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?