Academic
A survey reported in 1973 of the faculty of 6 institutions of higher education in the California system of state colleges and universities involving 955 full-time faculty of the colleges (694 or 73% responding) showed thatfaculty from the humanities and education had a higher level of awareness of specific library reference services than other teaching areas, although only in relation to the science faculty was the difference statistically significant. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe 3 reference services with which the most faculty were acquainted were:
advice & assistance in use of library 95%
interlibrary borrowing 85%
library instruction for classes 65%
while the 3 references services with which the least faculty were acquainted were:
lists of reference sources for specific classes 17%
answer requiring a search (i.e., answering questions that required a librarian to spend some time
searching for the answer) 22%
answer to a factual question by phone 36% (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe reference services that teaching faculty valued most highly (top 5) were:
# REPORTING FAVORABLE ATTITUDE
advice & assistance in use of the library 89%
interlibrary borrowing 89%
library bulletins and handbooks 87%
library instruction for classes 81%
answer to a factual question 81%
while the 2 reference services that the faculty valued least were:
lists of reference sources for classes 54%
answer requiring a search (i.e., answering questions that required a librarian to
spend some time searching for the answer) 60% (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthe average teaching faculty member responding to the questionnaire was aware of only 50% of the reference services available to him from his college library. (Source)
An analysis of reference questions asked during fiscal year 1977-78 at the Engineering, Mathematics and Science Library at the University of Waterloo (Ontario), using step categories where each step represents a “distinct and definable judgment leading to a decision, action or recommendation” and where roughly 1 step corresponds to directional questions, 2 steps corresponds to ready reference questions, and multistep corresponds to reference questions, showed thatthe proportion of 1-step, 2-step, and multistep questions asked by undergraduates was 37%, 42%, and 21%, respectively, that of graduates was 28%, 52%, and 20%, respectively, and that of faculty was 24%, 51%, and 25%, respectively. (Source)
An analysis of reference questions asked during selected periods throughout the major part of the academic year 1967-77 at Albion College Library, using step categories where each step represents a “distinct and definable judgment leading to a decision, action or recommendation” and where roughly 1 step corresponds to directional questions, 2 steps corresponds to ready reference questions, and multistep corresponds to reference questions, showed thatthe proportion of 1-step, 2-step, and multistep questions asked by undergraduates was 62%, 22%, and 16%, respectively, while that of faculty was 41%, 25%, and 34%, respectively. (Source)