Daniel G. Tracy and Susan E. Searing University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Perception and Use of Academic Library Services by Graduate Students in Library and Information Science Works Cited Hensley, M., & Miller, R. (2010). Listening from a distance: a survey of University of Illinois distance learners and its implications for meaningful instruction. Journal of Library Administration, 50, Kayongo, J., & Helm, C. (2010). Graduate students and the library: a survey of research practices and library use at the University of Notre Dame. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(4), University of Chicago. (2010). Library Survey 2010: Graduate and Professional Students Executive Summary. Retrieved from Initial Conclusions LIS graduate students showed more use of various services than the general graduate student populations surveyed in other studies. This was true of both distance and on campus students. This greater use cannot simply be equated with confidence in library skills, as suggested in responses regarding library instruction and social media (not shown here), which they see as potential venues for improved information literacy. Professional investment in library services and the use of an embedded librarian model both likely play a role. Tailored services are especially important for engaging distance students. These students are especially likely to seek out disciplinarily specific and personalized resources. The Survey Instrument LIS graduate students and others enrolled in GSLIS courses received an invitation to participate in a survey at the end of the Spring 2013 semester. The survey included three sections: 1.Demographic questions. 2.Frequency of use and value of different library services. 3.Improvements to library services, focusing on library instruction and the LIS Virtual Library website. Response rate: 18.7% for entire population 19.6% for LIS graduate students Distance students generally responded at a higher rate than on campus students. Those who responded to the survey generally completed all questions at a high rate with the exception of a few open ended questions near the end of the survey. Introduction General academic library populations and some disciplinary populations have been surveyed in the past to examine frequency of use and the value that patrons place on library services. Graduate students in library and information science have never been the target of such a survey, and this study provides a glimpse into the ways this population differs from other students. Graduate students in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) received an invitation to complete a survey about frequency of use and value of library services at Illinois. Their responses can be compared to those of graduate students in general in other studies, including graduate students at the University of Illinois. The survey also asked demographic questions to allow comparisons of on campus and distance students, and those students with LIS work experience during their degree program to those without such experience. Analysis of the results thus suggests lessons for outreach to different populations as well as offering a glance at how library professionals-in- development view their library services in ways that diverge from or match the general population. This poster reports initial findings from the frequency of use questions included on the survey, highlighting the comparison of distance and on campus students. Frequency of Use Results Collections While students reported high use of electronic journals regardless of their status, distance students generally used all other collection types less—including electronic books, which many reported never using. Because ebook purchase has been a strategy used to reach distance students in LIS, further investigation would help determine whether this difference is due to preference or marketing and visibility. For example, distance students reported slightly less frequent use of the catalog, the primary discovery mechanism for ebooks. Use of Specialized Resources While many resources showed similar use regardless of student status, most differences that did appear did so around specialized search tools or assistance. Distance students relied more heavily on several LIS disciplinary resources than their counterparts, including search tools, subject specialist expertise, and online course guides. On campus students made more use of subject expertise beyond LIS Library Services, including subject librarians and subject library websites. They also used the Main Library website more. Comparison LEEP Students Compared to All Illinois Distance Students Hensley and Miller (2010) surveyed all distance education graduate students at Illinois to determine patterns of use of a variety of library services. They found 73% of all distance graduate students had never contacted their subject specialist, but LIS students reported more such contacts. The results from the current survey confirm that distance LIS students are more likely to have contacted their subject specialist: only 42.9% had never done so. However, these contacts were still relatively infrequent, with most students asking for assistance through this channel once a semester or less. LIS distance students in this survey also used Ask-a-Librarian and Document Delivery services more frequently than the general distance graduate population surveyed by Hensley and Miller. Notre Dame and Chicago (2010) Compared to the population of all graduate students surveyed at Notre Dame (Kayongo and Helm, 2010), LIS students at Illinois were more generally likely to have ever used particular tools and services where the survey questions allowed comparison, and they also used those tools and services more frequently. Similarly, a survey of all graduate students at the University of Chicago (2010) showed less overall use of the library catalog and Ask-a- Librarian chat service than Illinois LIS students in 2013.