Institutional permission/approval for usability testing?

[Wallace, Danny]

Dear Alec,

I’m a LIS research methods professor, not a practicing librarian, so my perspective may be a bit different from those of others.  I recommend touching  base with your institution’s HSRB for an interpretation.  The procedure you have described isn’t all that informal and constitutes a fairly normal approach to human subjects research.  My reading of 45 CFR 46 is that the “Common Rule” is mute on this kind of research (see 45 CFR 46 section 46.101 (b) at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.html).   Generally speaking, universities tend to interpret 45 CFR 46 as meaning that research not explicitly exempted from the Rule must pass IRB review.

Danny

Danny P. Wallace
Professor and EBSCO Chair of Library Service
School of Library and Information Studies
University of Alabama
501 Gorgas Library
Box 870252
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0252
Voice: 205-348-4610
Fax: 205-348-3746
dwallace at slis.ua.edu<mailto:dwallace at slis.ua.edu>


From: Alexander Sonsteby <Alexander.Sonsteby at METROSTATE.EDU<mailto:Alexander.Sonsteby at METROSTATE.EDU>>
Reply-To: Web technologies in libraries <WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU<mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>>
Date: Monday, October 20, 2014 at 3:24 PM
To: "WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU<mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>" <WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU<mailto:WEB4LIB at LISTSERV.ND.EDU>>
Subject: [WEB4LIB] Institutional permission/approval for usability testing?


Hi, all,


I am writing to ask how many of your libraries have sought institutional review board (IRB)/human subject review board (HSRB) approval to conduct informal usability testing on your libraries' websites. By "informal" I mean that you don't record your test subjects, track their names or other personal identifiers (like student ID numbers) in a database, etc.


I realize that this may be a sensitive topic for some, so feel free to write me off-list if you prefer.


Thank you,

Alec


Alec Sonsteby, M.S.
Associate Professor and Reference & Instruction Librarian

(O) 651.793.1636
(F) 651.793.1615
alexander.sonsteby at metrostate.edu<mailto:alexander.sonsteby at metrostate.edu>

Metropolitan State University
645 East Seventh Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106

www.metrostate.edu/library<http://www.metrostate.edu/library>
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2014-10-20

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