The study looks at whether and through what means American college students contact reference librarians and library subject specialists. Data in the report enables its readers to answer questions such as: How many and what kind of students find it difficult or embarrassing to ask a reference question to a librarian? How many and which students can identify their library subject specialist for their academic major or intended major? Which students use virtual reference services? How common is it for students to contact academic reference librarians through Facebook or other social media? Who contacts reference librarians by phone, who by email, or in-person? How do students evaluate their own knowledge of reference sources?
Data in the report is presented in the aggregate and then broken out separately for fifteen different variables including but not limited to: college grades, gender, income level, year of college standing, SAT/ACT scores, regional origin, age, sexual orientation, race & ethnicity, college major and other personal variables, and by Carnegie class, enrollment size and public/private status of the survey participants institutions of higher education.
Just a few of this 125 -page report’s many findings are that:
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Students raised abroad are more likely than those raised in the United States to contact a reference librarian by email
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More than10% of students at doctoral universities with moderate or high level of research activity have asked a question to an academic reference librarian through an instant message
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Only 4.1% of students in the sample have ever contacted an academic reference librarian by phone.
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A shade less than half of the students sampled feel that they are well versed in library research sources in their major or intended major.
A pdf version of the report is currently available from Primary Research Group for $124.00. A print version of the report will be available on May 2, 2018 and can be ordered now; site licenses are also available. For a table of contents, excerpt, and a complete participants’ list – or to place an order – view the product page for this report on our website at:
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