[Web4lib] Results from the Survey of Higher Education Faculty on Use of the Academic Library

[primarydat at aol.com]

Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Higher Education Faculty: Use of Library Reference, Info Literacy and Subject Specialist Staff, ISBN 1-57440-138-6. 
 
The study presents data on how higher education faculty in the United States & Canada use the virtual reference services, subject specialists and info literacy staff of their academic library.  It includes specific data on the percentage of faculty that use virtual reference, how often they use it, and similar data on awareness and use of library subject specialists, as well as data on contact with information literacy staff and tendency to incorporate info literacy concepts into teaching. 
 
The data is based on a survey of more than 550 higher education faculty in the United 
States and Canada.  Data is presented in the aggregate and for 12 criteria including size of  college, type of college, academic title, academic field and other factors.
 
Just a few of the report’s many findings are that:
 
†      70.53% of faculty in the sample have ever used their academic library’s virtual reference services.  Use was far more likely in the USA than in Canada.
 
†      Only 37.76% of the faculty in the sample believed that their college library had a subject specialist in their area of scholarship.
 
†      Faculty at research universities were the least likely among faculty at various types of colleges to have added an info literacy component to their classes. 
 
†      Faculty at specialized colleges, such as music conservatories and seminaries, for example, were more likely to need help than faculty at other types of colleges. More than 30% said that they needed help frequently and that the librarians usually come through for them. 
 
†      Use of subject specialists was much higher by faculty at private than at public colleges.
 
For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com or call us at 212-736-2316.