Student Information Search Skills and Help AcquisitionDifferences Across Three Faculties

Linda BedwellReference & Instruction LibrarianDalhousie UniversityNova Scotia, Canada

Dalhousie SOSA Majors-Killam Library Student Study•Partnership with 4th-yr class of Sociology

and Social Anthropology Majors•Students (Majors) co-designed and

conducted the studies•Provided a student-perspective

•Positive impact on participation rate and quality of data?

•Participant Observation (Space)

•Learning Commons Computer Workstation Survey (Space/facilities)

•Website Focus Groups (Online presence)

•Interview Survey (Learning/research behaviours)

Studies Performed at Killam Library2009-10 Academic Year

Purpose of Interview Survey

•Simply: To learn more about students in the faculties served by the Killam Library▫Information seeking behaviours▫Search skills acquisition▫Help acquisition▫Impact of librarian-led instruction

(knowledge/confidence)•Measure impact of IL efforts and align

services with student work habits

Methodology

•Semi-structured interview

•15-17 questions

•Interviewers (Majors) positioned in ‘neutral’ locations on campus – not the library

•“Toonie for your time” – incentive

•Data analysis – Excel and SPSS (SOSA prof.)

Interview Survey – Feb 3rd & 16th, 2010•97 respondents

▫36 Arts & SS▫19 Management▫23 Science▫5 Arts & SS and Science

▫64 Undergraduate; 19 Graduate▫56% Female, 44% Male

In-Class Library Instruction

Q: We are interested in how you have learned to find the books, journal articles, etc. you may need to complete your assignments. Have you received instruction on this during any of your classes here at Dal?(yes/no)

Q: Who provided this instruction?(someone from the library/professor/TA)

In-Class Library Instruction

Arts and SS Management Science0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

TA-led Professor-led Librarian-led Received Library Instruction

Other Learning Methods

Q: How else have you learned how to find information/sources?(open-ended)

Other Learning Methods

self-

taug

ht

frien

ds

prof

esso

r/TA

libra

ry sta

ff

libra

ry w

ebsit

e

inte

rnet

onlin

e in

stru

ctio

n

prev

. ins

truct

ion

no n

eed

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Arts and SSManagementScience

Who Students go to for Help

Q: Who do you go to for help with finding information/sources?(open-ended)

Who Students go to for Help

library staff professor/TA friends internet no one, n/a0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Arts and SSManagementScience

How Students Find Information

Q: How do you approach finding information to complete assignments?(open-ended)

How Students Find Information

data

base

s

nova

net

Googl

e/in

t. se

arch

libra

ry w

ebsit

e

prow

ler

Googl

e Sc

hola

r

prof

/cou

rse

mat

'l

subj

ect g

uide

s

bibl

iogr

aphy

wikip

edia

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Arts and SSManagementScience

Help Seeking Methods

Q: Have you sought help from the Dalhousie library in person, online, and/or through email? (Select all that apply: in person, online, email, never.)

Help Seeking Methods

Self-Reported Knowledge Scale

Q: Where would you place yourself on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being you know very little about how to find the sources you may need and 10 being you know everything you need to know about how to find the sources you may need?

Self-Reported Knowledge Scale

Arts and SS Management Science3

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

7.5

8

8.5

no library staff-led inst.library staff-led inst.

Conclusion

•Different approaches for different faculties▫Empower Arts and Social Sciences to

help/teach each other▫Partner with Mgmt and Science faculty to

co-teach/co-produce online tutorials, etc.•Should better support self-teaching•Students’ confidence increase with

librarian-led instruction – this should encourage additional outreach methods

Questions?

Thank you!

Linda BedwellReference & Instruction LibrarianDalhousie Killam LibraryLBedwell@dal.ca