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Format Comparison

To test the availability of documents between different formats, Roe took a sample of seven different cultural groups that were available in both the paper files and web version and tested the availability of their source documents in each format. She took a 10% sample of 217 cultural files that were in the paper format, but had not yet been added to the web version and searched for the files on the OCLC WorldCat Database, a global network of 41,000 libraries, to determine whether the files could be found in an OCLC member library, a library in Minnesota, and finally whether it was available in the Memorial Library at MSU.

Roe interviewed staff of HRAF, Inc. and reviewed the results of HRAF's  most recent membership survey. She surveyed librarians and teaching faculty from HRAF member institutions across North America. The survey included questions about their experience using HRAF, their experience using HRAF with students, and the past and present availability of HRAF at the institution. She conducted follow-up phone interviews with a volunteer sample that had responded to the survey.

Source:

Roe, Sandra K.
   2002  The Human Relations Area Files (HRAF) Collection of Ethnography: Format Variations and Their

        Implications for Users. M.A. thesis, Department of Anthropology, Minnesota State University, Mankato.

This page was created by Kyoko Soga. Updated by Melissa Lorentz 1/26/08.