Faculty and Student Assessment of a Journalism Library

Abstract

Academic library collections and services have contributed to the development of education in journalism and mass communication for almost a century in North America. Their character has followed the lead of academic programs, beginning in midwestern state universities, where a small number of departmental libraries developed to support on-site needs of journalism instruction and academic study of the journalism profession, and to encourage current periodicals reading (Wilhoit, 1993). Today, the traditional role of journalism/communication libraries is changing radically with the availability of CD-ROM and on-line database services (see Wilhoit, 1991).(1)While academic libraries operate in an era of shrinking budgets and struggle to maintain their book and serial collections (Cummings et al. 1992), they are challenged to accommodate the expansion of electronic-based services that would supply extensive bibliographic or full-text sources of information. Some academic libraries are progressing toward a cybrary model with the development of local area networks (LANs) and digitalization processes, in which users would access library materials and databases anywhere on- or off-campus (see Bauwens, 1994; Kurzweil, 1993).(2) Students could consult reserve materials directly at their terminals in residence halls or apartments instead of reviewing them on-site in the library.Here lies the dilemma for library decision-makers in a time of budgetary cutbacks or stagnation: As some sources of information shift from print to cyberspace,(3) academic libraries are reallocating funds and stretching their staff resources to provide access to electronic sources. This do more with less strategy has led some libraries to consider alternatives to buying expensive serials subscriptions, such as electronic delivery of articles.Guideposts on how to create optimum journalism/communication library services are needed, but to date no research has even assessed how faculty and students in journalism and mass communication programs use the library. The few studies that surveyed U.S. journalism libraries deal exclusively with administration and operation matters (Allcorn, 1987; Paine & Paine, 1987; Wilhoit, 1991), not with patrons' uses, needs, or attitudes. The only study that shed some light on library usage reported that communications respondents use magazines more frequently and visit the library more frequently than the average respondent (Prather & Clemons, 1981). This article attempts to fill this gap found in the literature by surveying users of the Journalism Library at Indiana University.(4)The Journalism Library,(5) a branch library housed in the School of Journalism, serves the needs of three populations (faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students) from three departments (journalism, speech communication, and telecommunications). The special qualities of the IU Journalism Library--its multidisciplinary mission and central location--make it an ideal case for the study of communication(6) library patrons. Furthermore, although the Journalism Library, like any other library, has specific characteristics, the data reported here can be useful to other communication libraries, as well as to communication programs, throughout the country.This study will provide communication educators with an understanding of how a journalism library is being used, as well as help library administrators establish priorities to meet communication faculty and students' needs better. As indicated above, most academic libraries are under severe budgetary pressures to contain costs while still being expected to offer the best resources to their users.Review of the LiteratureAlthough there is virtually no research investigating user services and resources in journalism/communication libraries, there is a growing body of literature that has surveyed users at large institutions, suggesting several general trends (for a review of early studies, see Prather & Clemons, 1981). …