Trends in Distant Student Use of Electronic Resources: A Survey

The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is one of the eleven degree- granting institutions of the University System of Maryland (USM). UMUC plays a unique role among academic institutions in the State of Maryland in that it serves a large distant student population, with the proportion of students studying online approaching 50 percent of enrollments. Information and Library Services (ILS) at UMUC conducted a needs assessment survey to examine trends in student use of library resources, services, and instruction in order to understand how student usage patterns, needs, and preferences have changed as well as stayed the same. One important element of the survey was to obtain in-depth information on student usage patterns for electronic resources and services because (1) the library has increased delivery of these types of resources and services in the five years leading up to the current (2001) study and (2) several studies suggest that students are relying more heavily on online resources, both proprietary databases and the “free” Web.1 Therefore, ILS was interested in determining whether the shift to more online delivery of classes, and the simultaneous shift observed in user behavior in libraries in general (i.e., relying more heavily on online resources), would also affect student usage patterns and dependence on the physical library and online resources at UMUC. The findings of the survey followed national trends and demonstrated that nontraditional, predominantly part-time students’ usage patterns have changed and now favor the use of electronic resources (the Internet, in particular) and also mirror trends observed in traditional student behavior toward libraries and library resources in many important respects.