Academic
A study of the effect of the library instruction program for all entering freshmen at Ohio State University showed thatreference questions at the West Campus Learning Center and the Undergraduate Library in the first full year of the program (1978-79) increased by 35% and 14%, respectively, as compared to an average increase of 2% in the departmental libraries for this same period. Student population did not change significantly. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatreshelving of reference materials in the UGL increased 13% in Fall 1978 (first term of the program) over Fall 1977 and by 84% in Fall 1979 over Fall 1978. (Source)
A 1979 survey at the University of Illinois, Urbana, of 3 groups of freshman students (46 students who had received no bibliographic instruction; 28 students who had received bibliographic instruction from their rhetoric class teaching assistant; and 106 students who had received bibliographic instruction from the Undergraduate Library staff), based on student self-report, showed thatthere was no statistically significant difference between the 3 groups and their use of Undergraduate Library reference service, term-paper counseling service, Main Library reference service, or departmental libraries. (Source)
Ibid…. showed that:
there was no statistically significant difference between the 3 groups in their use of encyclopedias;
the group of students receiving no bibliographic instruction made greater use of bibliographies (average of 1.56 per student) than students receiving instruction either from the library (.91 per student) or from their TA (.96 per student); this was a statistically significant difference at the .01 level;
the students receiving no bibliographic instruction made less use of periodical indexes (average of 1.37 periodical index titles per student) than students receiving instruction from the library (2.42 titles per student) or from their TA (2.46 titles per student); this was a statistically significant difference at the .01 level. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatstudents receiving bibliographic instruction from either the teaching assistant or library staff reported using statistically significantly more periodical articles and microform/media materials than students who had not received instruction. Specifically, average use of periodical articles for library-instructed students was 3.09 per student, for TA-instructed students was 3.39 per student, and for noninstructed students was 2.11 per student; average use of microforms/media materials for library-instructed students was .81 items per student, for TA-instructed students was 1.14 items per student, and for noninstructed students was .04 items per student. This difference was significant at the .01 level. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatstudents who had received bibliographic instruction from library staff reported using statistically significantly fewer books than students receiving instruction from the teaching assistant or who had not received instruction. Specifically, average book use by library-instructed students was 3.50 books per student, by TA-instructed students was 4.43 books per student, and by noninstructed students was 4.20 books per student. The difference was significant at the .01 level. (Source)
Ibid…. showed thatthere were no statistically significant differences between the 3 groups in their reported use of the card catalog. However, students receiving bibliographic instruction from library staff reported making statistically significantly more use of the Library Computer System than students in the other 2 groups. Specifically, library-instructed students averaged 1.30 uses of the Library Computer System per student; TA-instructed students averaged .50 uses per student; and noninstructed students averaged .59 uses per student. This difference was significant at the .05 level. (Source)
