereportedin numberformatwithnoneofmypersonalinformationattachedtoit. Pleaseinitialhere.

Ifyouareunder18yearsofagepleasegivethissurveytoyourparentorguardian.

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AppendixB:Survey Pleasefillouteveryquestiontothebestofyourability. 1)Thistablehasalistoflibraryprograms.Pleaseindicatewhetherornotyourlibraryoffersagiven programandyouropinionofit. NameofLibraryprogram ChildrensStorytime TaxAssistance ComputerClasses SummerReadingProgram GenealogyResources BookDiscussions ArtsandCrafts DatabaseAccess InternetAccess EBookCheckout Other: Other: Other: 2)Howoftendoyougotoyourlocalpubliclibrary,eitherviatheinternetorinperson? Daily___Weekly___TwiceaMonth___Monthly___34timesperyear___ Lessthantwotimesayear___Notatall___Other___ 3)Writeinthenumberofpeopleinyourhouseholdthatusethepubliclibrary.___ 4)Howareyoumorelikelytovisityourlibrary?ViatheInternet___Inperson___ 5)Writeinthedistance(inmiles)fromyourresidencetothenearestpubliclibrary:________ Mylibraryoffersthisprogram. Iwantmylibrarytoofferthis (Yes/No/DontKnow) program.(Yes/No/DontCare)

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6)What(ifanything)couldthelibrarydotoencourageyoutovisitmoreoften?

7)Pleaseusethisspacetodiscussanyfeelingsyouhaveaboutyourlocalpubliclibrary.

Byprovidinguswiththisdemographicinformation,itmaybepossibleforlibrariestodetermineiftheir communicationsarereachingsomepartsofthepopulationbetterthanothers. Pleaseindicateyourgender: Female____Male____Other____IDoNotWishtoIdentify____ Pleaseindicateyourrace/ethnicidentification: Hispanic/Latino___White___Black/AfricanAmerican___ Hawaiian/OtherPacificIslander___Asian___AmericanIndian/AlaskanNative___Twoor MoreRaces___Other______________IDoNotWishtoIdentify_____ Pleaseidentifythenumberofpeopleinyourhouseholdandtheiragesaccordingtothefollowing: 012___1317___1825___2635___3645___4655___5665___66+___ Pleaseidentifythehighestlevelofcompletededucationinyourhousehold: LessthanHighSchool___HighSchool/GED___SomeCollege___2YearDegree___ 4YearDegree___MastersDegree___DoctoralDegree___ProfessionalDegree____ Pleaseindicateyourhouseholdincomelevel: Lessthan$15,000___$15,000$29,999___$30,000$44,999___$45,000$59,999___ $60,000$74,999___$75,000$89,999___$90,000$104,999___$105,000+___ Pleaseindicateifyourhouseholdhasabroadbandinternetconnection:Yes____No____

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AppendixC:ApplicationforApprovaltouseHumanSubjects APPLICATIONFORAPPROVALTOUSEHUMANSUBJECTS ForR&GUseOnlyDateapproved__________ Approvedby__________

ProtocolNo.___________FullReviewExpeditedReview________Exempted Review________

Thisapplicationshouldbesubmitted,alongwiththeInformedConsentDocumentandsupplemental material,totheInstitutionalReviewBoardforTreatmentofHumanSubjects,ResearchandGrants Center,PlumbHall313F,CampusBox4003. Beforeapprovalcanbegiventousehumansubjects,applicantsmustreviewtheHuman SubjectsTrainingModuleandachieveatleast80%ontheHumanSubjectsTrainingQuiz. InstructionsfortheTrainingModuleandQuizareavailableat http://www.emporia.edu/research/irb.htm. HumanSubjectsTrainingQuizwastakenon:Date7/8/2012 Score(willbeenteredbyResearchandGrantsCenter): 1.NameofPrincipalInvestigator(s)(Individual(s)administeringtheprocedures):JasonHibbs,Jessica Raburn,ShelbySchellenger,EmilySchwarze,andSaraWorcester 2.DepartmentalAffiliation:LibraryandInformationScience 3.Persontowhomnotificationshouldbesent:Dr.RajeshSingh MailingAddress:EmporiaStateUniversity SchoolofLibraryandInformationManagement Box4025WAWLRoom423B 1200CommercialSt Emporia,KS66801 Telephone:6203415181 Emailaddress: rsingh1@emporia.edu

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4.TitleofProject:DeterminingCommunityAwarenessofLibraryProgramsOfferedinService CenterILibrariesinKansas

5.FundingAgency(ifapplicable):N/A 6.Thisisa: dissertation thesis otherresearchstudy Xclassproject

7.Timeperiodforwhichyouarerequestingapproval(maximumoneyear):fromAugust1,2012 toJuly31,2013.Iftheresearchprojectextendspasttheenddaterequested,youwillneedto submitarequestforatimeextensionoranannualupdate.Thisformisavailableat www.emporia.edu/research/docs/irbmod.doc. 8.ProjectPurpose(pleasebespecific):Thegoalofthisresearchistodeterminethecommunity awarenessofpubliclibraryofferingsinServiceCenterIpopulationsinKansas.

9.Describetheproposedsubjects:(age,sex,race,expectednumberofparticipants,orother specialcharacteristics,suchasstudentsinaspecificclass,etc.) ThepopulationsurveyedisexpectedtoberepresentativeofruralKansaspopulationsof1,000to 2,500. 10.Describehowthesubjectsaretobeselected.Ifyouareusingarchivalinformation,youmust submitdocumentationofauthorizationfromapplicableorganizationorentity. SubjectswillbeselectedbyusingaclustersamplingmethodacrosscommunitiesservedbyService CenterIlibraries.Thecontactinformationwillbecollectedfrompublicrecords. 11.Describeindetailtheproposedproceduresandbenefit(s)oftheproject.Thismustbeclearand detailedenoughsothattheIRBcanassurethattheUniversitypolicyrelativetoresearchwithhuman subjectsisappropriatelyimplemented.Anyproposedexperimentalactivitiesthatareincludedin evaluation,research,development,demonstration,instruction,study,treatments,debriefing, questionnaires,andsimilarprojectsmustbedescribedhere.Copiesofquestionnaires,survey instruments,ortestsshouldbeattached.(Useadditionalpageifnecessary.)

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PopulationsofServiceCenterIareasofKansaswillbesurveyedtodeterminetheirawarenessof libraryofferingsintheircommunity.Theaggregatedresultswillbedistributedtothelibrariesinthe communitiessurveyedwiththehopethattheinformationwillhelpthelibrariestoimprovetheir marketing. 12.Willquestionnaires,tests,orrelatedresearchinstrumentsnotexplainedinquestion#11beused? Yes XNo (Ifyes,attachacopytothisapplication.)

13.Willelectricalormechanicaldevicesbeappliedtothesubjects?YesXNo (Ifyes,attachadetaileddescriptionofthedevice(s)usedandprecautionsandsafeguardsthat willbetaken.)

14.Dothebenefitsoftheresearchoutweightheriskstohumansubjects? X__YesNo(Ifno,thisinformationshouldbeoutlinedhere.)

15.Arethereanypossibleemergencieswhichmightariseinutilizationofhumansubjectsinthis project? Yes XNo(Ifyes,detailsoftheseemergenciesshouldbeprovidedhere.)

16.Whatprovisionswillyoutakeforkeepingresearchdataprivate/secure?(Bespecificrefertothe sectionSafeguardingInformationintheIRBPolicies.) Informationwillbekeptonlyonpasswordprotectedcomputersoftheresearchers.Theinformationwill bereleasedtothelibrariesofthecommunitiessurveyedinanaggregatereportonly. 17.Attachacopyoftheinformedconsentdocument,asitwillbeusedforyoursubjects. INVESTIGATORSASSURANCE:Icertifythattheinformationprovidedinthisrequestis completeandaccurate.IunderstandthatasPrincipalInvestigatorIhaveultimateresponsibilityforthe protectionoftherightsandwelfareofhumansubjectsandtheethicalconductofthisresearchprotocol. IagreetocomplywithallofESUspoliciesandprocedures,aswellaswithallapplicablefederal,state, andlocallawsregardingtheprotectionofhumansubjectsinresearch,including,butnotlimitedto,the following:

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Theprojectwillbeperformedbyqualifiedpersonnelaccordingtotheresearchprotocol, Iwillmaintainacopyofallquestionnaires,surveyinstruments,interviewquestions,data collectioninstruments,andinformationsheetsforhumansubjects, IwillpromptlyrequestapprovalfromESUsIRBifanychangesaremadetotheresearch protocol, Iwillreportanyadverseeventsthatoccurduringthecourseofconductingtheresearchtothe IRBwithin10workingdaysofthedateofoccurrence.

. SignatureofPrincipalInvestigator Date

FACULTYADVISORS/INSTRUCTORSASSURANCE:Bymysignatureonthisresearch application,Icertifythatthestudentinvestigatorisknowledgeableabouttheregulationsandpolicies governingresearchwithhumansubjectsandhassufficienttrainingandexperiencetoconductthis particularstudyinaccordwiththeapprovedprotocol.Inaddition, Iagreetomeetwiththestudentinvestigatoronaregularbasistomonitorstudyprogress, Shouldproblemsariseduringthecourseofthisstudy,Iagreetobeavailable,personally, tosupervisetheprincipalinvestigatorinsolvingthem, Iunderstandthatasthefacultyadvisor/instructoronthisproject,Iwillberesponsiblefor theperformanceofthisresearchproject. . Facultyadvisor/instructoronproject(ifapplicable) Date

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AppendixD:ReminderPostcard Thereisstilltimetohaveyourvoiceheard! Youcanhelpenrichtheservicesofferedatyour PublicLibrarybymailingyourcompletedsurveyto: EmporiaStateUniversity SchoolofLibraryandInformationManagement Box4025WAWLRoom423B 1200CommercialSt Emporia,KS66801 orbyfillingoutouronlinesurveyatwww.group4onlinesurvey.com.