Vocabulary support for students using university library catalogs from remote locations. (On-going Topics).

Abstract

Efficient and effective use of a university's online catalog requires an understanding of the many library terms used for the menu selections and for terms that appear on subsequent pages. This is a problem for many students, particularly for international students, those with limited library experience and students who are away from the assistance of a librarian. The importance of vocabulary knowledge, particularly of technical terms, in comprehending subject area text is discussed and strategies for support for library terminology in Web based catalogs are suggested.

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Teachers are always looking for ways to motivate students. I have found that a sure way of getting the attention of both the graduates and undergraduates that participate in my library instruction courses is to start by saying, "Most of what we are going to do today, you can do from your dorm or home." The ability to access library resources without a trip to the "bricks and mortar" is very appealing to the busy student. But, as more and more students have online capabilities and select to do their research and assignments away from the assistance of a librarian, it becomes more and more vital that they have an understanding of the language used in a library. Every discipline has its own vocabulary of specialized words, words that have meanings particular to that subject area. A library user should understand the specialized meanings of the terms that appear on the main menu of an online catalog as these guide input and thus are necessary for the efficient and productive use of the catalog. Without the give and take of the traditional reference interview, the online catalog user at a remote site who has little library experience may never be clear as to what is meant by "keyword" or "subject." I see many students in our International Program, struggling with conversational English and the technical language in their textbooks, avoid using the online catalog for research or study. They tell me that they have problems finding the words that appear on the screen in the electronic bilingual dictionaries they use or that their self-devised system of information retrieval does not bring up pertinent selections. An important library resource is thereby neglected; here is an opportunity for librarians to promote information literacy by facilitating the learning of technical terms through onscreen strategies.

Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension 

Undergraduates vary in the quality and quantity of their library experiences as well as in their understanding of the terms that designate and differentiate the information tools, services, and organizational schemes such experiences supply. Studies of the importance of word knowledge in comprehending text--and the remote searcher is a reader dependent upon text--have been confirmed by researchers since the 1920's and more recently by Barrett and Graves in 1981, Hayes and Tierney, 1982, and Nagy and Hermann in 1987 (as cited in Pittleman, Heimlich, Berglund, and French, 1991). Unfamiliar vocabulary, especially technical, subject-specific terms, is an impediment to text comprehension and interferes with the communication between the writer and his audience. A reader who has a background of experience in the text topic and who is familiar with the content area vocabulary has a much better chance of understanding the writer's message than does the novice in that field. This prior knowledge and stored memory (schema) are foundations for new learning in that discipline. Undergraduates are exposed to and expected to acquire the many technical terms that are vital to the understanding of the concepts that are the foundations of the different disciplines they study. This expectation poses a problem with which many students struggle; most of the learning is independently achieved as little classroom time is spent on teaching subject matter vocabulary (Mealy et al., 1992). Students who experience an overload of new information and new vocabulary may soon give up. To help to ensure that they make productive choices when selecting from the catalog menu, it is imperative that there is no interference in the communication from the onscreen guide because of technical language. One practical idea is "the creation of reading environments that support students' effort to comprehend what they read" (Anderson-Inman and Homey, 1998, p. 17); in this discussion, it is particularly the support in comprehending the language of the library that is being addressed.

The Need for Vocabulary Support

The need for this assistance is demonstrated by the option most popular with students in their Online Public Access Computer (OPAC) searches. Library literature tells us that the keyword entry is the one most selected (Hildreth, 1997); it satisfies students with a goodly number of hits in spite of the fact that many of the retrievals are not relevant to their needs. But, they want quick and easy access to information, enjoying the process of computer searching and trusting in its deliveries; their preferred method of learning at the online catalog is trial and error. The discovery that there is a controlled vocabulary list for the "subject" entry and that records so retrieved are more likely to be on target than those that come up through keyword searching may be a serendipitous one. They don't see much use for the traditional library instructional session and retain little of its content (Tiefel as cited in Herrington, 1998); they find it most useful if it is course specific and tied to an assignment (Dewald, 1999). Students have expressed the preference for search assistance on the screen and access to it at point of need; vocabulary clarification now provided by the OPAC vendors, however, is basic and minimal. Students who depend solely on these instructions have little in the way of help.

The question whether libraries provide clarification of terminology used in the instructions for online users of their catalogs presented itself when, in preparation for a freshman orientation program, I thoroughly examined nine Web tutorials to which students could link when searching their university library's catalog (Weinberg, 1999). The thought occurred to me that, for students to be most successful in applying the information presented here, they would need a background in library use and familiarity with library terms. This seemed something of a paradox ... those who could best profit from the tutorial were probably least in need of it.

To further pursue the question of whether vocabulary support is offered to online catalog searchers, I used an alphabetical list of 4-year regionally-accredited institutions of higher education in the United States offered through the Web U.S. Higher Education site, http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/. I progressed through the alphabet, linking to the first school under each letter; if that school did not have an online catalog or restricted its use, I linked to the second entry and as I went on, I selected additional links to state university entries. In this way, I was able to review the first few screens of 58 different catalogs.

Of the 58 library catalogs I was successful in accessing, nine were found to have supplemented the vendor basics with more detailed support. However, provision was not made for all terminology that was used, and frequently, other technical terms were employed in the sentences that were meant to clarify the selected words. Terms such as catalog, index, abstract, periodical, Library of Congress call numbers and journal were some that were used but were not clarified. Four of the 58 catalogs had hypertext links to glossaries of library terms through which a student can get help, should the need arise. These lists of library terminology represent the most comprehensive support I was able to find.

Strategies for Vocabulary Support

Recognizing the crucial role word knowledge plays in comprehension helps to explain why provision for vocabulary support for OPAC users should be considered. Librarians can again turn to research in the field of education, particularly studies in vocabulary development and current literature in educational technology, for a selection of strategies that have been used successfully. Illustrations of the following types of support can be found in many expository texts in print and can be used with digital text as well. Accessing the accompanying Web site, which were retrieved from the reviewed library catalogs will provide interesting examples of their use in the electronic medium.

() Definition < http://www.library.arizona.edu/>

() Graphics < http://www.library.arizona.edu/>

() Synonym 

() Explanation or example <http://www.library.yale.edu/pubstation/opachelp/srchhelp.html>

* Glossary or dictionary <http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/library/odlis.html>

* Infer meaning from context

No single strategy will meet the needs of all students in a population in which there is diversity in such areas as learning style, language need, library experience, and range of reading levels. Incorporating different strategies for the same term can help to individualize for a heterogeneous population and using strategies with subsequent word appearances will provide for reinforcement and any confusion or forgetting that may have occurred. The more students are exposed to a word and its meaning and can use the word in a meaningful way, the more likely it will become part of their known vocabulary and be cognitively assimilated. Providing such intensity of instruction is particularly appropriate with a scrolling screen and hypertext links through which students may easily lose their train of thought or have difficulty remembering exactly what distinguishes a scholarly journal from a popular magazine.

Library literature includes the suggestion that writers of library guides avoid or replace all technical terms, or jargon as it is sometimes called, with more common words. This, however, may be counter-productive, as students need to be familiar with such terms; they will meet them in other information resources and situations. The opportunity for transfer of learning occurs with the inclusion of the specific and basic vocabulary of the library and acquiring new and appropriate terms will assist in the making of independent users of information resources. Clear writing does not preclude the use of technical terms that have been developed and agreed upon for precise communication in a discipline. A suggested plan would be the identification of all potentially troubling terms with the goal of providing some means of support. This can be done by the librarian or by enlisting the advice of a student who fits the profile of the remote user such support might benefit. After selection, some method should be used to make the word stand out from the surrounding text, to act as a roadsign or signal to the student (Gibbons and Fairweather, 1998). There are various ways of doing this, such as changing the color, size, or font of the print or perhaps underlining, bolding, or italicizing the word. Punctuation marks, such as placing the word within quotes, will also call attention to it. This will alert the student that a technical term with special meaning is being used and that there is support for the meaning, if needed.

Electronic Assistance

The unique capabilities of electronics for enhancing text should not be overlooked (Anderson-Inman and Homey, 1998). Hyperlinks to vocabulary support can be an alternative to or complement to the strategies that are used with print text. Hypermedia assistance can be textual, graphic, video, animation and audio or a combination, bringing variety to the process and also providing for individual differences in learning modalities. If the student is working on an assignment and has accessed the library catalog for information relative to this need, it is a distinct advantage to be able to remove ambiguity by a click of the mouse (http://janus.uoregon.edu/search/w) or the pass of a cursor (http://www.consuls.org) and then continue with the search. It is preferable that he or she receives immediate attention rather than having to search through a tutorial, library guide, or wait until a librarian can be reached, any of which may distract from the original task and discourage use of the catalog. The conditions that make for motivated learners--students who have recognized their information needs and are working actively to satisfy them through use of this tool--are in place. This is encouragement for the librarian to place just-in-case assistance for just-in-time help, leading to better use of the catalog. Searching success may also encourage the student to seek clarification for other words and concepts he meets as he goes along, especially if such knowledge is easy to obtain.

Summary

In summary, librarians should consider that the technical language that is so much a part of the profession might be a possible source of confusion for the student. This can be a particular problem for the remote user. Providing for user-friendly onscreen clarification at point of need is one way of solving the problem. This suggestion can also be applied to other information resources the student may use where terminology will impact on use. Word knowledge is not only an important component of the ability to search the catalog efficiently and effectively, it can lead to confidence in the use of the library and its resources and insight into the way the resources are organized and accessed. These are assets that will assist the student in the acquisition of skills leading to academic success, information literacy, and lifelong learning.

References

Anderson-Inman, L. & Horney, M. A. (1998). in D. Reinking, M.C. McKenna, L. D. Labbo, & R. D. Kieffer (Eds.), Handbook of literacy and technology: Transformations in a post-typographical world (pp. 15-43). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dewald, N. H. (1999). Transporting good library instruction practices into the Web environment: An analysis of online tutorials. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25, 26-31.

Gibbons, A. S. & Fairweather, P. G. (1998). Computer-based instruction: Design and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Herrington, V. J. (1998) Way beyond BI: A look to the future. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 24, 381-386.

Hildreth, C. R. (1997). The use and understanding of keyword searching in a university online catalog. Information Technology and Libraries, 16, 52-62.

Mealy, D.L., Konopak, B. C., Duchein, M. A., Frazier, D. W., Host, T. R. & Nobles, C. (1992). Student, teacher, and expert differences in identifying important content area vocabulary. In N. D. Padak, T. V. Rasinski, & J. Logan (Eds.), Literacy research and practice: Foundations for the year 2000 (pp.117-123). Pittsburg, KS: College Reading Association.

Pittleman, S. D., Heimlich, J. E., Berglund, R. L. & French, M. P. (1991). Semantic feature analysis: Classroom applications. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Web U. S. Higher Education. Retrieved 5/15/00 through 5/24/00 from the World Wide Web: http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/.

Weinberg,L, Barbakoff, S., Bellard, E., & Roberson, G. (1999). Report of the Committee to Develop the Library and Information Technology Session for the Freshman Experience. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. 437959.

Sondra Barbakoff, Adelphi University, NY

Sondra is Nonprint Media/Curriculum Materials Center Librarian and liaison to the School of Education. She was formerly a reading teacher in the NYC school system.