virtually embedded: library instruction within second life

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Virtually Embedded: Library Instructionwithin Second LifeMarian G. Davis a & Carol E. Smith aa James C. Kirkpatrick Library , University of Central Missouri ,Warrensburg, Missouri, USAPublished online: 11 Dec 2009.

To cite this article: Marian G. Davis & Carol E. Smith (2009) Virtually Embedded: Library Instructionwithin Second Life, Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 3:3-4, 120-137,DOI: 10.1080/15332900903375465

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Virtually Embedded: Library Instruction withinSecond Life

MARIAN G. DAVIS and CAROL E. SMITHJames C. Kirkpatrick Library, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri, USA

Embedded librarianship in distance learning courses taught withinvirtual environments such as Second Life is an emerging, leading-edge practice. This paper describes the experiences of librariansembedded in undergraduate English composition courses taughtentirely in Second Life and presents the results of an empiricalresearch study to assess the effectiveness of Second Life library in-struction. Information literacy competencies and confidence levelsof students did not improve significantly with the introduction ofcourse-embedded librarian instruction and support. The authorsdiscuss the unique challenges of “virtual embedding” and considerpossible ways to improve librarian effectiveness in Second Life.

KEYWORDS Second Life, virtual worlds, Web 3D, library instruc-tion, embedded librarianship

INTRODUCTION

With the growth of distance learning in higher education, classrooms—andeven entire campuses—are no longer defined or bound by the traditional fourwalls. Academic librarians are responding to this trend by moving beyondthe physical library to offer research assistance at the point of need fordistance learners, “embedding” within courses conducted online via coursemanagement systems. While the practice of embedded distance librarianshipis fairly established at this point, it must continue to evolve as new distancelearning environments are developed and explored.

Second Life (www.secondlife.com) is an Internet-based, three-dimensional virtual world that is created entirely by “residents” representedin the form of digital avatars. Resident avatars can explore the virtual world,

Address correspondence to Marian G. Davis, James C. Kirkpatrick Library, University ofCentral Missouri, Warrensburg, MO 64093, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

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Virtually Embedded 121

design and build their own custom environments, interact with other users,join organizations, and attend events. They can even conduct business trans-actions using Linden dollars, a virtual currency that can be exchanged for realU.S. currency. With over 1 million users logging in every month and an aver-age of 80,000 users online at any given time, Second Life is rapidly growingin popularity as a social medium, a virtual marketplace, and an innovativemeans for delivering synchronous learning to distance education students.1

Over three hundred universities have established virtual campuseswhere students assemble, attend classes, and collaborate to create virtualresearch projects. More than 5,000 educators are estimated to be experi-menting with virtual worlds for research, collaboration, and course deliverypurposes.2 The New Media Consortium, a non-profit organization dedicatedto the exploration and use of emerging media and technologies, goes so faras to state “that nearly every college and university has some sort of projectin Second Life.”3

Where educators and students go, librarians must follow. In June 2008,librarians at the University of Central Missouri began embedding withindistance learning classes taught via Second Life. Over the course of threesemesters, they steadily progressed from bumping into virtual walls toholding virtual reference consultations, and then began offering formal,in-world library instruction sessions. Along the way, they built a virtualbranch location of the university library, sponsored a virtual student pianoperformance, hosted an international conference on virtual education, andintroduced faculty across campus to the possibilities of Second Life as adistance learning medium.

These experiences have revealed that Second Life not only holds ex-citing possibilities as an immersive, innovative, and often amusing learningenvironment but also poses numerous challenges, including technical limi-tations, a significant learning curve, and the need for tailored pedagogicaltechniques. These challenges raise the question of whether and how libraryinstruction can be effectively delivered in virtual environments such as Sec-ond Life.

LITERATURE REVIEW: A BRIEF HISTORY OF EMBEDDEDLIBRARIANSHIP

“Embedded librarianship” is a term of recent origin. Shank and Dewald pro-posed two models for integration of library services into course managementsystems, but employed the term “insert” rather than “embed.”4 The earliestuse of the term that can be identified in the academic literature dates to2004, when Dewey outlined the case for why librarians must become strate-gic collaborators across a broad range of campus activities.5 She succinctlycaptures both the working definition and the military sourcing of the phrase:

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122 M. G. Davis and C. E. Smith

The metaphor of “embedded librarian” is inspired by the recent phe-nomenon of embedding journalists into various military sectors duringthe Iraq war and its aftermath. The concept of embedding implies a morecomprehensive integration of one group with another to the extent thatthe group seeking to integrate is experiencing and observing, as nearlyas possible, the daily life of the primary group.

Despite this definition, the majority of Dewey’s article emphasizes cre-ative use of physical library space and greater librarian involvement in cam-pus governance, research centers, and student organizations. Collaborationwith teaching faculty to provide course-tailored information literacy instruc-tion is discussed only briefly.

In the five years since this publication, a substantial number of articlesabout embedded librarianship have been published, revealing several distinctunderstandings of the term. Bartnik describes the benefits of relocating heroffice into the university’s business college as an embedded librarian,6 butthis type of service is also widely referred to as “outreach librarianship”or “field librarianship.” Others, including Dewey,7 use the term “embeddedlibrarianship” when referring to course-integrated library instruction in face-to-face classrooms.

The majority of the literature, however, has centered on the embeddingof librarian services within online course management systems, includingparticipation in student discussion boards, development of asynchronousonline tutorials, and review of draft assignments. Bozeman and Owens de-scribe efforts to embed librarian services into online courses at both theUniversity of Central Florida and Daytona State College.8 Love and Norwoodreview their experiences over four semesters as embedded librarians in anonline course; their research is notable for both their efforts to incorporatesynchronous library instruction into the course and their attempts to trackthe effectiveness of their services via online polls and the quality of studentprojects.9

A wealth of descriptive, experientially oriented articles about librari-anship in Second Life abound. To date, though, no one has specificallyexplored the use of embedded librarianship within courses taught in virtualenvironments such as Second Life. Hurst-Wahl comes close, acknowledgingthat “With so many colleges and universities exploring Second Life, librari-ans are needed to help them connect their real-life library resources to theirefforts in Second Life. Librarians are also needed to provide reference andother services to faculty, staff, and students in Second Life.”10 Kesselman andWatstein recently noted that “many libraries are experimenting with Sec-ond Life and, in particular, with information literacy initiatives within thisenvironment” but do not propose any specific initiatives.11

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SERVING AS EMBEDDED LIBRARIANS IN SECOND LIFE COURSES

In summer 2008, at the invitation of the professor, two University of CentralMissouri librarians began embedding in two undergraduate classes taughtwithin Second Life. The course instructor, Dr. Bryan W. Carter, is interna-tionally recognized for his pedagogical research efforts in Second Life andwelcomed the librarians’ expertise. Both researchers found the opportunityto participate in a Second Life course directly relevant to their respective ar-eas of specialization and, despite a lack of prior experience in virtual learningenvironments, leaped at the opportunity.

The first course selected for the embedding experiment was a DigitalAfricana course focusing on the history of the Harlem Renaissance. Witha limited number of students and a compressed, eight-week schedule, thisintensive summer course proved a perfect venue for learning the basicsof Second Life navigation and communication. The librarians experimentedwith providing informal research consultations to students, while simultane-ously developing their fledgling Second Life skill sets.

For the fall semester of 2008, the librarians embedded in two separateSecond Life courses, an English Composition II course taught entirely withinSecond Life, and an African-American Literature course partially taught inSecond Life. The librarians’ confidence in their virtual world skills increasedduring this semester, and their ability to provide effective virtual referenceconsultations improved. Librarian skill sets in Second Life were further ad-vanced via the development of a virtual library on the university’s SecondLife Island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Selmo%20Park/67/174/26). The newvirtual library includes links to key library database resources, library dis-plays, and an attractive space for providing library instruction.

TRANSITIONING TO FORMAL LIBRARY INSTRUCTIONIN SECOND LIFE

With the beginning of the spring 2008 semester, the librarians were readyto transition from providing informal library instruction and one-on-one ref-erence consultations to more formal library instruction. This time, the twolibrarians embedded jointly in a single section of English Composition II.Having already built a close cooperative relationship with the instructor,they were able to coordinate with him to integrate a series of seven library“mini-lectures” into the course curriculum:

1. An Overview of Library Resources2. Getting the Most Out of Library Databases3. Effective Search Strategies4. The Research Process

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5. Quest Catalog6. The World is Your Library (Interlibrary Loan)7. Becoming a Power Googler

The library instruction sessions were conducted at the library’s virtuallocation. Because the instructor teaches on a separate sim (aka “island”), ateleporter was installed to afford students easy transportation between theclassroom and the library instruction location.

Each instruction session was designed to last just 15 minutes and wasscheduled to integrate the introduction of research skills as closely as possi-ble to the point at which they would be applied during course assignments.Lecture topics and materials were carefully designed to cover all major infor-mation literacy standards as set forth in the Association of College & ResearchLibraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Edu-cation.12 These lectures provided direct support of several course objectivesoutlined in the course syllabus, including:

• Understand the purposes of research and documentation• Access and/or generate information from a variety of sources, including

the most contemporary technological information services• Locate and use a variety of print and non-print reference sources

PROBLEM STATEMENT

This study assesses the effectiveness of library instruction delivered by li-brarians as embedded instructors within courses taught in Second Life. Thespecific objectives of the study were:

1. To assess whether the information literacy competencies of undergrad-uates in Second Life courses improve as a result of in-world instructionby embedded librarians.

2. To evaluate any related changes in students’:a) Confidence in their abilities to conduct researchb) Perceptions of the challenge level of various research activitiesc) Research management behavior.

METHODOLOGY

This experimental research study used a pre-test/post-test control group de-sign. It utilized cluster sampling for population selection, comparing pre-testand post-test scores of two groups vs. comparison of individual scores. To

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determine statistical significance, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) wasperformed to capture any significant changes in the two mean scores.

Participants

Students enrolled in one of two English Composition II sections held in thespring 2009 semester at the University of Central Missouri were eligible forinclusion in the study. At the beginning of the semester, a total of 44 studentswere enrolled in the two sections. During the semester, this number fell asstudents dropped the course for various reasons. Students who remainedenrolled were required to complete a pre-test and a post-test and to submita signed informed consent form authorizing examination of their data. Oncethese three requirements were fulfilled, the total number included in thestudy was twelve students from each class (n = 24).

English Composition II is designed to be a freshman level, general ed-ucation course. Enrollment is not restricted to first-year students, and fre-quently upper level students enroll in the course. The courses were taughton the same days of the week by the same instructor. The 8:00 a.m. class(Class A) was designated as the control group, while the 9:30 a.m. class(Class B) was designated as the treatment group. The Class A populationincluded five males and seven female students, eight of whom had receivedprevious library instruction from a University of Central Missouri librarian,either through a one-time library instruction session or a general educa-tion library instruction course. Class A participants included seven freshmen,three sophomores, one junior, and one senior. Four students in Class A hadnot received previous librarian instruction. The Class B population includedseven males and five female students. Nine of the students in Class B hadreceived previous library instruction and three had not. Class B participantsincluded ten freshmen and two juniors.

Survey Instrument

A survey instrument consisting of forty-three questions was developed foruse as both a pre-test and post-test (see Appendix). This survey was partiallybased on the Research Practices Survey developed by The National Institutefor Technology and Liberal Education13 and a second information literacysurvey developed by Dr. Ann Viles of Appalachian State University.14

Questions were carefully selected to measure students’ perceptions andknowledge of literacy competencies as set forth in Information Literacy Com-petency Standards for Higher Education by the Association of College andResearch Libraries.15 The survey questions designed for this study focusedon measuring:

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a) The nature and extent of information needed (Standard 1)b) Accessing needed information effectively and efficiently (Standard 2)c) Critical evaluation of information and its sources (Standard 3)

Because the course curriculum covered ACRL Information Literacy Standards4, 5, and half of Standard 3, these were not considered in the survey instru-ment.

The questions included:

• Five demographic and general information questions• Three questions regarding self-perceptions of confidence in conducting

research• Twelve questions regarding self-perceptions of challenge to do research• Two questions regarding self-perceptions of behavior when doing re-

search• Twenty questions regarding direct knowledge of literacy standards• One question regarding time management behavior when conducting

research

Self-perception questions were measured on a five-point Likert scale, whileknowledge questions were measured by multiple-choice response.

Procedure

After the first week of class, students in both classes were given the op-portunity to complete the pre-test survey instrument, available through anin-world link posted on www.surveymonkey.com. The survey was availablefor two full weeks and closed just prior to the first library instruction session.

Two independent variables were introduced to the dependent class, thefirst of which was the constant presence of two embedded librarians. Thelibrarians attended every class during the 16-week session. The embeddedlibrarian avatars sat with the rest of the class avatars, responding to questionsregarding library resources as they arose during the instructor’s lectures. Asthe class was given time to explore Second Life to complete their assign-ments, the embedded librarians approached class avatars and proactivelyinquired about each student’s research progress. The students were able toconsult with the librarians through private chat sessions within Second Life.

The second independent variable consisted of the seven 15–20 minutelibrary instruction lessons developed and presented by the embedded li-brarians. Each library instruction lesson was developed around the twentyknowledge questions on the survey instrument, with research topics includ-ing different resource types, the formulation of effective search strategies,searching the library catalog and databases, interlibrary loan, and effective

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Internet searching. Steps in the overall research process were also addressed,with particular emphasis placed on the need for effective time management.The seven sessions were presented over the course of nine weeks to thestudents in Class B only.

One week elapsed between the last library instruction lesson and theavailability of the post-test. Both classes were again encouraged to completethe post-test within the three-week available time frame before it was closed.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

Survey results were exported to SPSS statistical software for analysis. Ques-tions were grouped into four categories, and separate analyses were con-ducted to evaluate changes in student:

1. Knowledge (questions 23–42)2. Self-perception of the challenge level of research (questions 8, 12–22)3. Confidence in research abilities (questions 5–7)4. Research behavior (questions 9–10)

For knowledge questions, individual scores were calculated as the sumnumber of correctly answered questions. Likert scale responses were con-verted to numbers and then summed to obtain individual scores for theself-perception (challenge, confidence, and research behavior) question cat-egories.

This analysis yielded the descriptive statistics (see Table 1):

TABLE 1 Summary Statistics

Pre-test Post-testQuestionType Groupa N Mean SD Mean SD

Knowledge A 12 11.17 3.61 11.58 3.70B 12 10.33 2.23 10.75 1.96Total 24 10.75 2.97 11.17 2.93

Challenge A 12 29.83 6.26 28.58 6.58B 12 32.58 7.72 31.33 8.15Total 24 31.21 7.02 29.96 7.38

Confidence A 12 9.83 1.64 10.33 2.67B 12 9.08 1.38 8.75 2.63Total 24 9.46 1.53 9.54 2.72

Research Behavior A 12 7.50 1.31 7.92 1.31B 12 6.75 1.82 6.58 1.88Total 24 7.13 1.60 7.25 1.73

aA = Control; B = Treatment.

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A separate two-way mixed ANOVA was then applied to these resultsfor each of the four question categories, with pre- vs. post-test performanceas the repeated measures factor and the class as the between subjects factor,comparing the control (Class A, n = 12) and treatment (Class B, n = 12)groups. The .05 alpha level was used for all tests of significance.

Within-Subject Effects

No significant score difference was found between pre-test and post-test performance of either the control or treatment group for any ofthe four question categories, nor was there any significant interaction ef-fect between pre/post-test performance and control/treatment group (seeTable 2).

TABLE 2 Statistical Analysis of within Subjects

Significance Partial EtaQuestion Type F (p)∗ Squared

Knowledge .85 .37 .04Knowledge/Group Interaction Effect .00 1.00 .00Challengea .85 .37 .04Challenge/Group Interaction Effect .00 1.00 .00Confidencea .03 .87 .00Confidence/Group Interaction Effect .73 .40 .03Research Behavior .16 .70 .01Research Behavior/Group Interaction

Effect.85 .37 .04

∗p < .05.aSelf-perception.

Test of Between-Subject Effects

Similarly, no significant score difference was found between the control andtreatment groups for any of the four question categories (see Table 3).

TABLE 3 Statistical Analysis of between Subjects

Question Significance Partial EtaType F (p)∗ Squared

Knowledge .54 .47 .024Challengea 1.10 .31 .048Confidencea 2.52 .13 .103Research Behavior 3.30 .08 .130

∗p < .05.aSelf-perception.

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The researchers must therefore conclude that the provision of libraryinstruction had no significant impact on the students’ information literacyskills, research behavior, or confidence levels. There was no significantdifference in performance, pre-test vs. post-test, for either the control groupor the group that received librarian instruction and support.

Had any of these analyses yielded significant results, the researcherswould have pursued additional investigation. For example, it would havebeen instructive to consider whether performance differences were especiallysignificant for questions related to specific ACRL standards, or evaluatingthe interaction effects between self-perception and knowledge questions foreach ACRL standard. Given that the initial results showed no significantdifference, either between pre- and post-test or between the control andtreatment groups, additional analysis was not considered.

DISCUSSION AND LIMITATIONS

Challenges associated with providing effective information literacy instruc-tion are well-documented in the academic literature. The results of this studyreflect these identified difficulties but also point to new, unique hurdlesposed by the Second Life learning environment. Engaging students in ac-tivities at hand, for example, is critical to teaching success. The librarianssought to engage students by employing visual materials in the form ofin-world PowerPoint presentations and by guiding students through activelearning exercises tied to course assignments. Students were encouraged touse Second Life’s in-world browser to experiment with various search strate-gies using the library’s subscription databases. Librarians then attempted toengage the students in discussion about the search results.

Despite these efforts to encourage interaction, the librarians found them-selves wondering if students were fully connecting with the information be-ing presented. After a time period of mouse or keyboard inactivity, avatarsautomatically “slump” over, which may signal that the student has aban-doned his or her post, or perhaps is simply unaware that their avatar has“gone to sleep.” Seeing slumped avatars during the course of a presentationcaused librarians to speculate about the students’ attention level.

Attempts to engage students in discussion were also challenging. Boththe course instructor and the librarians observed a reticence on the part ofstudents to utilize Second Life’s voice chat feature. Student preference for textchat over voice chat could be due to several factors, including difficultieswith non-functioning microphones and the challenges associated with tog-gling voice chat on and off. It is also possible that this generation of studentsmay simply be more comfortable typing text messages than communicat-ing verbally. In any case, these situations exemplify the challenges educa-tors may face in a virtual world classroom. While instructors teaching in a

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face-to-face classroom are able to visually assess the degree to which stu-dents are engaged with the material and discussion, this is not possible inSecond Life. A student’s avatar may be in the virtual classroom, but is theirreal world counterpart present and attentive?

As with all technology, there are technical hurdles and limitations withinSecond Life. In an attempt to hold the students’ attention, the avatars wouldteleport between the instructor’s classroom and the library instruction pavil-ion located on a different island. This teleporting activity could take fourto five minutes of time before a class of 20+ avatars was fully seated andready for the library instruction to begin. The act of teleporting was alsodependent on the reliability of the grid performance. The Second Life gridcrashed once during a teleporting activity, automatically logging all avatarsout of Second Life. Several minutes elapsed before students were able to logback into Second Life. Due to this loss in time, that particular library lessonwas rescheduled to a later date.

To monitor student participation, the librarians tracked attendance dur-ing all class periods. Typically, the class session would begin in the in-structor’s classroom and teleport to the librarian’s classroom. Following thelibrary lesson, students were then either scheduled for a private confer-ence with the instructor or released from formal instruction in order to con-duct their research. At times, more avatars were present at the beginningof class, but logged out of Second Life once the daily announcements weremade; that is, they never teleported to the librarian’s classroom. At othertimes, avatars were observed to log out and back in to Second Life severaltimes throughout the library presentations. This action could have been at-tempts to resolve technical problems the student was experiencing withinSecond Life; if voice chat ceases or in-world lag becomes too great, oneway to overcome technical difficulties is to log out/in as a kind of “reboot”function.

This study was limited to enrolled students in two sections of EnglishComposition II. Enrollment in each of the classes was restricted to 23 stu-dents. The maximum enrollment number was not met in either of the sec-tions, and the number of enrolled students further diminished during thecourse of the semester as some dropped the class. Requiring three compo-nents before data were included in the study (pre-test, post-test, and signedinformed consent) contributed to a 55% inclusion rate between the eligiblepopulation and the final study sample.

Another limitation to this study is the survey instrument length. Theresearchers intentionally created a brief survey instrument designed to becompleted in 20 minutes, hoping that the instrument’s brevity would en-courage students to complete it. The researchers recognized the importanceof instrument validity but felt it was more important to maximize the numberof completed surveys than to risk incomplete surveys with a longer (butperhaps more valid) instrument.

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CONCLUSION

This study, conducted over the course of a full semester, assessed whetherinformation literacy competencies of undergraduate students in Second Lifecourses improved as a result of in-world instruction by embedded librarians.Student responses to a pre- and post-survey measured differences in thestudents’ knowledge of selected information literacy competency standardsestablished by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Changesin student levels of confidence in their ability to conduct research, theirperceptions of the challenges in conducting research, and changes in re-search management behavior were also evaluated. Statistical analysis of thesurvey results indicate there were no significant changes in the knowledge,confidence, perceptions of challenge, or behavior of the student populationincluded in this study.

The researchers plan to replicate this study after introducing several ped-agogical improvements. One planned change involves offering more librarylectures and reducing the time allotted for each, as shorter, more frequentlessons may better hold the students’ attention. Adding experiential learn-ing techniques, such as information treasure hunt assignments, may improvelearning retention. To assist with these assignments, a session dedicated tosearching within Second Life may benefit the students as they attempt tolocate people, groups, events, etc.

Further research that builds upon the base data provided in this studywould also be beneficial. Results of studies that compare Second Life andface-to-face instruction by embedded librarians, for example, would be ofinterest. Longitudinal studies would provide a larger study sample.

Second Life holds many possibilities as an immersive, innovative learn-ing environment, but it also poses new challenges for educators. Establishedpedagogical techniques may not prove as effective in a leading-edge learn-ing environment. Best practices for Second Life library instruction are stillactively evolving and require further empirical validation.

REFERENCES

1. Kristin Mitchell, e-mail message to authors, July 30, 2009.2. Mitchell, e-mail message.3. Linden Lab, “Developing New Learning and Collaboration Environments for

Educators: The New Media Consortium (NMC) in Second Life,” 2009, http://secondlifegrid.net.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/Second Life Case NMC EN.pdf.

4. John D. Shank and Nancy H. Dewald, “Establishing Our Presence in Courseware:Adding Library Services to the Virtual Classroom,” Information Technology andLibraries 22, no. 1 (2003): 38–43.

5. Barbara I. Dewey, “The Embedded Librarian: Strategic Campus Collaborations,”Resource Sharing & Information Networks 17, no. 1–2 (2004): 5–6.

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6. Linda Bartnik, “The Embedded Academic Librarian: The Subject Specialist MovesInto the Discipline College,” Kentucky Libraries 71, no. 3 (2007): 4–9.

7. Dewey, “The Embedded Librarian,” 5–17.8. Dee Bozeman and Rachel Owens, “Providing Services to Online Students: Em-

bedded Librarians and Access to Resources,” Mississippi Libraries 72, no. 3(2008): 57–59.

9. Mark Love and Scott Norwood, “Finding Our Way as ‘Embedded Librarians,’”College & Undergraduate Libraries 14, no. 4 (2007): 87–93.

10. Jill Hurst-Wahl, “Librarians and Second Life,” Information Outlook 11, no. 6(2007): 50.

11. Martin A. Kesselman and Sarah Barbara Watstein, “Creating Opportunities: Em-bedded Librarian,” Journal of Library Administration 49, no. 4 (2009): 383–400.

12. Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy Com-petency Standards for Higher Education (Chicago: Association of Col-lege and Research Libraries, 2000), http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/standards.pdf.

13. National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education, “Research practices sur-vey,” National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education, http://www.nitle.org/www/site/community projects/improving student info literacy (accessedJuly 20, 2009).

14. Ann Viles, “Information Literacy Assessment,” (1999), http://www.appstate.edu/∼vilesea/infotest.html (accessed July 21, 2009).

15. Association of College and Research Libraries, Information Literacy CompetencyStandards, 8–12.

APPENDIX

Research Practices Survey

1. What is your avatar’s first name?2. What is your class rank?

1 = Freshman2 = Sophomore3 = Junior4 = Senior5 = Other

3. What is your gender?1 = Female2 = Male

4. Have you received any library instruction from a librarian at UCM priorto this class?1 = Yes2 = No

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5. In general, how much do you enjoy doing research?1 (not at all) 2 3 4 5 (very much)

6. Overall, how confident are you in your abilities to conduct researchusing:The Internet?1 (no confidence) 2 3 4 5 (extremely confident)

7. Library resources?1 (no confidence) 2 3 4 5 (extremely confident)

8. How challenging do you find it to locate general background informationon a topic when starting a research project?1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

9. In a research situation, how likely are you to search resources beyondInternet search engines such as Google, Lycos, Ask, etc.?1 (not at all likely) 2 3 4 5 (extremely likely)

10. When visiting Web sites, how likely are you to question the source,accuracy, and limitations of the information?1 (not at all likely) 2 3 4 5 (extremely likely)

11. Which of the following best describes the way you manage your time fora research assignment?1 = I do most of the work soon after an assignment is given.2 = I divide the work pretty equally across the available time.3 = I do a little work soon after the assignment is given, but do most of

it toward the end.4 = I do all of the work just before or on the due date.

12. How challenging are the following different components of research foryou?Narrowing your topic1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

13. Developing a list of sources to investigate1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

14. Revising your search strategy as necessary1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

15. Developing your main argument or thesis statement1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

16. Citing your sources1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

17. How challenging is it for you to identify and retrieve information sources?Please rate the difficulty of each of the following activities.Using a library catalog (such as Quest)1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

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18. Using an electronic database (such as Academic Search Complete)1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

19. Using an Internet search engine (such as Google, Lycos, Ask, etc.)1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

20. Physically locating sources in a library1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

21. How challenging is it for you to use electronic databases (such as Aca-demic Search Complete)? Please rate the difficulty of each of the followingactivities.Selecting the most appropriate database for your information need1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

22. Selecting search terms that will yield the best possible set of results1 (not at all challenging) 2 3 4 5 (extremely challenging)

23. Your science research paper requires that you define the term salinity.From the list below, which is the best resource for a general definition?1 = Type salinity in an Internet search engine, such as Google, Lycos,

Ask, etc.2 = Find journal articles about salinity.3 = Search for salinity in the Library’s catalog, Quest.4 = Look up salinity in a general reference source like a print or

online encyclopedia or dictionary.24. To find a book in the library on the life of Elie Wiesel, you would

look:1 = In a library catalog (such as Quest)2 = In a biographical dictionary3 = In an electronic database4 = In a gazetteer

25. Which of the periodicals below will contain scholarly articles?1 = Sports Illustrated2 = Car and Driver3 = World Leisure Journal4 = Golf

26. You are spearheading a campaign to make students more aware of thedangers of unsafe sex. Which of the options below offer a first-handintroduction to the subject?1 = A video showing herpes virus outbreaks2 = An in-person seminar with someone who is HIV positive3 = A written report4 = An encyclopedia entry about the risk of unsafe sex

27. In which of the following circumstances should you use interlibrary loanto obtain a copy of an article:

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1 = The full-text of the article is available from the author(s).2 = The full-text of the article is not available in either print or

electronic format at JCKL.3 = The full-text of the article is available in a JCKL database.4 = The full-text of the article is available in print format at JCKL.

28. Your research topic is on ecology. When you search this topic you re-trieve over 1,000 citations. Which of the choices below will narrow theresearch topic?1 = What are currently practiced green living choices in the United States?2 = Do earth homes save energy and reduce heating & cooling

costs?3 = Is recycling the best way to save the environment?4 = Do environmental disasters contribute to global warming?

29. What is the difference between a citation database and a full-textdatabase?1 = The citation database includes the bibliographic information about

articles. A full-text database includes the bibliographic informationas well as the bibliographies attached to the articles.

2 = The full-text database includes an abstract of the article. A citationdatabase has no abstract.

3 = The citation database includes the bibliographic informationabout articles. A full-text database includes the entire text ofsome articles.

4 = There is no difference.30. You want to help your mother understand her recent medical diagnosis.

You need to find basic information written for the general public. Selectthe best source to search for this information need.1 = Medical Society web page2 = Academic Search Complete database3 = Medline database4 = Health Source: Consumer Education database

31. To prepare a presentation on the events of the civil rights movementduring the 1960’s, which is the best list of keywords to use for informationon this assignment?1 = Presentation, civil rights2 = Events of the civil rights movement, 1960’s3 = Civil rights, 1960’s4 = Civil rights

32. Which of the following searches would retrieve the MOST results in anonline search?1 = movies OR films2 = movies AND films

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3 = movies NOT films4 = movies INSTEAD OF films

33. Please examine the following Quest catalog entry, then answer thenext question. Which of the following would be the most efficient wayto find a comprehensive listing of other books in the catalog on thistopic?1 = Identifying other books written by the same authors2 = Searching again using the subject headings that most closely

match your research topic3 = Examining the bibliography in the book4 = Scanning the shelves where the book is located to see what books

are nearby34. Most academic libraries organize their material on shelves by Library of

Congress call numbers. Generally speaking, materials with similar callnumbers are:1 = Of the same format2 = About the same subject matter3 = Published in the same time period4 = By the same author(s)

35. How do you determine whether a book contains information on yourtopic?1 = The topic keyword appears in the title of the book2 = Examine the table of contents or index3 = It is located on the shelf near other books on the same topic4 = Examine the book cover

36. When searching in an online database, how do you determine whichresulting citations are the best to examine further?1 = Look for articles published in scholarly journals2 = Read the abstracts (if provided) to find the articles most

relevant to the topic3 = Select recent articles that include bibliographies4 = Databases place the best (most relevant) articles at the top of the

results list.37. You find the following entry in the Reference section of a recent ar-

ticle: Erisman, H.M. (2002). The Cuban Revolution’s evolving identity.Latin American Politics and Society 44(1), 145–153.In what issue of Latin American Politics and Society will you find thisarticle?1 = Volume 2002, Number 442 = Volume 44, Number 13 = Volume 1, Number 145–1534 = The issue cannot be determined

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For each of the following, indicate whether the item is an entire book, ajournal article, or a portion of a book.

38. Jorgenson, Lars W. “Reinterpreting Navajo Rites.” Navajo Culture 6 (1946):469–78.1 = Entire book2 = Journal article3 = Portion of a book

39. Allen, Glover Morrill. Bats. Cambridge: Harvard U.P., 1939.1 = Entire book2 = Journal article3 = Portion of a book

40. Tanaka, Kazuko. “The New Feminist Movement in Japan, 1970–1990.”Japanese Women. Ed. Kumiko Fujimura-Fanselow. New York: FeministP. 1995.1 = Entire book2 = Journal article3 = Portion of a book

41. Please briefly visit this web site (www.terrorism.com) then answer thefollowing question: What statement about this Web page is true?1 = It is hosted by a government agency.2 = It is hosted by an educational institution.3 = It is hosted by a for-profit company.4 = It is hosted by a non-profit organization.

42. If, after completing the first draft of a research paper, you discover thatsome important substantiating points are missing, you should1 = Clarify, revise or refine your thesis statement2 = Clarify, revise or refine your outline3 = Clarify, revise or refine your search strategy4 = Find a new topic

43. How hard did you try to do your best work as you completed this survey?(your response to this question will not affect your grade)?1 (gave no effort) 2 3 4 5 (tried my very best)D

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virtually embedded: library instruction within second life

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