My primary areas of research include user access to services and the use of information technologies in libraries. This research involves projects ranging from web development to the assessment of digital initiatives and electronic information resources and services.

Selected Professional Appointments

UF Smathers Libraries

• Member, Ask A Librarian Planning Group, 2002-Present
• Chair, Research Navigation Committee, Fall 2006-Present
• Member, Digital Library Center/Systems Group, Spring 2005-Present
• Assistant Head Librarian, Education Library, Summer 2007-Present
• Digital Services Librarian, 2003-2007
• Humanities and Social Sciences Reference Librarian, 2001-2003

American Library Association, Association of College and Research Libraries

• Member, Government Relations Committee, 2004-Present (ends July 2008)

American Library Association, Reference and User Services Association

• Co-Chair, User Access to Services Committee, 2007-Present
• Member, Local Systems and Services Committee, 2005-Present

Activities & Honors 

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication "Best of the Web" Competition. 2nd Place in the Creative category for Florida Journalism History Project.<http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/jour/fljhist/>. Sponsored by the Visual Communication and Communication Technology Divisions, Spring 2006.

ACRL National Conference Scholarship Recipient, Spring 2003

Beta Phi Mu, inducted 2002

Degrees

University of Pittsburgh Library and Information Sciences MLIS 2001

LaSalle University Political Science and English BA 1998

Grants

National Digital Newspapers Program, Florida Newspapers 1900-1910, 2005-present

Newspapers digitized by this project will be made available to the public as part of the Library of Congress digital collections. As a Content Usability Consultant, I will work with Florida State University Assessment Team members to design and conduct surveys of user attitudes and research methods, and assess interface behaviors facilitating use and research in particular.

Digital Library of the Carribean, 2007-present

The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), a joint project of the University of Florida, University of Virgin Islands and Florida International University (FIU) in partnership with institutions in the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean, serves as the access point for interdisciplinary Caribbean and circum-Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials originally held in archives, libraries and private collections. As the Assessment Team Leader, I will work with the dLOC Project Coordinator at FIU and members of the UF Digital Library Center to design assessment tools and a program for partners to assess attitudes and research methods of scholars, students and citizens of this interdisciplinary research. This information will assist with identifying interface changes needed to facilitate use of these digital materials.

Selected Publications 

Ochoa, Marilyn, Rae Jesano, John Nemmers, Carrie Newsom, Maryellen O’Brien, and Paul Victor. “Testing the Federated Searching Waters: A Usability Study of MetaLib.” Journal of Web Librarianship. 1.3 (Fall 2007): 47-66.

ALA / Reference and User Services Association / Machine Assisted Reference Section / User Access to Services Committee. “An Exploration of the Working Relationship Between Systems/IT and Reference/Information Services Staff in an Academic Library Setting.” Reference & User Services Quarterly. Accepted, 46.4 (Summer 2007): 37-48.

Reakes, Patrick and Marilyn Ochoa. “A Grassroots Initiative to Facilitate Historical Research: The Florida Journalism History Project.” Technical Services Quarterly. 25.2 (Spring 2007): 57-72.

Freund, LeiLani, Marilyn Ochoa and John Nemmers. “Federated Searching: An Annotated Bibliography.” Special issue, Internet Reference Services Quarterly. 12.3/4 (2007): 411 - 430. Also published as “Metasearching: An Annotated Bibliography.” In Federated Search: Solution or Setback for Online Library Services, edited by Christopher N. Cox. New York: Haworth Information Press, 2007.

Cataldo, Tara, LeiLani Freund, Marilyn Ochoa and Marina Salcedo. “Assessing the Information Commons.” Public Services Quarterly. 2.4 (Winter 2007): 23-46.

Ronan, Jana, Patrick Reakes and Marilyn Ochoa. “Application of the Behavioral Guidelines: A Study of Online Reference Skills.” Special issue, College and Undergraduate Libraries. 13.4 (November 2006): 3-30.

Malanchuk, Iona and Marilyn Ochoa. “Academic Librarians And Outreach Beyond The College Campus.” The Southeastern Librarian. 53.3 (Fall 2005): 23-29.

Selected Links

http://neuron.nervous.net/~marilyn