Faculty and Students are "connected" electronically
Nearly all faculty and most graduate and undergraduates have access to a computer that is connected to
the campus computer network. This is a significant change from 1992:
- 95% of faculty use a computer with access to the campus network compared to 75% in 1992
- 88% of graduate students have such access compared to 62% in 1992
- 80% of undergraduates report having an account on a campus computer compared to 33% in 1992
Computers and new information technologies have made a big difference in supporting work:
Among faculty:
- 60% report they are more likely to find bibliographic citations (14% are less likely)
- 56% are more likely to keep exchange information with colleagues (2% are less likely)
- 53% are more likely to keep current in their field (2% are less likely)
- 49% are less likely to visit the library in person (7% are more likely)
- 32% are less likely to consult a reference librarian (8% are more likely)
Graduate students responses were similar although the changes in library visits or reference consultations
were less pronounced. Graduate students were also more likely to use library journals and books as a
result of new information technologies. Undergraduates are also active users of networked information
with 37% using Internet and World Wide Web sources weekly for their work.
Electronic communication is the preferred method for being informed about library services
When asked which methods of communication would be most effective in keeping them informed about
library services and programs, electronic mail was the preferred method for faculty (52%) and graduate students (58%).
Email communication was also ranked as one of the most useful for undergrads (52%). Percentages reflect proportion of
respondents who marked 4 or 5 (most useful) on a 1 to 5 scale.
Faculty and students want training in the use of electronic "tools"
When asked which types of library instruction and training would be most useful, WWW/Internet training
and specific database training ranked highest among each group (percentage of each group marking 5 as
"most useful"):
-
| Faculty | Grad | Undergrads |
|---|
| Specific database training | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| WWW/Internet training | 34% | 42% | 52% |
Interestingly, tours ranked quite low among all groups, as well as course instruction (10%) and instruction
for specific assignments (20%) among undergraduates.
12 Mar 96