User Studies in Turkey: An Evaluation of Dissertations

Abstract

Presents a picture of the recent situation of user studies in Turkey and makes an evaluation. The research population encompassed theses completed from 1958–2002 in the departments of librarianship or information management and other departments in Turkish universities. A total of 33 dissertations were investigated in terms of the year when they were completed, the department where they were conducted, research methods and data collection techniques and type of research–systemoriented or user-oriented. The findings reveal that user studies in Turkey are usually evaluated in relation to the information center, that the number of studies increased in the last 10 years, and that users in the field of education (students, academicians) are preferred as the focus of study. The theses usually describe the existing situation and problems. Quantitative methods are the most frequently used. The study also puts forth some suggestions in the light of the findings.