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How Students Virtually Approach the Library

This study examines how students at Wesleyan University engage with various discovery tools while conducting research beyond assigned materials. By testing platforms like WorldCat, Summon, EBSCO, and Primo, the study analyzes student strategies, preferences, and challenges in using these tools. Findings indicate that while there is no clear favorite tool, students gravitate towards options that offer full text and peer-reviewed content. It raises important questions about information literacy, the potential for simplifying research, and how students evaluate their search results in an age of information overload.

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How Students Virtually Approach the Library

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  1. How Students Virtually Approach the Library NELIG Annual Program 2013 Kendall HobbsReference/Instruction Librarian Wesleyan Universitykhobbs@wesleyan.edu

  2. Discovery Tools • Single “Google-like” search box to search most/all library content • We tested: • WorldCat • Summon • EBSCO • Primo

  3. The Study • Students who recently completed a paper/project requiring sources beyond assigned materials • “Briefly show and explain how you found resources for that assignment” • “Use the four candidate discovery tools to search for your topic” • Recorded with BB Flashback Express (from Blueberry Software)

  4. Summary of Findings • Tools started to look more similar than different • No strong consensus on favorites or ranking. • Similar patterns in doing research and using tools

  5. General Search Strategies • Basic keyword searches, then modify with facets, other terms, etc. • Mostly articles, maybe some books • Abstracts • Fewer clicks are better • Rarely go past first page or two of results

  6. Using Discovery Tools • Good general understanding of facets, but vague on details • Favorite facets: full text, scholarly/peer-reviewed • They go with default settings

  7. Wesleyan’s Current Home Page

  8. WorldCat (Trinity College)

  9. Summon (UConn)

  10. Summon’s Subject Facets

  11. EBSCO (U of Georgia)

  12. Primo (Northwestern)

  13. How Do We Teach This? • Is “good enough” too easy? • From “how to search” to “how to evaluate search results” • Discovery tool vs. subject indexes/databases • Does it really make much of a difference? • Rethink information literacy standards?

  14. Some Common Concerns • Is this “dumbing down” research? • Can we trust the process/results? • Future • Information scarcity • Information overload • ?

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