The Academic Library Experiences & Information Seeking Behavior of Undergraduates Ethelene Whitmire Assistant Professor University of California – Los Angeles Department of Information Studies Tuesday, February 14, 2006 LAUC-LA

RESEARCH QUESTIONS Which factors are related to undergraduates’ library use? Is there a relationship between the library use and undergraduates’ educational outcomes (ex. Critical thinking)? Do undergraduates’ academic library use patterns change during college? How do undergraduates seek information?

DATA SOURCES National Study of Student Learning College Student Experiences Questionnaire University of Wisconsin Undergraduate Student Satisfaction Survey National Center for Education Statistics – Academic Library Survey Interviews of undergraduates at Yale and the University of WI - Madison

SETTINGS Multi-institutional studies = Research, Doctoral, Comprehensive, Liberal Arts Institutions & Community Colleges Single-institution = Midwestern Research 1 University, a New England Ivy League University

SAMPLES Predominantly White Predominantly female “Traditional” college age Range of class years (cross-sectional & longitudinal) First-year and senior undergraduates African American undergraduates

RESEARCH METHODS Factor analyses T tests Regression analyses Correlations Transaction log analyses Interviews

College Experiences Background Characteristic s Academic Library Experiences Academic Library Performance Measures Educationa l Outcomes Undergraduates’ Academic Library Impact Model

Undergraduates’ Information Seeking Behavior Model Epistemological Development Information Seeking Behavior

Background Characteristics Race Gender Age Critical thinking ability upon entering college High school library use Parents’ education Family income

College Experiences Class year Grade point average Major/academic discipline Interactions with peers Interactions with faculty Writing experiences/term papers Classroom learning Employment

Academic Library Experiences Used library as a place to study Used indexes to journal articles Used the card catalogue Developed a bibliography Asked the librarian for help Used computers for library searches Read in the reserve/reference room Read a basic references or documents Found material by browsing the stacks Checked citations in things read Checked out books

Academic Library Performance Indicators Resources 1. Number of library staff 2. Number of journals, books Services 1. Number of presentations 2. Public service hours/typical week

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES Critical thinking 1. self-reported 2. objective measures Information literacy Academic library experiences/use

FINDINGS Race, academic discipline, H.S. library use Student-faculty interactions, active course learning, writing experiences Small relationship between academic library use and critical thinking Academic library use increases each year

FINDINGS (continued) Overall undergraduates’ academic library use is low Students with higher levels of epistemological development could recognize authoritative sources and handle conflicting information sources Levels of epistemological development affected stages of information seeking in the Kuhlthau model

Bibliography Gardner, S., & Eng, S. (2005). What students want: Generation y and the changing function of the academic library. portal: Libraries and the academy, 5(3), Kuh, G. D., & Gonyea, R. M. (2003). The role of the academic library in promoting student engagement in learning. College & Research Libraries, 64(4), Smalley, T. N. (2004). College success: High school librarians make the difference. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30(3), Weiler, A. (2005). Information-seeking behavior in generation y students: Motivation, critical thinking, and learning theory. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(1),

Bibliography (continued) Whitmire, E. (2006). African American undergraduates and the academic library. Journal of Negro Education. Whitmire, E. (2004). The campus racial climate and undergraduates' perceptions of the academic library. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 4(3), The campus racial climate and undergraduates' perceptions of the academic library. Whitmire, E. (2004). The relationship between undergraduates' epistemological reflection, reflective judgment and their information seeking behavior. Information Processing & Management, 40(1), The relationship between undergraduates' epistemological reflection, reflective judgment and their information seeking behavior. Whitmire, E. (2003). Cultural diversity and undergraduates' academic library experiences. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(3), Cultural diversity and undergraduates' academic library experiences.

Bibliography (continued) Whitmire, E. (2003). Epistemological beliefs and the information-seeking behavior of undergraduates. Library & Information Science Research, 25(2), Epistemological beliefs and the information-seeking behavior of undergraduates. Whitmire, E. (2002). Academic library performance measures and undergraduates' library use and educational outcomes. Library & Information Science Research, 24(2), Academic library performance measures and undergraduates' library use and educational outcomes. Whitmire, E. (2002). Disciplinary differences and undergraduates' information seeking behavior. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(8), Disciplinary differences and undergraduates' information seeking behavior. Whitmire, E. (2001). The relationship between undergraduates' background characteristics and college experiences and their academic library use. College & Research Libraries, 62(6), The relationship between undergraduates' background characteristics and college experiences and their academic library use.

Bibliography (continued) Whitmire, E. (2001). Factors influencing undergraduates' self-reported satisfaction with their information literacy skills. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 1(4), Factors influencing undergraduates' self-reported satisfaction with their information literacy skills. Whitmire, E. (2001). A longitudinal study of undergraduates' academic library experiences. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27(5), A longitudinal study of undergraduates' academic library experiences. Whitmire, E. (1999). Racial differences in the academic library experiences of undergraduates. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25(1), Racial differences in the academic library experiences of undergraduates. Whitmire, E. (1998). Development of critical thinking skills: An analysis of academic library experiences and other measures. College & Research Libraries, 59(3),

Contact Information: University of California - Los Angeles Department of Information Studies BOX , 214 GSE&IS Bldg Los Angeles, CA University of California - Los Angeles Department of Information Studies