Information Institute Receives Award for Evaluation of Florida Electronic Library

Since 2002, the Information Use Management and Policy Institute (Information Institute) of Florida State University, College of Communication and Information, School of Library and Information Studies has engaged in multiple evaluations of the Florida Electronic Library for the Florida Division of Library and Information Services (Division). For this current project the Information Institute will engage in a number of activities to assist the Division in determining the effectiveness of the existing Florida Electronic Library, and specifically the Gale-Cengage databases within it.

These current assessments build on prior assessments of the Florida Electronic Library conducted by the Information Institute for the Division. To assess the Gale-Cengage database portfolio and to engage in targeted marketing of the Florida Electronic Library, the Information Institute will conduct a two-part study including a review of the existing Florida Electronic Library and its Gale-Cengage databases and a combined userand marketing study to determine users’ utilization of and satisfaction with the Florida Electronic Library. The current project’s evaluation efforts will continue to assist the Division in the development and implementation of the Florida Electronic Library.

The Florida Electronic Library is a statewide resource that provides public access to all people of Florida. It is a dynamic, interactive environment that uses Web 2.0 tools and services to provide opportunities for individuals to access community and research resources. The Florida Electronic Library is positioned as the authoritative, freely accessible information resource available to all Florida users for both home and library use. For more information about the Florida Electronic Library, visit http://www.flelibrary.org/about.php.

Further information about the project can be found on the Information Institute’s website located at http://www.ii.fsu.edu; an abstract of the project is also available at http://www.ii.fsu.edu.