final paper-analysis of information seeking behavior of college students at the library

Running Head: INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR AT THE LIBRARY 1

Analysis of Information Seeking Behavior of College Students at the Library

Ashley S. Bae

University of California, Irvine

INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR IN THE LIBRARY 2

Abstract

This qualitative research study focuses on the information seeking behavior that students display

at college campus libraries. The main purpose of college libraries has now shifted toward places

to study rather than using it at a resource center. Most students do not take advantage of what the

library offers due to high self-efficacy beliefs in their personal information seeking ability.

Previous studies have supported the link between self-efficacy beliefs and high information

seeking abilities; this study will expand on those findings and explore further results.

Keywords: college, libraries, self-efficacy beliefs, information seeking behavior


Analysis of Information Seeking Behavior of College Students at the Library

Introduction

The library is a central existence on college campuses around the world. It is a viable

source for information and a mecca for information seekers. People seek out libraries when they

need help finding information or knowledge on a specific topic of interest. Libraries are valuable

resources used to build knowledge in the academic context as well as daily life. College

campuses house some of the most elaborate collections of information that its students have the

ability to review, but many do not know how to proceed with obtaining or accessing immense

database.

Presently, libraries are commonly used to study, sleep, eat, socialize, or just pass time till

their next class begins. What are the intentions of people when they enter the library? Where do

people go first when entering the library? Some people may immediately go to the reference

desk and ask to speak with a librarian, whereas others may do their own research on the library

catalogue. The use of physical libraries have decreased as most of library collections are being

catalogued and made available online. Students do not know how to start physical research at

libraries with the help of librarians. Students or people in general vary in their information

seeking behavior as well as their help seeking behavior. Some people feel library anxiety when

seeking help from libraries due to the fear that librarians will judge their knowledge capabilities

or not understand their needs and willingness to help (Tang & Tseng, 2014). In the end, it is how

students perceive their own abilities in information seeking behaviors. Are the students confident

and independent enough to research on their own? If not, why are the students hesitant to ask for

help from a librarian? How do the students approach the library? How frequently do students

seek help form the library? How are the students fulfilling their research needs?


There is a mindset that people enter the library with and the tasks that need to be

accomplished. There are many components, emotional, affective, and cognitive, that factor

within an individual who is seeking information. Bronstein (2014) discovered self-efficacy, or

beliefs in one's capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce

given statements, is correlated with information seeking behaviors and skills. When seeking

information at libraries people are engaging in help-seeking behavior and therefore can only

happen when one faces challenges or difficulties. In this situation, the challenge or difficulty is

the lack of knowledge in regards to the library resources and catalogue. The challenge then

creates a need to seek out the answer or information to remedy the challenge.

The study will shed light on the approach students take when using the library as an

information resource. The data gained will help improve the use of libraries to their fullest

potential. Librarians will be able to better assist students or patrons with the research needs or

just any library questions. It will further elaborate on the research already done on the motivation

and reasons for students’ behaviors in regards to the library. Bronstein (2014) states that

“Understanding how students perceive their own information skills could help libraries and

others who teach information seeking skills to focus on and strengthen areas where students lack

confidence and provide enriched inquiry-based learning experiences and support.” The research

purpose of the study is to provide a response on student information seeking behavior based on

the UC Irvine student population using the library.

Literature Review

Previous research studies have provided a foundation for further expansion on the topic.

In this case, the topic being the motivation and behavioral though process that corresponds with

accessing the library on college campuses.


Self-efficacy is important to the research because in essence it influences human behavior

in all aspects. According to Bandura (1986), the concept of self-efficacy is based on a four

sources of information: “past performance or mastery experiences; vicarious experiences of

observing the experiences of others; verbal persuasion or social feedback and affective or

physiological states” (Bronstein, 2014). Therefore, before entering a library students are

calculating their self-efficacy levels in regards to achieving a task at the library whether it is

research, seeking information, or seeking help from others.

The four factors for self-efficacy can be furthered explained and integrated into the topics

of motivation and behaviors when at the library. Mastery experiences are a great source of self-

efficacy because it is based on the attainments the individual has already succeeded in. In context

to the research study, if a student has already achieved using the online database at the library,

then future experiences will be successes. This is can be answered through the multiple

interviews conducted with current UC Irvine students. Vicarious experience is another way self-

efficacy beliefs are created and augmented. When watching others succeed or fail in a particular

task, an individual will rationalize that they are equally competent or not competent enough to

take on the same task. People tend to mimic behavior and the behavior is then justified by having

others acting the same way. Direct observations will shed light on this concept of vicarious

experience and formulate a possible explanation for students using or not using the library.

Recent research (Chan and Lam, 2008 and Hodges and Murphy, 2009) has found that

competition through vicarious experiences were one of the most influential factors in self-

efficacy beliefs (Bronstein, 2014). Bringing it back to the research study, if a student witnesses

another student approaching the information desk at the library, then he or she is more likely to

follow that behavior and approach the desk as well. Verbal persuasion and social feedback is


another factor in determining self-efficacy that is not influential alone, but it has a tremendous

impact when detailing a successful experience. Individuals can be convinced they are capable of

not capable of achieving a certain task and that is then a determinant of the individual’s behavior

in regards to the task. That adds to the concept of vicarious experience in that when a student is

told of a pleasant experience at the library when asking for help researching a specific topic

because they can trust that person’s point of view. The last factor is the psychological state that

individuals use as a source to determine self-efficacy information. When a student is high in self-

esteem in regards to their personal self-efficacy, they have the ability to form a confident attitude

towards whatever task in front of them and go through the process of accomplishing those tasks.

The research study will support and expand on Bandura’s four concepts of self-efficacy with

direct observation data as the evidence to support the theory.

It has been determined that emotions play a role in information seeking behaviors. The

self-efficacy beliefs are an emotional aspect of the information seeking behavior. There should

be further analysis of the emotional states in individuals who are at the library. Students who are

motivated are more likely to seek help from librarians when needed. Students are usually

reluctant to ask for help despite the difficulties and availability of help. Tang and Tseng (2014)

discovered that more than 50% of students from the study reported that they have not used any

reference services offered and that 22% of students would have used on if they were aware of it.

On the other hand, the lack of library usage can be attributed to high self-efficacy beliefs in

individual abilities to research and gain information on their own. A different possibility could

be that individuals with high self-efficacy in learning capabilities seek help, because they are less

likely to interpret their need for help due to lack of ability. The research study can further shed

light on which possible reasoning students use to justify their behavior or lack of behavior in the


library. The use of a library is becoming a foreign concept due to the immediate access of

information on the Internet. Despite the accessibility of the Internet, there are other reasons

students are not using the physical library as a resource and that is where there should be further

research. Why do students not use the library? There is also the possibility that librarians are not

on student’s list when seeking helping in regards to information seeking. Many students first

approach their peers in help seeking situations given the immediate reach of peers. There may be

a distance factor influenced by the student’s initial help seeking behavior when it comes to the

library. Students would rather find the information elsewhere than go to the library. The main

difference between Tang and Tseng’s (2014) study and the current study is that the former

focused on the difference between long distance learning, or online courses, and in-class

instruction or the traditional concept of learning. The study will focus on the student population

with an in-class education and access to the library.

The results and key findings for this study will further add to the already existing

research on student self-efficacy beliefs and the influence it has on library information behavior.

Libraries will be able to use this information to improve on their marketing strategies and how to

better help the student population who are the consumers of the library’s resources.

Methodology

Setting

The setting for the experimental observation was UC Irvine’s Langson Library. The

setting was randomly assigned to each discussion section to make it fair. Having the library as a

setting is a bit difficult, because there is not much high-energy activity happening. Most people

are studying or napping. I tried to develop a research question that allowed me to observe people

doing something other than sitting in a chair reading a book. The end product was to observe


people and their use of the library’s resources. The first floor of the library is where there is the

most pedestrian traffic. I will mainly observe the information desk, public computers, elevators,

and the study tables. From this vantage point I will be able to see all the different areas and

record my observations. The information desk is where a librarian sits and is available to help

any person with questions regarding research or logistical questions. The computers are used to

access the database of books that are available at Langson Library.

What makes the library good for observational research is the traffic; it always has people

inside. There may not always be a steady stream of people and a downside is that there are

periods of time where people swarm the library, depending on when classes start and get out.

Role as a Researcher

My role as a researcher was to be a third party observant who did not interfere in the

observation. The study must not have any manipulations to the situation in any way in order to

keep the data recorded untainted and pure. It is important to create enough distance from the

participants, but close enough to observe the participants’ behaviors. There should be no

interference on the researchers behalf within the observational setting. The researcher must be

able to blend into the setting as if he or she is a possible participant in the research study.

Anonymity is key to being able to successfully complete a direct observation without

manipulation or interference with the study subjects. The researcher should come off as equals to

the study participants or in other words an insider rather than an outsider. Study participants will

not be comfortable with an outsider in the setting and may behave in a different manner not usual

of that participant. An insider will be relatable to the participant and not be a threat.


Access or Ethical Issues

There are always ethical issues that accompany any research or experimental setting. In

the case of the current research study, the most unethical aspect of the research is that the

participants are unaware of their participation. The people in the library have not been informed

they are participating in my observations. There is no need for the participants to be informed,

because they are not being harmed. The participants’ identities will be protected and they will

not be aware of their participation. There is too much time and effort that would be wasted if

waivers were needed or signatures from all the participants to allow the researcher to observe

them. It would also change the data, because participants can change their behavior when they

are aware they are being observed. Participants will sometimes behave in a way that portrays the

“correct” behavior or the behavior they think the observer wants. Participants want to give off a

good impression.

There will not be any conflict with the issue of invasion of privacy. Since the library is a

public location most people are aware that people can see what they are doing. There was no

issue in regards to privacy. If there would be an issue it would not be a set back because the

participants are not even aware of the observation.

It is important for the researcher to be very comfortable with the observational location.

The researcher should be very knowledgeable with all the resources provided by the library. He

or she should have experience with the information desk to better understand the mindset a

potential participant will have. There are not many possible difficulties with the library as an

observational location. The only complaint would be that there could be periods of time where

no people enter the library and other times people could come in packs to the library. It will be

harder to keep track and record the data when people came in larger numbers.


The participants should all either be students at UC Irvine or UC Irvine faculty and staff.

The majority of the observation participants may range from ages eighteen to thirty-five. The

older participants may be graduate students where an average age is not typical compared to

undergraduate college students who age from eighteen to twenty-two. There should not be any

gender exceptions; both female and male and transgender students are possible participants in the

study and should not be discriminated against. Noting which gender visits the library the most

can be a possible key finding from the research study. It will be difficult to determine the

participants’ socioeconomic background without interviewing the participant, but that should not

be a determinant of deciding who to observe and who not to observe. Ethnicity or nationality is

also cannot be truly determined without interviews, but an educated inference can be made with

just observing their facial features and characteristics.

Procedures

The research will sit in at the Langson Library lobby area on the first floor. There are

chairs near the door with a good vantage point of all the necessary areas for the observing

researcher. The researcher will watch as people come into the library and record the necessary

data. The data will be collected with handwritten field notes in a designated notebook. The data

will then be computerized to a spreadsheet document. The researcher or observer will be looking

at what the person did first after entering the library. The participants will most likely initially

exhibit one of the following behaviors:

1. Went straight to the elevator

2. Went straight to the information desk

3. Went to the bathroom

4. Went to the research computer


5. Went to the study area

6. Went to the card machine

There were different variations and combinations of the behaviors, for example, one person may

go to the research computer and then walk over to the information desk. The researcher will use

a key with abbreviations for each behavior:

1. E-Elevator

2. Info-Information Desk

3. Bathroom

4. Comp-Computer Database

5. Study-Study Area

6. $-Card Loading Machine

The observer should also record information on each person who is being observed. The

participants’ gender should be recorded in the field notes. It is important to be wary of including

this information given that the person did not disclose the information and therefore my

inferences may be wrong. The main purpose of the observations is to garner a better

understanding of how students use campus libraries and the motives behind the usage.

All data and field notes will be collected over four hours of direct observations at

Langson Library, which is located on UC Irvine’s campus. The data will be collected over four

days in one-hour increments. The dates of observations will be one the following four days:

February 3 (1:00-2:00pm), February 10 (1:00-2:00pm), February 12 (11-12pm), and February 17

(3:00-4:00pm).

The study also requires two interviews with two people from the Naturalistic Field

Research class. The two people will be randomly chosen and asked the following questions:


1. Basic information: name, age, year, major, and ethnicity

2. How many times do you go to the library a week?

3. Do you know all the services the library provides?

4. How confident are you in your research skills?

5. Have you been to the information desk at the library? If yes, why?

6. What do you usually do at the library?

7. Have you ever used the library resources? If yes, which ones?

The interview will be conducted face-to-face and without any time constraints. The interviewee’s

answers will be noted on a word document using a laptop, but not transcribed word for word.

The main purpose of the interview will to further the already recorder data and field notes. A

better understanding of the recorded behaviors should come to light after the interviews. The

interviews will be conducted after the direct observations, in order to relate the interview

answers to the observed library behaviors.

Results

In this qualitative study, the main purpose is to understand the information seeking

capabilities of students at the university library, in particular Langson Library. The main purpose

of the study was to observe the information seeking behavior student exhibit when using the

library, as well as the sex differences in behavior students exhibit in the library. The visible

gender differences are a good place to start out and discuss if there are any differences between

genders in regards to seeking information and using the library resources. The main resource of

establishing the visible gender differences comes from the observation data and the field notes

taken during the observation. The data collection process required four hours of direct

observation at the local setting. The setting is the Langson Library on the campus of the


University of California, Irvine. In addition to the direct observations at the site, two interviews

were conducted to reach a greater depth of understanding in the mindset of students when they

enter the library and are seeking to use the library. The following three themes have been

observed: gender differences in library usage, personal ability to seek out information using the

library, and peoples’ usage for the library.

Theme 1

Common Library Usages

The library is a staple of every college and university across the country and the world.

Many of the people who enter the library go straight to the elevator. They do not go to anything

else beside the elevator. The interviewing participants, Participant X and Participant Y, state that

they usually, as well as most people, go to the library to find a place to study and the elevator is

usually the means of finding a study spot. Participant X, a 26-year-old Hispanic female, goes to

the library at least three times a week to study. She usually takes the elevator to find a place to

study. Participant X mentioned that her friends usually use the library to study as well. In

conclusion, an inference can be made that most people go straight to the elevator to find a study

spot. A basic conclusion can be made to the fact that most people use the library for studying

purposes.

According to the data collected in Table 1, 43 participants out of 77 participants all

exhibited a behavior indicative of studying. Twenty-two participants immediately went to the

elevators which can be assumed was to find a place to study. There was no hesitation in the

actions of these participants as they approached the elevator, which can mean they knew where

they were going and were confident in their actions. Another 10 participants walked straight to

the stairs, which again can mean they were looking for a place to study. Again there was no


hesitation in the participant’s actions and they knew where they were going. Lastly, nine

participants walked over to the study area located on the first floor, so it is confident to assume

they were going to study.

Table 1

Summary of Student Behaviors When Entering the Library

Straight to the Elevator 22 participantsElevator as 2nd Action 2 participantsStraight to the Stairs 10 participantsStraight to the Study Area 9 participants

Total 43 participants

Theme 2

Information Seeking Behavior

In regards to peoples’ information seeking behavior, most people use their own personal

abilities to find the information they are looking for rather than go to the information desk with a

librarian. According to Table 2, nineteen people out of the total seventy-seven observed used the

computer database to look up books on the online catalogue. Only five people utilized the

information desk where a librarian is always present. From the five people who used the

information desk, two out of the five initially employed the computer database before seeking

help from the librarian.

Table 2

Total Number of Students Behavior: Information Desk

Computer Database 18 participantsInformation Desk After 2 participants out of 18

Information Desk 5 participantsInfo Desk as 2nd Action 2 participants


Interviewed Participant X, found below in Table 3, stated that she has only used the

information desk once in her four years at UC Irvine. The data from Table 2 supports Participant

X’s behavior of only using the information desk only once out of the four years on campus. She

further elaborated she only asked the information desk for help with printing issues in the

computer lab. Participant X also stated that she usually uses the Internet and online databases to

research for any assignments or personal usages.

Table 3

Interview Summary of Library Usage

Interview-Participant XHow many times a week do you go to the library?

Commuter; 3 times a week

Do you know all the services the library provides?

No

How confident are you in your research skills?

Confident

Have you been to the information desk at the library?

Once; printing issues

What is the first think you do when entering the library?

Elevator

What do you usually do at the library? StudyHave you ever used the library resources? Online database, most of the research is

online

According to the statements from the interview participants and the field notes, a potential

conclusion can be may be that most people use their own information seeking behavior asking

for help, but will seek out help if the initial behavior does not produce the expected results.

Theme 3

Gender Differences

During the observations most of the people entering the library were males. In total 77

people entered the library over the course of four hours of observations. Out of the seventy-


seven, 44 males entered the library, which is 57.14% of the total population observed. The

female percentage comes out to be 42.86% of the total population observed. The difference is not

too big therefore the possible conclusion can be made that males and females enter the library at

an equal rate.

Both interview participants states they go to the library at least three times a week.

Participant X is female Criminology major and Participant Y is a male Art History major.

Participant X previously stated she goes to library three times a week. Participant Y, a 20-year-

old Asian American male, goes to the library 5 times a week. Just as it shows in Table 4, the

male interviewee goes to the library more times a week than the female interviewee.

Table 4

Comparison Between Two Interview Summaries

Participant X Participant YHow many times a week do you go to the library?

3 times a week 5 times a week

Gender/Sex Female Male

Conclusion

The research questions previously stated have been addressed through the common

themes that have been described above. The main purpose of the study was to answer the

question: What are the students’ own information seeking behavior in the library? Are the

students confident and independent enough to research on their own? If not, why are the students

hesitant to ask for help from a librarian? How do the students approach the library? How

frequently do students seek help form the library? How are the students fulfilling their research

needs? It can be substantially supported that most students use the library as a study spot and

rarely seek help from the information desk in regards to conducting research due to their high


self-efficacy beliefs in their personal information seeking behaviors. The students are confident

enough in their own abilities, so they do not need to ask for help. There also does not seem to be

a great gender difference in library usage, but there was a slight rise in males entering the library.

Summary & Key Findings

This study was to focus on how people believe in their own self-efficacy abilities in

information seeking behaviors and the association’s people make with the library. The study is

an expansion on already published research on people’s ability to navigate libraries and the self-

efficacy beliefs they hold that influence their behaviors. The study was conducted with direct

observations over a four-hour time span covering multiple days and sessions. Semi structured

interviews were conducted with randomly chosen participants. Three themes appear according to

the direct observations and the interviews. First, the majority of people who enter the library go

straight to the elevator. Second, people would rather go to the computer searches before asking

for help at the information desk with a librarian. Third and finally, there are no significant gender

differences in library usages.

Place in Literature

The findings of the study are similar to Tang and Tseng’s (2014) study, in which they

found that the lack of library usage could be attributed to the high self-efficacy beliefs in

individual abilities to research and gain information on their own. Both studies found alternate

ways that can possibly explain the reasons for lack for library utilization from the student

population. The interview with Participant X and Y reiterated the possible explanations, for

example, the use of the library is becoming a foreign concept because of the instant availability

to the Internet and the web of information it provides.


Bronstein’s (2014) study is stated that vicarious experience is an important factor to self-

efficacy beliefs. A person can be influenced, after seeing another person acting in a particular

manner or exhibiting a specific behavior, to do the same. The current study offered a better

understanding with the specific concept of vicarious experience. Many of the people who used

the library to seek out information went to the computer database to research on their own. Only

a five people went directly to the information desk, whereas nineteen went directly to the

computer database. Two people went from conducting their own research on computer to asking

the information desk librarian for help. The behavior was a mimic of what they saw other people

do in the first place. Interview Participant Y answered he was more likely to ask for help from a

librarian if he saw another person asking for help. That vicarious experience creates a sense

affirmation that asking for help is considered to be acceptable rather than taboo.

Unfortunately, the vicarious experience did not promote more people to approach the

information desk for help. Only five people in total walked up to the information desk whether it

is direct from the library entrance or after conducting their own research. The similarities are key

to the study, but the limitations are also important to furthering the research in more areas.

Limitations

There were a few limitations to this qualitative research study. One being that the time

scope for the study was not long enough. The span of 4 hours could be lengthened in order to

have more observations at the setting. More time will allow for better analysis of the research

questions and possible data that would have come from more observations. Another limitation

was the type of sampling that was used to pick participants to observe. As a researcher there was

no ability to screen or reach out to the entire campus population in order to make the findings

generable to the entire campus. When observing just student who go into the library, there is a


whole other group of potential participants that do not use the library at all that can be studied.

Interviewing this particular subset of the general campus population will provide a better

understanding of why students do not use the library. They can reveal a better understanding of

the self-efficacy beliefs that go into a person’s information seeking abilities and the ability to

seek help when needed.

A third limitation was the limited number of interviews conducted. The two interviews

were good for getting a better understanding of the observational data and obtaining possible

reasons for the behavior that was observed. More interviews could have really solidified the data

and gave a better insight to the inner workings of information seeking behaviors that accompany

using the library for research purposes. However, the random sampling of the interview

participants gave a better chance for generalization to the student population. There was no bias

that went into deciding a partner, because the researcher was not involved in the selection

process.

A fourth limitation was the time of observations. Most of the observations took place in

the afternoon or rather a specific time span. The time of day could have been a factor in the

behavior observed at the library. More times should be used to observe the library. For instance,

an observational period in the morning could add to the data or even late night library behavior

when most classes are not in session. There is a possibility more student may enter the library

during the nighttime simply because they usually do not have class at the time.

The fifth and final limitation would be only having one researcher for the research study.

Having only on observer can lead to biased data and no checks and balance for the recorded field

notes. By using two or more observers there is possibility to include data that was missed by one

observer, but caught by another observer.


Future Directions

The future of the research study can go down many paths. All the limitations can be

addressed in future recreations of the study and can only add to the findings and provide a better

understanding of the key findings. The next step to this research would be to conduct similar

studies on college and university campuses across the nation and further across international

waters. To have data from other sites will give better understanding to the findings and allow for

a more comprehensive overview of how far the key findings span. We will be able to know if the

findings on this study are just characteristic of UC Irvine or if that other college campuses

behave in the same way. Are the motives behind library usage universal across the board? How

will different cultural characteristics of different nations affect the students’ usage of libraries? Is

the information seeking behavior still linked to the self-efficacy beliefs that are common in

students of the United States? What affect does culture and societal norms have on libraries?

Implications

There are implications to this study just as any other research study. The participants are

not aware of the observations and study, therefore unaware of the results as well. The results and

key findings can help libraries in their marketing strategies and improves ways of reaching out to

its patrons, the students, to bridge the gap and foster a better relationship built on positive

information sharing abilities. The libraries will be able to better help students, especially students

at research universities like UC Irvine that strive to produce new research. The abilities of the

students will only be enhanced and fostered to grow with the help of the libraries on campus.

Conclusion

The many research questions still stand and can only be answer with further research and

growth from others. The research questions have been answered only to have more questions


arise from the answers. There is a better understanding of why libraries are being underused and

when used what they are being used as or for. Most use the library as a study spot and not as a

reference resource for research. Today’s societal reliance on technology has made most research

available at the click of a button through the Internet and web. Students are more confident in

their own abilities to conduct research and skills in information seeking behaviors. They’re self-

efficacy beliefs are higher and in turn have a level of confidence in their own ability. It can also

be positively concluded to be no significant gender difference between male and female library

usage. The library is a place of knowledge and it is only fitting for it to be the setting of future

research and study.


References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice

Hall.

Bronstein, J. (2014). The Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Information Seeking Behavior of

Library and Information Science Students. Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 40(2),

101-106. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.01.010

Tang, Y., & Tseng, H. W. (2014). Distance Students' Attitude Toward Library Help Seeking.

Journal Of Academic Librarianship, 40(3/4), 307-312. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.04.008


Appendixes

Interview Questions

Name:

Age:

Year:

Major:

Ethnicity:

How many times do you go to the library a week?

Do you know all the services the library provides?

How confident are you in your research skills?

Have you been to the information desk at the library?

What is the first think you do when entering the library?

What do you usually do at the library?

Have you ever used the library resources?

final paper-analysis of information seeking behavior of college students at the library

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