Learning takes place throughout life, and is not restricted to people who are engaged in school, higher or further education. People learn in many different ways, and may not always recognise that they are in a learning situation. Learning is not confined to those who choose to join a special interest group or club, but should be regarded as an active part of a person's whole life, during both work and leisure time, youth or age.
To assess the learning experience of those using RCAHMS resources, a questionnaire was run between 1 May - 30 June 2004 both in the NMRS library and on the RCAHMS website. It was designed and developed with reference to the 'Inspiring Learning for All' programme (www.inspiringlearningforall.org) of the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council. This programme suggests ways in which organisations can measure the kinds of learning already taking place within an institution, and identifies strengths and weaknesses for further development.
The questionnaire was structured around the five Generic Learning Outcomes (GLOs):
· Knowledge and Understanding
· Skills
· Attitudes and Values
· Enjoyment, Inspiration and Creativity
· Activity, Behaviour and Progression
Results show high attainment under the GLOs 'Knowledge and Understanding', 'Skills', and 'Attitudes and Values'. There appears to be room for improvement in attainment under the GLOs 'Enjoyment, Inspiration and Creativity' and 'Activity, Behaviour and Progression'. The survey has highlighted differences between the experiences of library users and website users which also need to be addressed.
The complete survey results can be downloaded in Microsoft Word (41KB) 
41 questionnaires were completed by users in the library and a further 28 by users of the website.
|
Library |
|
Website |
|
|
Library |
|
Website |
||
| Male | 54% |
57% |
Visiting for the first time | 46% |
25% |
|||||
| Female | 44% |
43% |
||||||||
| Aged under 17 | 0% |
0% |
Professional research | 56% |
21% |
|||||
| Aged 18-24 | 27% |
7% |
Academic research | 37% |
14% |
|||||
| Aged 25-65 | 69% |
86% |
Personal research | 5% |
64% |
|||||
Library |
Website |
|||||||||
| Knowledge and understanding | ||||||||||
| Those who felt they learnt some new information | 95% |
86% |
||||||||
| Those who developed an increased interest in something | 41% |
39% |
||||||||
| Skills | ||||||||||
| Those who used observation skills | 83% |
57% |
||||||||
| Those who used thinking skills | 80% |
75% |
||||||||
| Those who now understand more about how they can search for things they are interested in | 76% |
57% |
||||||||
| Attitudes and Values | ||||||||||
| Those who believed that using RCAHMS resources gave them lots to think about | 73% |
61% |
||||||||
| Those who found that after using RCAHMS resources they were more interested in the subject of their research | 51% |
61% |
||||||||
| Enjoyment, Inspiration and Creativity | ||||||||||
| Those who were excited by what they saw or did at RCAHMS | 51% |
46% |
||||||||
| Those who found their visit inspiring | 49% |
54% |
||||||||
| Activity, Behaviour and Progression | ||||||||||
| Those who intend to use RCAHMS resources again | 90% |
89% |
||||||||
| Those who came to RCAHMS to find out more about their community, self or culture | 27% |
43% |
||||||||
| Those who are thinking of joining a special interest group as a result of their experience at RCAHMS | 5% |
7% |
||||||||
Users were surprised by...
· 'The fact it was so easy to use' [library]
· 'The helpful staff and un-stuffy atmosphere in the place'
· 'How it continues to be updated' [website]
Users were disappointed by...
· 'Not being able to find a particular photo'
· 'Copyright rules re. photocopying for research'
· 'lack of illustrations' [website]
Users were most enthusiastic about...
· 'Helpful staff, comfortable atmosphere'
· 'the speed' [website]
· 'the location maps' [website]
User most enjoyed or found inspirational...
· 'I enjoy wandering through the historical records'
· 'the visual search capacity of the Canmore mapping facility'
· 'This is one site that actually has info on it and not just references of where to get this info'
· 'The staggering amount of information'
· 'That this info is accessible to anyone with computer'
The single most important thing that users will remember about their visit is...
· 'Staff - Lovely'
· 'Efficient service and easy access'
· 'The APs (vert and oblique) are an exceptional resource'
· 'Helpful and cordial staff'
· 'Badly organised photographs. This was the reason I came...and this was very difficult'
· 'Scale and scope of their resources'
· 'There is always more to find out'
· 'Canmore is a fantastic resource. I have used it many times before and I know I will use it many more time'
· 'reliable information with a very high standard'
· 'What a wonderful and indispensable Scottish and international resource it is'
