The Library in the Life of the User: Engaging with People Where They Live and Learn This Compilation Is © 2015 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Library in the Life of the User: Engaging with People Where They Live and Learn This Compilation Is © 2015 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc The Library in the Life of the User Engaging with People Where They Live and Learn Compiled and co-authored by Lynn Silipigni Connaway The Library in the Life of the User: Engaging with People Where They Live and Learn This compilation is © 2015 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Individual copyright and licensing details related to the papers included in this compilation are noted on their respective cover pages. October 2015 OCLC Research Dublin, Ohio 43017 USA www.oclc.org ISBNs: 1-55653-500-7 (978-1-55653-500-0) OCLC Control Number: 924929722 Please direct correspondence to: Lynn Silipigni Connaway Senior Research Scientist, OCLC Research [email protected] Suggested citation: Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, comp. 2015. The Library in the Life of the User: Engaging with People Where They Live and Learn. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Research. http://www.oclc. org/content/dam/research/publications/2015/oclcresearch-library-in-life-of-user.pdf . We’ve normalized some of the references and URLs in this report for consistency. URLs that were not working at the time of publication were noted and their hyperlinks were removed from the PDF file of this report. Alternative links were included when possible. The pagination in these reports differs from the originals. Please keep this in mind when citing this work. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research represented in this compilation was made possible by several strategic partnerships as well as funding for several of the projects by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and with Jisc, in collaboration with Oxford University and the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Special thanks to Lorcan Dempsey for popularizing the phrase “The Library in the Life of the User” and also to the following colleagues for their help in editing and publishing this report: Melissa Renspie, Erin Hood, Linda Shepard, Brad Gauder, Jeanette McNicol, Matt Carlson and Eric Childress. CONTENTS Introduction, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway ..........................................i 1. Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviours, Shifting Priorities, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Ixchel M. Faniel .................................. 1 2. What is Enough? Satisficing Information Needs, by Chandra Prabha, Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Lawrence Olszewski and Lillie Jenkins ..................... 33 3. “Screenagers” and Live Chat Reference: Living Up to the Promise, by Marie L. Radford and Lynn Silipigni Connaway .................................51 4. Sense-making and Synchronicity: Information-seeking Behaviors of Millennials and Baby Boomers, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Marie L. Radford, Timothy J. Dickey, Jocelyn De Angelis Williams and Patrick Confer ........................................ 79 5. The Digital Information Seeker: Report of Findings from Selected OCLC, RIN and JISC User Behaviour Projects, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Timothy J. Dickey ... 97 6. “If it is too inconvenient I’m not going after it:” Convenience as a Critical Factor in Information-seeking Behaviors, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Timothy J. Dickey and Marie L. Radford ....................................... 107 7. User-centered Decision Making: A New Model for Developing Academic Library Services and Systems, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Donna Lanclos, David White, Alison Le Cornu and Erin M. Hood .................... 135 8. Visitors and Residents: What Motivates Engagement with the Digital Information Environment? by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, David White, Donna Lanclos and Alison Le Cornu .......................................... 153 9. “I always stick with the first thing that comes up on Google. .” Where People Go for Information, What They Use, and Why by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Donna M. Lanclos and Erin M. Hood. 169 10. Meeting the Expectations of the Community: The Engagement-centered Library, by Lynn Silipigni Connaway ................................................. 197 INTRODUCTION The study of user behaviors, also referred to as information behavior, information-seeking behavior research, or user studies is not a new line of inquiry. In 1931, Ranganathan wrote, “Perhaps the most convenient method of studying the consequences of this law will be to follow the reader from the moment he enters the library to the moment he leaves it…” (337) This reference to “follow the reader” sounds very similar to the ethnographic studies and observations that have become more prevalent in LIS user behavior research. In 1940, when making a case for local funding of public libraries, McDiarmid stated: “In order to answer the question, ‘What type of library service is needed in the community?’… a great deal must be known regarding the area to be served. What are the important factors in the library’s community environment? What social changes have altered this environment? These are questions which require historical, geographical and social data and, hence, an important part of an effective library survey is a study of the community itself.” (11) The current economic climate, much like the environment McDiarmid described in 1940, has drawn much attention to assessment in school and academic libraries as a way to articulate the value of libraries within the academic environment. Assessment involves analyzing the data made available through educational systems to measure student success, such as retention and GPA, against service and resources provided by the library. It also involves utilizing the data generated by library systems and services, such as web analytics and feedback from those within the academic community regardless of whether they use the library. If they do use the library, it is imperative to identify how and why they use it. If they do not use the library, it is equally important to discover how and what they use to get their information and to learn why they use these services and resources instead of those provided by the library. We refer to this as user-centered assessment (Connaway 2014b). Since the library is not the only game in town to get information and “the majority of the population does not use libraries to get information” (Connaway 2013, 83), it is important for the library to become embedded in the lifestyles of their users and potential users (those who may not or who seldom use library services).1 Introduction i As a way to put this into a practical perspective, Dempsey (2015) discusses the importance of thinking about the library in the life of the user instead of the traditional model of thinking of the user in the life of the library. Again, this leads back to the fact that there are many more convenient and familiar ways of getting information today than from the traditional library environment. Many people do not think of the library as the first place to get their information. This may be attributed to people not knowing that the services exist or that some of the existing services are not familiar or do not fit into their workflows. Research indicates that people associate the library with books and do not consider the library in relation to online resources or reference services (Connaway, Dickey, and Radford 2011; Connaway, Lanclos, and Hood 2013; Connaway and Radford 2011; De Rosa et al. 2005; De Rosa et al. 2010; Prabha, Connaway, and Dickey 2006), which could be addressed with branding initiatives and marketing campaigns. To address these issues we have developed an OCLC research theme titled user studies. The rationale for this research activity is that by providing the library community with behavioral evidence about individuals’ perceptions, habits, and requirements, we can ensure that the design of future library services is all about the user.2 We have concentrated on identifying how people engage with technology and get their information for both personal and academic situations. We have learned that the context and situation of the information need often dictate how people behave and engage with technology. These also influence how and why they select to use resources, usually discovered through a web browser and that include freely available resources, such as Wikipedia; human resources; and library resources. Our research indicates the importance of developing relationships and engaging with people. If they know us and trust us, they will seek us out when they need information and they will recommend us and our services to others. When asked to identify successful virtual reference encounters users cited instances when they did not receive an answer, but when they had a good rapport with the librarian and the librarian was kind and helpful. This exemplifies the importance of engagement and relationship building in both the online and physical environments for the development of successful and effective services. Based on our research, the following questions were asked in the comments on “The Elusive User” blog post (Connaway 2014a). 1. If we try to identify how people find information and how and why they get their information as well as how and why they choose to engage with specific technology, could we, as librarians, provide services and systems that will meet some of these needs? 2. Is this attempting to take on more than librarians have the capacity to do, especially in today’s environment of limited resources, or, is this something that we have an interest in pursuing? 3. Should we only concentrate on those who currently use our resources and services, subsequently developing personalized
Recommended publications
  • University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St
    "THE POSSIBLES WE DARE": ART AND IDENTITY IN THE POETRY OF THEODORE ROETHKE Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Maselli, Sharon Ann Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 14:20:34 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/290470 INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting thru an image and duplicating adjacent pages to insure you complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a large round black mark, it is an indication that the photographer suspected that the copy may have moved during exposure and thus cause a blurred image. You will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., was part of the material being photographed the photographer followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material.
    [Show full text]
  • Everyday Life Information Seeking
    Everyday Life Information Seeking Reijo Savolainen Department of Information Studies and Interactive Media, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland Folksonomies Ethiopia– Abstract Information seeking may be analyzed in two major contexts: job-related and nonwork. The present entry concentrates on nonwork information seeking, more properly called everyday life information seeking (ELIS). Typically, ELIS studies discuss the ways in which people access and use various information sources to meet information needs in areas such as health, consumption, and leisure. The entry specifies the concept of ELIS and characterizes the major ELIS models. They include the Sense-Making approach (Dervin), the Small world theory (Chatman), the ecological model of ELIS (Williamson), ELIS in the context of way of life (Savolainen), the model of information practices (McKenzie), and the concept of information grounds (Fisher). ELIS practices tend to draw on the habitualized use of a limited number of sources which have been found useful in previous use contexts. Since the late 1990s, the Internet has increasingly affected the ELIS practices by providing easily accessible sources. Even though the popularity of the networked sources has grown rapidly they will complement, rather than replace, more traditional sources and channels. INTRODUCTION THE CONCEPT OF ELIS Information seeking is a major constituent of information Thus far, a rich variety of themes have been explored in behavior or information practices, that is, the entirety of ELIS studies. They have focused on people belonging to ways in which people seek, use, and share information in diverse groups such as the following: different contexts.[1,2] Information seeking may be ana- lyzed in two major contexts: job-related and nonwork.
    [Show full text]
  • Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviours, Shifting Priorities
    ISSN (Print): 0972-2467 SRELS Journal of Information Management, Vol 52(1), February 2015, p. 3–23 ISSN (Online): 0976-2477 Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviours, Shifting Priorities Lynn Silipigni Connaway* and Ixchel M. Faniel OCLC Research, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio, USA; [email protected], [email protected] Abstract S.R. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science provide a broad framework for designing and evaluating library programmes, activities and services. The laws continue to be extensively cited even today suggesting their continued revolution, currently available resources and services, and user behaviours. The idea has been to suggest how libraries andrelevance. librarians This can paper better attempts connect to to interpret those behaviours. the five laws After in examining the present the daychanging context roles of informationof the Five Laws abundance, on the basis digital of recommendations for realizing the intent of the laws have also been made. findings of recent research, the paper suggests reordering and reframing of the Five Laws of Library Science. A number of Keywords: Digital Environment, Five Laws of Library Science, Information Seeking Behaviour, Information Services, Web- Based Information Services. 1. Introduction Ranganathan, like Melville Dewey, came on the scene at a time when information was scarce; preserving library When Ranganathan proposed his Five Laws of Library collections was a major professional concern of librarians. Science, he came out with a comprehensive framework “Books are for use” was the driver. Dewey’s classification and guideline for evaluating library programmes, library system was essentially meant to help library users activities, and for formulating library policies and understand how to access materials.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Women I Have Known
    REV- J. B. CULPEPPER. SOME WOMEN I HAVE KNOWN BY REV. J. B. CULPEPPER, AUTHOR OF "Men Only," "Backsliders," "The Black Horse," "Just For Children," "The Wandering Lover; or, Christ ' * " Enthroned, ' 'Malice, Etc. PRICE; CLOTH 75 Cents, PAPER 40 Cento PICKETT PUBLISHING COMPANY. Louisville, Ky. — AUTHOK'S STATEMENT. Dear Eeaders: This little book is just what it claims to be—a talk about some women I have known. It has been prayed over. If it hurts you, let me know I owe you an apology. If it does you good, you owe me a word of encouragement. You can reach me through the mails at Louisville, Ky. I am a woman's boy, a woman's husband, a woman's father, and a woman's friend. Author. INTRODUCTORY.—"SOME WOMEN." The world has felt the influence of woman. From the time Mother Eve sold us out for a bite of fruit to the present, she has been the world's bane or blessing. A true, noble, Godly woman has a pull for the upper world that draws mightily at the heartstrings of man. She has about her a tenderness of spirit, a mildness of manner, a frame of devotion, an influence of general character, that is foreign to man, and at a premium in every good cir- cle. While in the Bible, angels are all represented in the masculine gender, pure, consecrated, sanctified woman- hood, somehow, reminds us more of the angels than ordi- nary manhood. When, however, a woman becomes coarse, neglects culture, develops frowardness, and sacrifices virtue, we instinctively turn from her.
    [Show full text]
  • Hemistry N E W S L E T T E R
    University of Michigan Chemistry N E W S L E T T E R Letter from the Chair I am pleased to send greetings and to fullerene, was a very engaging keynote Contents highlight the activities of the Chemistry speaker for this event. Before his talk, the Department this past year. The Depart- Department was awarded a 2006 Citation Letter from the Chair ........................ 1 ment is continuing to make enormous for Chemical Breakthroughs from the Di- New Faculty ..................................... 3 strides towards accomplishing its goal of vision of the History of Chemistry of the becoming one of the top Chemistry De- American Chemical Society in recognition Faculty News.................................... 4 partments in the nation. The most recent of work by Moses Gomberg. Additionally, I 150th Birthday ...................................4 US News and World Report ranking of have enjoyed meeting departmental alumni Graduate Program News Chemistry Departments listed Michigan and alumnae as well as prospective faculty as 16th in the nation; the analytical cluster candidates at the University of Michigan Graduate Awards .......................... 7 was ranked 9th, biochemistry 13th, organic reception that is held at every American Graduate Degrees........................ 10 th th 13 , and inorganic 15 . These are the Chemical Society National meeting. Please GS Council News .........................12 highest rankings for these clusters in many plan on attending this reception at the next years. We anticipate that our standing in ACS meeting. Undergraduate Program News the community will continue to rise, in REU Program ...............................12 Over the past year the department has view of the tremendous success that we recruited Dr. Anne McNeil, an outstand- Undergraduate Awards ...............
    [Show full text]
  • Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development
    Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development Carole L. Palmer Lauren C. Teffeau Carrie M. Pirmann Graduate School of Library & Information Science (GSLIS) Center for Informatics Research in Science & Scholarship (CIRSS) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign A publication of OCLC Research Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment: Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development Carole L. Palmer, Lauren C. Teffeau and Carrie M. Pirmann for OCLC Research © 2009 OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. All rights reserved January 2009 OCLC Research Dublin, Ohio 43017 USA www.oclc.org ISBN: 1-55653-408-6 (978-1-55653-408-9) OCLC (WorldCat): 298733494 Please direct correspondence to: Constance Malpas Program Officer [email protected] Suggested citation: Palmer, Carole L., Lauren C. Teffeau and Carrie M. Pirmann. 2009. Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment: Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development. Report commissioned by OCLC Research. Published online at: www.oclc.org/programs/publications/reports/2009-02.pdf Scholarly Information Practices in the Online Environment: Themes from the Literature and Implications for Library Service Development Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope of the literature .........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges in Sustaining the Million Book Project, a Project Supported by the National Science Foundation
    Clair / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci C (Comput & Electron) 2010 11(11):919-922 919 Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE C (Computers & Electronics) ISSN 1869-1951 (Print); ISSN 1869-196X (Online) www.zju.edu.cn/jzus; www.springerlink.com E-mail: [email protected] Personal View: Challenges in sustaining the Million Book Project, a project supported by the National Science Foundation Gloriana St. CLAIR wisely invested in bringing educational and cultural Director, Universal Library Project resources to a large segment of their constituents. The Dean, Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Pittsburgh, disadvantage is that, as government budgets tighten, Pennsylvania, USA the funding necessary to sustain a project can be lost. E-mail: [email protected] One great advantage of government funding is that the government wants to serve the whole public. doi:10.1631/jzus.C1001011 Beginning this year, in the U.S., the National Science Foundation now requires principal investigators to explain how the data they have collected will be made One of the main roles I have played as a director available to the larger research community and how it of the Universal Digital Library has been to write will be sustained. In the U.S., the government also grant proposals to support our work. Both for this wants free-to-read access and at the same time allows project and for another project, Olive.org, an archive creators to charge for enhanced versions. of executable content, how to sustain the final product Foundations and other not-for-profit organi- is the most difficult challenge. This paper discusses zations.
    [Show full text]
  • Worldcat Data Licensing
    WorldCat Data Licensing 1. Why is OCLC recommending an open data license for its members? Many libraries are now examining ways that they can make their bibliographic records available for free on the Internet so that they can be reused and more fully integrated into the broader Web environment. Libraries may want to release catalog data as linked data, as MARC21 or as MARCXML. For an OCLC® member institution, these records may often contain data derived from WorldCat®. Coupled with a reference to the community norms articulated in WorldCat Rights and Responsibilities for the OCLC Cooperative, the Open Data Commons Attribution (ODC-BY) license provides a good way to share records that is consistent with the cooperative nature of OCLC cataloging. Best practices in the Web environment include making data available along with a license that clearly sets out the terms under which the data is being made available. Without such a license, users can never be sure of their rights to use the data, which can impede innovation. The VIAF project and the addition of Schema.org linked data to WorldCat.org records were both made available under the ODC-BY license. After much research and discussion, it was clear that ODC-BY was the best choice of license for many OCLC data services. The recommendation for members to also adopt this clear and consistent approach to the open licensing of shared data, derived from WorldCat, flowed from this experience. An OCLC staff group, aided by an external open-data licensing expert, conducted a structured investigation of available licensing alternatives to provide OCLC member institutions with guidance.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Libraries and Reference Services: Present and Future Gobinda G
    Journal of Documentation Digital libraries and reference services: present and future Gobinda G. Chowdhury Article information: To cite this document: Gobinda G. Chowdhury, (2002),"Digital libraries and reference services: present and future", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 58 Iss 3 pp. 258 - 283 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00220410210425809 Downloaded on: 09 September 2015, At: 09:24 (PT) References: this document contains references to 70 other documents. To copy this document: [email protected] The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 3867 times since 2006* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: Caroline Henley, (2004),"Digital reference services for young library users: a comparison of four services", Library Review, Vol. 53 Iss 1 pp. 30-36 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00242530410514775 James A. Stemper, John T. Butler, (2001),"Developing a model to provide digital reference services", Reference Services Review, Vol. 29 Iss 3 pp. 172-189 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00907320110398133 Gobinda Chowdhury, Simone Margariti, (2004),"Digital reference services: a snapshot of the current practices in Scottish libraries", Library Review, Vol. 53 Iss 1 pp. 50-60 http:// dx.doi.org/10.1108/00242530410514793 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:550172 [] For Authors If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines Downloaded by Rutgers University At 09:24 09 September 2015 (PT) are available for all.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Libraries and Archiving Knowledge: Some Critical Questions
    116 Digital libraries and archiving knowledge: some critical questions Peter Johan Lor1 IFLA, P O Box 95312, 2509CH The Hague, The Netherlands [email protected] and Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa. Received: 10th September 2007 Accepted: 7th June 2008 Over millennia librarians have striven for universality: complete control of all recorded knowledge, if not through ownership then through bibliographic organisation and systems for universal availability and access. Modern digital technologies offer new possibilities of achieving universality, but also presents big challenges. This paper raises some critical questions about the concepts of “digital libraries” and ‘archiving knowledge”. It uses a basic life-cycle approach to digital libraries and considers digital library functions within the cycle of the creation, dissemination, disposal and use of born-digital and digitised content. Different types of digital libraries are identified and challenges in selection, acquisition, organisation, preservation, resource discovery and access are discussed. Technological factors are not the main issue to be addressed. Rather, it is emphasised that political and economic challenges require attention. A rational and holistic discipline of digital resources management is needed to ensure that digital content can be handed down to posterity. Introduction Librarianship is a profession of modest people. Not many of us become wealthy or powerful. It is fair to say that few of us chose this profession because we consciously sought wealth or power. And yet beneath that modest demeanour is concealed an immense power: the power that derives from control over the immeasurable wealth of human knowledge. And sometimes it seems that the modest demeanour of the librarian conceals an obsession of almost megalomaniac proportions: the obsession to create a universal library.
    [Show full text]
  • Mate Choice from Avicenna's Perspective
    Journal of Law, Policy and Globalization www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3240 (Paper) ISSN 2224-3259 (Online) Vol.26, 2014 Mate choice from Avicenna’s perspective 1 2 3 Masoud Raei , Maryam sadat fatemi Hassanabadi * , Hossein Mansoori 1. Assistant Professor Faculty of law and Elahiyat and Maaref Eslami, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran. 2. MA Student. Fundamentals jurisprudence Islamic Law. , Islamic Azad Khorasgan University, Isfahan, Iran. 3. MA in History and Philosophy of Education, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran. * E-mail of the corresponding author: hosintaghi@ gmail.com Abstract The aim of the present research was examining mate choice from Avicenna’s perspective. Being done through application of qualitative approach and a descriptive-analytic method as well, this study attempted to analyze and examine Avicenna’s perspective on effects of mate choice and on criteria for selecting an appropriate spouse and its necessities as well as the hurts discussed in this regard. The research results showed that Avicenna has encouraged all people in marriage, since it brings to them economic and social outcomes, peace and sexual satisfaction as well. Avicenna stated some criteria for appropriate mate choice, and in addition to its necessities, he advised us to follow such principles as the obvious marriage occurrence, its stability, wife’s not being common and a suitable age range for marriage. Moreover, he has examined issues and hurts related to mate choice referring to such cases as nature incongruity, marital infidelity, the state of not having any babies and ethical conflict which may happen in mate choice and marriage, suggesting some solutions to such problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Graduation 2013. Wednesday 17 July 2013 the University of Sheffield
    Graduation 2013. Wednesday 17 July 2013 The University of Sheffield Your graduation day is a special day for you and your family, a day for celebrating your achievements and looking forward to a bright future. As a graduate of the University of Sheffield you have every reason to be proud. You are joining a long tradition of excellence stretching back more than 100 years. The University of Sheffield was founded with the amalgamation of the School of Medicine, Sheffield Technical School and Firth College. In 1905, we received a Royal Charter and Firth Court was officially opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. At that time, there were 363 students reading for degrees in arts, pure science, medicine and applied science. By the time of our centenary, there were over 25,000 students from more than 100 countries, across 70 academic departments. Today, a degree from Sheffield is recognised all over the world as a hallmark of academic excellence. We are proud of our graduates and we are confident that you will make a difference wherever you choose to build your future. With every generation of graduates, our university goes from strength to strength. This is the original fundraising poster from 1904/1905 which helped raise donations for the University of Sheffield. Over £50,000 (worth more than £15 million today) was donated by steelworkers, coal miners, factory workers and the people of Sheffield in penny donations to help found the University. A century on, the University is now rated as one of the top world universities – according to the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities.
    [Show full text]