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University of Massachusetts Amherst
SARIS - Student Affairs Research, Information and Systems

Libraries Survey (F00-C)

Executive Summary: One-third of respondents’ courses required library research. About one third of students said that they used a campus library a few times per semester and about a quarter did so a few times per month. Three-quarters of respondents reported that they used the DuBois Library the most frequently. Over 80% of respondents used a library to research a paper, over 70% used a library to study or do homework, over 60% used a library to access electronic databases, check out a book, read materials on reserve, or ask a question at the Reference Desk. Over 90% of respondents have computer access in their residences, and about half have gained access to the on-line catalog and to library web pages from outside the library. Over three-quarters of respondents said that they found materials they were looking for in the library most or all of the time.

On two consecutive Tuesdays, October 3 and 10, 2000, Project Pulse conducted a survey for the University Library in order to investigate student use of library services on campus. Pulse interviewers attempted to contact 858 sophomores, juniors, and seniors who were randomly selected from the University’s database. Interviewers successfully contacted 533 of these students and 428 (80.3%) agreed to be interviewed. The response rate for the survey was 49.9%, and the sampling error is plus or minus approximately five percentage points. The final disposition of the sample is presented in Table 1 and a demographic summary of the respondents may be found in Table 2.

First, respondents were asked to report the number of courses they had taken at UMass during the previous semester. The 59 students who reported having taken no courses were thanked and asked no further questions. The remaining 390 students reported having taken 4.8 courses each, on average. Next, respondents were asked how many of their courses required them to do library research (see Figure 1). The mean response was 1.7 courses. There were no statistically significant differences by School/College.

Figure 1: Last semester, how many of your courses required you to do library research?

Next, students were asked how often in the previous semester they went to any of the six campus libraries (Physical Sciences and Engineering Library, Biological Sciences Library, Music Reserve in the Fine Arts Center, Music Library in DuBois Library, the School of Management Library and the DuBois Library). As illustrated in Figure 2, nearly one-third of students reported going to the library at least once per week. Frequency of library visits varied significantly by class year, with juniors and seniors reporting more frequent use than sophomores (see Figure 3). The 22 (5.7%) students who reported that they had not gone to a campus library in the previous semester were asked no further library-related questions.

Figure 2. How often did you go to campus libraries last semester?

Figure 3. Frequency of library visits by academic class

The 368 students who had used campus libraries during the previous semester were asked which library they had used most frequently. Most students (76.6%, n=287) reported having used the W.E.B. DuBois Library most often, whereas 7.9% (n=29) had used the Biological Sciences Library, 6.0% (n=22) said the Physical Sciences Library, 4.7% (n=17) said the School of Management Library, 1.9% (n=7) said the Music Library at DuBois, and 0.8% (n=3) said the Music Reserve Library at the Fine Arts Center. Students living in the Northeast residential area were less likely than students living in other areas to report using the DuBois Library: only 54.5% (n=18) of Northeast residents named DuBois as the library they use most, compared to 74% or more of students living in other areas or off-campus (c2=18.48, p=.01).

Next, respondents were asked how often they had engaged in a variety of library-related activities in the previous semester (see Figures 4 and 5). The three activities engaged in by the largest proportions of students were as follows: using the library to research a paper or project (86%, n=314), using the library to study or do homework (77%, n=279) and using electronic databases while in the library (70%, n=251).

Figure 4. Proportion of students who engaged in each library-related activity during the semester

Figure 5. Proportion of students who engaged in each library-related activity on a weekly basis

Participation in library-related activities varied significantly by class year. Juniors and seniors were more likely than sophomores to report having read class materials on reserve, met with classmates to collaborate on assignments, and used electronic databases at least a few times per month (see Figure 6).

Figure 6. Proportion of students who engaged in each library-related activity at least a few times per month, by class

Some library activities also varied significantly according to whether the student’s primary library was DuBois or one of the other campus libraries. Students who used DuBois as their major library were more likely than those using other libraries to have checked out a book (69.9% v. 53.8%, c2=7.10, p=.008), done research for a term paper in the library (88.9% v. 76.9%, c2=7.45, p=.006), or used electronic databases in the library (72.7% v. 57.1%, c2=6.94, p=.008). Students who used a library other than DuBois as their main library were more likely to have read class materials on reserve (76.9% v. 60.5%, c2=7.18, p=.007).

Student also were asked about their remote use of specific library services (see Figure 7). Fifty-four percent had accessed the library’s on-line catalog from outside the library, whereas nearly 40% had accessed electronic databases from outside the library.

Figure 7. Frequency of remote access

The vast majority of respondents (93.9%, n=330) reported that they have access to a computer in their place of residence. Nearly 60% of these students (n=198) have used a computer in their residence to gain access to library web pages, and nearly one-half (47.8%, n=162) have used one to gain access to electronic resources available through the library.

Students were asked whether or not they usually find what they are looking for when they search for particular books or materials in the library. Most respondents (79.6%) said they find what they are looking for “all of the time” or “most of the time” (see Figure 8).

Figure 8. How often do you find the materials you are looking for in the library?

Finally, respondents were asked two questions about their library research skills. When asked to rate their own library research skills on a scale ranging from 1 to 10 where 1 is “poor” and 10 is “excellent,” over half (57.7%, n=209) rated their skills a 7 or 8. When asked how important they feel library skills are to their academic success, the vast majority (91.4%, n=331) perceived these skills to be “very” or “somewhat” important.

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