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To Use or Not to Use: Undergraduates and the OSU Library
Ruth Vondracek & Laurie Bridges
To Use or Not to Use: Undergraduates and the OSU Library
Research Questions
1. What alternatives do students choose for typical library activities? Why do they prefer those alternatives?
2. Is there a correlation between academic college, academic year and Valley Library or virtual library use?
Why Conduct This Research?
• Rampant Curiosity
• Few studies focus on alternatives to library use• Specific services, e.g. online use• Specific subpopulations, e.g. Generation Y• Use of physical space• Perceptions of libraries (OCLC’s study)
• Most assumptions based on anecdotal evidence or preconceptions
Research Project Design
• Winter-Spring 2006• Four-question screening survey to
identify target population• Focus groups for users and non-users • Follow-up qualitative/quantitative
survey of non-users and infrequent users (30 questions)
• Research incentives
Screening Survey Respondents
• Undergraduate student body (n=14,443)
• A random sample of approximately 22 percent (n=3,227) • OSU Corvallis Campus
• 949 respondents (29%)
Screening Survey Demographics
Academic Year
173
174
234
367
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Demographics
0
50
100
150
200
250Academic College
Number 47 108 14 205 16 144 171 199 44
Agricultural
SciencesBusiness
Education
Engineering
Forestry HHSLiberal
ArtsScience Other
Significant Findings
Is there a correlation between academic college and virtual library use?
When comparing College of Engineering students with students in all of the colleges, Engineering students were significantly less likely to use virtual library resources.
95% confidence interval with bonferoni correction
Ag. Science
Business
Engineering
Ed.
Forestry
HHS
Liberal Arts
ScienceOther
Engineering
When comparing Engineering students to Liberal Arts students the Engineering students were significantly less likely to use virtual library resources.
95% confidence interval with bonferoni correction
Agricultural Sciences
Business
Education
Engineering
Forestry
HHS
Liberal Arts
Science
Other
Agricultural Sciences
Business
Education
Engineering
Forestry
HHS
Liberal Arts
Science
Other
Significant Findings
Is there a correlation between academic college and Valley Library Use?
When comparing Ag. Sciences students to students in Liberal Arts, Sciences, and HHS, the Ag. Sciences students were significantly less likely to visit the Valley Library.
95% confidence interval with bonferoni correction
Agricultural Sciences
Business
Education
Engineering
Forestry
HHS
Liberal Arts
Science
Other
Agricultural Sciences
Business
Education
Engineering
Forestry
HHS
Liberal Arts
Science
Other
Significant Findings
Is there a correlation between academic year and Valley Library use? Between academic year and virtual library use?
None Found
Pearson's chi-square test without Yates' continuity correction
Conclusions
• Pre-Screening Survey compared with other research
• Insights about Ag. Science and Engineering
Target Population
• 275 infrequent and non-users • 8.5% of survey population (n=3227)• 29% respondents (n=949)
• Surveyed 95 or 10% of total respondents (n=949)
• 40 percent (38 students) total respondents
Demographics: Non-Users & Infrequent Users
12%
29%
15%
44%
Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
Focus Groups
• Low turn out (5 total students)• Discussion with some directed
questioning• Discussion yielded valuable information
Categories: Frequency of Use
Frequency Group NameValley
Library % use
Online Resources % use
Once or more/day High Frequency Users
7% 1%
Several times/week Frequent Users 34% 12%
Several times/month
Moderate Users 30% 33%
Several Times/year Infrequent Users 25% 37%
Do not visit Non-Users 4% 16%
Concept Clustering
Spread Out
Comfort
Resources Available
Quiet
Concept Identification
I like it because I can spread all my books out, my computer's right there, there are comfy chairs, it's quiet
Spread Out
Comfort
Resources Available
Quiet
Concept Identification
I like it because I can spread all my books out, my computer's right there, there are comfy chairs, it's quiet
Concept Categorization
Comfort Convenience Quiet Resources Available
Other
• Comfort • Convenience • Quiet • Food • Help Available
• Able to spread out
• Close • No distractions
• Computer • Don't distract others
• Music • Able to take study breaks
• Private • Room availability
• Friends
• Unsafe to walk at night
• No hours • Books/ Supplies
Where Students Choose to Study
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Home
Dorm
Coffe
e Shop
Campu
s Bld
g.
Compu
ter L
ab
Libr
ary
Friend
s' Hom
e
Oth
er
Q.4 Most Often?
Q6: With a Group?
Q8: Alone?
% o
f R
esp
onse
s
Why Students Choose Locations
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
Comfort Convenience ResourcesAvailable
Quiet Other
Most Often Group Alone
Where Students Conduct Research
Work3%
Google28%
Computer11%
Campus Computer Lab
11%
Library6%
Home30%
Dorm11%
Type of Research
29%
33%5%
33%
Little / No research Papers Thesis Specific Topics
What is Used to Conduct Online Research?
Internet, 26%
Computer, 8%
Class Materials, 6%
Books , 11%Journals, 15%
Databases-Library, 11%
Library , 13%
Access from home, 6%
Other, 4%
Reasons for Use
Easy to Use12%
Resources Available
10%Convenient
32%
Fast10%
Lots of Results/ options
10%
Help5%Can Refine
Queries7%
Good/ Accurate12%
Verification2%
Seeking Research Help
Don't Need, 11%Other Students, 17%
Friends/ Family, 20%
Librarian, 17%Prof./ T.A., 33%
Seeking Research Help
0%5%
10%15%
20%25%
30%35%
Don't
ask
Men
tor
Knowle
dgea
ble
Exper
ienc
ed
Availa
ble
Helpfu
l/Nice
Oth
er
Why Students Don’t Use the Valley Library
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%
Crowded
/Loud
Don't need
Inco
nvenient
Less C
omfo
rtable
Online re
source
s
Compu
ters
Food p
olicy
Conclusions
• Higher than expected rate of non-use or infrequent use (29%)
• Our busy library negatively affects library use for some people
• Study rooms highly used; more designated semi-private spaces needed.
• Comfort, convenience and quiet are leading environmental factors students value.
• Need to publicize virtual library and other services more
Undergraduate Users and Non-UsersRuth Vondracek & Laurie BridgesOregon State University Libraries
Questions?