We asked, “If you needed library assistance with research-related-activities, how would you prefer to receive it?” and offered a list of delivery methods, plus the list of research-related activities from question 3.
Results showed that the same methods were preferred across the board, but that certain methods seemed to be correlated with specific research-related activities. See below for details.
Assistance methods mentioned as “other” included asking a professor and emailing, calling, or chatting with librarians.
Compare with responses from other students:
Undergraduates | Off-Campus Graduates
Which methods are preferred for delivery of library assistance?
[su_table]
| Average Number of Respondents | Percentage of total (n=61) | |
|---|---|---|
| Online guide | 25.1 | 41.2% |
| Librarian instruction during class time |
13.7 | 22.4% |
| Drop-in at Research Desk |
11.0 | 18.0% |
| Print handout | 10.4 | 17.1% |
| Video tutorial | 7.7 | 12.6% |
| By appointment | 6.4 | 10.6% |
| Workshop Outside of Class |
4.8 | 7.8% |
| Other | 2.9 | 4.7% |
[/su_table]
Which stage in the research process is best addressed by each method?
[su_table]
| First choice | Second choice | |
|---|---|---|
| Print Handout | Citing sources correctly | Incorporating sources into your paper |
| Online Guide | Citing sources correctly | Figuring out how to get or request full text |
| Video tutorial | Understanding the ethics of using information | Searching within library databases |
| Librarian instruction during class time | Figuring out which library databases to use | Searching within library databases |
| Workshop outside of class time | Choosing a research topic | Incorporating sources into your paper |
| Drop-in at Research Desk | Choosing a research topic | Narrowing a research topic |
| By appointment | Choosing a research topic | Narrowing a research topic |
[/su_table]