Office:
W321 Pattee Library
Mailing Address:
Arts and Humanities Library
W321 Pattee Library
University Park, PA 16802
Telephone: 814-865-1014
Fax: 814-863-7502
E-mail: ecn1@psu.edu
Jan. 2001-present
History, History of Science, and Middle East Studies Librarian
Arts and Humanities Library
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Aug. 1998 - Dec. 2000
Main Library Reference Librarian
University of Illinois at Chicago
Jan. 1997-July 1998
History, Australian Studies, & American Studies Bibliographer
University of Texas at Austin, Perry-Castenada Library
Research Interests: Usability, assessment of reference and user services, library history.
Editor, Assessing Reference and User Services in a Digital Age, 238pp. Haworth Press. Forthcoming Winter 2006/2007.
“If We Teach, Do They Learn?: The Impact of Library Instruction on Library Catalog Search Strategies,” portal: Libraries and the Academy , 6(2), 2006.
“Finding United States Historical Images in Print and Online,” Reference & User Services Quarterly , 45(1), Fall 2005.
“I Don't Think, I Click: A Protocol Analysis Study of Use of a Library Online Catalog in the Internet Age,” College & Research Libraries , 65(6), November 2004.
“Library Services to Immigrants: The Debate in the Library Literature, 1900-1920, and a Chicago Case Study,” Reference & User Services Quarterly , vol.42(4), Summer 2003.
SPEC Kit #268: Reference Service Statistics and Assessment, 142 pgs. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries. September 2002.
“Developing Meaningful Measures for Electronic Reference Services: New Technology, Old Questions” in Proceedings of the 4th Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services: Meaningful Measures for Emerging Realities, Joan Stein, Martha Kyrillidou, & Denise Davis (eds.). Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 2002.
“Using Surveys & Questionnaires to Evaluate Reference Services”, in Evaluating Reference Services: a Practical Guide, Jo Bell Whitlatch ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000.
“Evaluating Electronic Reference Services: Issues, Approaches and Criteria.” Reference Librarian , 74, 2001.
“On-line Course Integrated Instruction Modules as an Alternative Delivery Method” in Library User Education: Powerful Learning, Powerful Partnerships, Barbara Dewey (ed.). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2001. (with Melissa Koenig).
“How do We Learn?: Contributions of Learning Theory to Reference Service and Bibliographic Instruction”, Loriene Roy and Eric Novotny. The Reference Librarian , No.69/70, 2000.
“Happy Trails: Building a User-Centered Online Library”, North American Serials Interest Group E-Journal Workshop, “Head ‘em Up, Move ‘em Out: Corraling the E-Journal Stampede”, Mississippi State University, July 14, 2006. (Invited presentation)
“What do Users Think of our Online Library Catalog?”, SIRSI Unicorn Users Group, American Library Association Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA, June 25, 2006
“Creating a User Friendly Online Catalog”, Pennsylvania Library Association, Juniata Conemaugh Chapter Annual Program, Making Your Library User Friendly. University Park, PA, June 14, 2006
“Public Library Services to Immigrants in Chicago, 1900-1930”, Library Faculty Organization Research Colloquia, University Park, PA, April 5, 2006
“Informed Decisions?: The Impact of User Testing on the Design of the Pennsylvania State University’s Online Library Catalog Interface”, Sixth Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measures in Libraries and Information Services. Durham, England, August 23, 2005
“A New Definition of Reference: Exploring Guidelines.” American Library Association, Annual Conference. Orlando, FL, June 27, 2004. (Part of a panel presentation. Discussed findings from my 2001 ARL Spec Kit survey on reference statistics policies and practices)
“Using the Wisconsin Ohio Reference Evaluation Program to Improve Reference Training at Penn State.” CLENE Training Showcase, American Library Association Annual Conference. Orlando, FL, June 27, 2004
“What are Catalog Users Thinking: A Protocol Analysis Study of the Use of the Online Catalog”, “Four-Star” Research Forum, Library Research Round Table, American Library Association Annual Conference, Toronto, CA, June, 2003
“Usability Testing and Interface Design: Applying Protocol Analysis Techniques in an Assessment of the Online Catalog.” SIRSI SuperConference. St. Louis, MO, April 19, 2004. (With Laurie Probst)
“Developing Meaningful Measures for Electronic Reference Services: New Technology, Old Questions”, Fourth Northumbria International Conference on Performance Measurement in Libraries and Information Services. Pittsburgh, PA, August 14, 2001
American Library Association, 1992-present.
Reference and User Services Section (RUSA)
RUSA Publications Committee, 2004-Present. Co-chair, 2006-present
RUSA Standards & Guidelines Committee, 2000-2002
RUSA History Section
Executive Committee Secretary,, 2006-Present
Bibliographies & Indexes Committee, 2003-Present
RUSA Reference Services Section
Executive Committee Member-at-Large, 2002-05
Chair, Research and Statistics Committee, 2001-03
Chair, Evaluation of Reference & User Services Committee, 1999-2000; Committee Member, 1996-99
Centre County Historical Society, 2002-
Committee on Institutional Cooperation, History Librarians Group, 2001-present
Web Pages Created
Web Projects (selected content and advised on interface design)
2000 Oberlin College, 1988-1992
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1992-1994
