re-thinking library jargon: maintaining consistency and using plain language

Re-thinking Library Jargon: Maintaining Consistency and Using

Plain LanguageMark Aaron Polger, Instruction and Reference Librarian

College of Staten Island (CSI) / City University of New York (CUNY)February 26, 2010

2010 OLA Superconference

Do you recognize these terms?

ILL/DD

Reference

citation

bibliographic record onlinee-journal

EBSCO

serial

periodical database

ERM

MARC

GUI

LOC

OCLC

ILLO

Indexes and Abstracts

portal

RACERInformation Literacy

BI

OPAC

Resource Sharing

VDXLiaison

circulationSFX (Find It)

controlled vocabularyUSB server

proxy

Ariel

URL

ERIC

download

OpenURL

monograph

bandwidth

OLA

ALA

pathfinder

Boolean

truncation/wild card

descriptor

stacks

.....and we cannot forget “e”

e-reference, e-books, e-journals, e-resources,e-chat, e-library, e-newsletter, e-data, etc…

“e” is not specific to libraries but it’s so overused it deserves its own slide….

What is this presentation about?• What is Jargon?– Problems associated with jargon– Why consistency matters.• What is Plain Language?• 3 Studies on Jargon and Plain Language:• Questionnaire on consistency of library jargon across Canadian

and U.S. Academic institutions. (N=687)• Questionnaire on student preferences to library terms on the CSI

library web site. (N=300)• Questionnaire on librarian preferences to library terms. (N=525)• How to develop a standardized list of consistent jargon

Outlandish language of various kinds, such as speech perceived as gibberish or mumbo jumbo, SLANG, or, most commonly, specialized language of a trade or profession.

To non-members of professional, occupational, and other groups, jargon is filled with terms and syntax that are not typical of general English and may impede understanding, but to members of such a group, jargon is familiar and serves its purpose well.

What is Jargon?

Source: "JARGON"  Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Ed. Tom McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  CUNY College of Staten Island.  5 November 2009  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t29.e649>

Why does it matter?•We teach via verbal and written communication.•Our web site, marketing materials, the reference interview, and library instruction are full of jargon.•My employer, CUNY, 23 campuses, 500,000 students, has no standardized list of jargon.•Our use of language may have positive or negative effects when we're marketing our services and resources.

Why is Jargon important to us?

• Group identification and community• Sense of comfort and cohesion• Specialized acronyms and expressions are

easier to read and write• May give us a sense of authority or prestige

Why is Jargon Problematic?

• Jargon may confuse users• Our users may not understand it.• Jargon may act as a barrier to learning.• Jargon may be perceived as elitist.

PLAIN LANGUAGE. 1. Usage without social pretensions, overly complex structures, and such actual or supposed frills as poetic flourishes, foreignisms, and technical jargon.

"PLAIN LANGUAGE" Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Ed. Tom McArthur. Oxford University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Concordia University Library, Montreal. 11 January 2010 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t29.e956

What is Plain Language?

What is Plain Language?

Plain Language n. speech or writing that is direct, straightforward, unostentatious, or easily understood; (occas. also, esp. with intensifier) coarse or vulgar language;

"PLAIN LANGUAGE" Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. ???? University Press, 2009. Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford University Press. Concordia University Library, Montreal. 11 January 2010 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t29.e956

Plain Language

• Plain language enables more users to understand; new immigrants where English is not their first language, ESL students, children, and people with learning disabilities.

• Plain language saves time and money. There are fewer errors in communication and this means greater efficiency for an organization.

Consistency

“Why be consistent? Things are always changing….”• The following quote (above) may be true BUT at

any given time it may beneficial to be consistent.• For example:• Are we Reference Librarians? Liaison Librarians?

Subject Librarians? Instruction Librarians? Instructional Librarians? Public Service Librarians?

• Inter-library loan, Interlibrary Loan?

Consistency

•Examine your job title across the following media:–Business cards–Email signature–Web site–Marketing material

•Are they all written consistently?•Does it really matter?

Literature ReviewJohn B. Nicholson Jr. (1958) The jargon of librarianship, Aspects of librarianship, v.16, 1-34–Analysed the ALA glossary of library terms .–From 159 pages, 637 words were extracted from the first 50 pages. Of the 637 words:•51% were unique library terms•30% were book trade terms•13% were scholarly terms•6% were general terms•Nicholson found that library jargon is mostly composed of abbreviations and initials.•Nicholson also found that different library workers have their own set of jargon.

Literature Review

Rachel Naismith and Joan Stein (1989) Library jargon: student comprehension of technical language used by librarians, College and Research Libraries, v. 50, 543-552–Graduate students selected library terms from–10 most popular library guides–reference interview transcripts.–Terms were counted and ranked by frequency.–10 most popular terms were used for testing.–Tested against 100 freshmen students.–51% success rate

Literature ReviewNorman B. Hutcherson (2004) Library jargon: student recognition of

terms and concepts commonly used by librarians in the classroom, College and Research Libraries, 349-354

–32 terms were selected from library literature and reference desk experience , classroom observation–2 sets of surveys with 15 multiple choice questions–297 completed surveys–Given during a 7 week library instruction class between Sept 2000-June 2003–62.3% correct responses–Most successful terms;plagiarism, reference services, research, copyright, table of contents, synonym–Least successful terms;boolean, bibliography, controlled vocabulary, truncation, descriptors, citation, authority

Literature Review

B. Battleson and J. Weintrop (2000) University Libraries Nomenclature Test Using the Card Sort Method, Summary Report, State University of New York at Buffalo.•9 subjects asked to sort 34 standard index cards into categories that would appear as links on library web site•“Electronic resources” and “reference” were rarely selected.•1/3 used the term “catalogue”•They understood “course reserve” and used the term “Internet” often.

Literature Review

John Kupersmith (2002) Clearinghouse of Usability Studies on Library Jargon. (www.jkup.net) 2002-2010.•Includes an annotated bibliography of 47 usability studies with summaries of their findings.•Terms most mis-understood; index, interlibrary loan, reference, web guide, serial, resource, acronyms and brand names•Terms most understood; find books, find articles, using natural language•He presented his research at the 2005 Internet Librarian conference.

Literature ReviewKupersmith's conclusions:• Test your users and compare with other academic

institutions test data• Avoid jargon, OPAC brand names, and acronyms• Use natural language on top level pages• Explain confusing terms by providing a glossary or

use ALT tags on library web site.• Provide alternative paths (cross referencing or

duplicate paths on library web site)• Be consistent.

Method•3 questionnaires

•Questionnaire on consistency; 687 responses from library staff•Questionnaire on library terms; 525 responses from library staff•Student questionnaire on library terms; 300 responses (Fall 2009)

•Participants were recruited from listservs: (CACUL, CANMEDLIB, MEDLIB-L, LIBREF, academicpr-ala, ili-ala, publib, infolit, & ALF-L)

Questions

•Are the following terms consistent on the library web site, marketing material, signage, business cards, and email signatures?–Library catalogue–Job title–Databases–ILL/DD

Results

83% yes17% noN=531

Job title on business card consistent with web site?

ResultsJob title on email signature consistent

with web site?

84% yes16% noN=568

ResultsInterlibrary Loan signage is consistent with marketing material?

Yes 76%No 24%N=365

ResultsInterlibrary Loan signage is consistent with web site?

Yes 78%No 22%N=367

Databases link (on web page) consistent with marketing materials?

Yes 67%

No 33%N=581

Results

ResultsLibrary catalogue written consistently in signage and

web site?

Yes 80.45%No 19.55%N=574

ResultsLibrary catalogue written consistently on signage and on

marketing materials

Yes 79.6%No 20.4%N=603

Conclusions of the Study•Job titles are 83%-84% consistent.•Interlibrary loan is 74%-77% consistent.•Databases is 66% consistent.•Library catalogue is 79%-80% consistent.•From nearly 700 respondents:–54% do not plan on creating a standardized list of library jargon.–10% think it is a great idea.–10% are in the process of creating a standardized list.–26% are undecided.

Student / Librarian Preferences to Library Jargon

•2 questionnaires•Twenty four (24) terms were selected from library literature, library instruction classes, and reference desk interactions.•In Fall 2009, multiple choice questionnaire (7 questions) was distributed to CSI students before a library instruction class .•Garnered 300 responses from undergraduate and graduate students•Garnered 525 responses from librarians and library staff

Student Preferences to Library Jargon on the CSI Library Web Site

•Questions pertained to the following terms :–Library Catalogue–Databases–Research Guides–Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery–Citing Your References–E-Reference Collection

Sample question

•If you are looking for books on the library web site, how would the link be best written?1.Library Catalogue2.Find Books3.Catalogue4.Books5.Book Catalogue

The Student Questionnaire54% freshmen, 16.3% sophomore, 10% junior, 15.3% senior

54% freshmen, 16.3% sophomore, 10% junior, 15.3% seniorThe Student Questionnaire

54% freshmen, 16.3% sophomore, 10% junior, 15.3% seniorThe Student Questionnaire

54% freshmen, 16.3% sophomore, 10% junior, 15.3% senior

The Student Questionnaire

Librarian/Library Staff Response

Other:WebPACBrand name of OPACOnline Catalog(ue)OPACPACBooks, video, and more

The Librarian Questionnaire

Librarian/Library Staff ResponseOther:Online ResourcesMagazines and NewspapersE-ResourcesJournalsOnline DatabasesArticle DatabasesFind ArticlesLibrary DatabasesArticles and MoreDigital Articles

The Librarian Questionnaire

Librarian/Library Staff Response

Other:LibGuidesHelpSheetsFinding AidsQuick Start GuidesSubject PortalCourse GuidesResearch HelpInfo GuideTopic GuideSubject Research Guide

The Librarian Questionnaire

Creating a Standardized List of library Terms

1 :Find ArticlesUSEFOR Periodical DatabasesUSEFOR Indexes and AbstractsUSEFOR DatabasesRT Find BooksRT Find E-BooksRT Library catalogue

2: Library catalogueUSE Find books

3: Periodical Databases USE Find Articles

Conclusions

•Maintaining consistency (in jargon) makes it less confusing for library users.•Minimizing jargon is optimal and may improve learning.•Plain Language does not “dumb” down the information•Plain language allows users to get their information with less obstacles

Thank you.

Questions?

MarkAaron.Polger@csi.cuny.edu