Running head: DISTANCE LIS LEARNERS AND THE LIBRARY

Distance Learners and the Library:

A Community Needs Analysis
Of LIS Graduate Students

Colleen Sanders
Emporia State University
April 29, 2015

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Description of Study
This Community Needs Analysis (CNA) focuses on the 14th Portland, Oregon, cohort
(OR14) of Emporia State Universitys (ESU) School of Library and Information Management
(SLIM) and ESUs William Allen White Library (WAWL). My purpose is to discover the
particular information needs of OR14 and analyze how the WAWL might address these needs.
Community
The OR14 cohort is a subpopulation of the SLIM program, which includes students on
campus in Kansas and two other distance populations in Denver, CO, and Salt Lake City, UT.
Portlands OR14 began August, 2013, and commences August, 2015. OR14 has 30 members, all
adult learners with at least a Bachelor's degree, residing in the Pacific Northwest. The variety
within students educational and work backgrounds signals the group has a spectrum of
information behaviors and competencies. Much coursework is done independently, making it
difficult to ascertain where students go for information, although they are required to follow
course modules through the learning management system (LMS) Canvas. Outside of course
reserves and required readings, the SLIM program does not mandate any specific use of WAWL
resources, services, or interactions with WAWL librarians, indicating a more free- ranging,
unstructured approach to information seeking is possible for this group of students.
Role of Researcher
As a member of OR14, I endeavored to explore my cohorts experiences as a case study
that might inform WAWLs services to distance students. I felt the WAWL was an understated
presence in my degree program, despite many existing information needs that I (and by
extension my peers) had that went unaddressed. My impression of being a distance SLIM student
utilizing the WAWL virtually, through mailed loans, and interlibrary loans (ILL) incited this

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research project. This study uses quantitative data and qualitative impressions gleaned from my
experience working face to face and virtually among the OR14 cohort. Through data collection
and analysis, I discovered new knowledge and make recommendations to inform future WAWL
services to distance learners. My sense of being underserved by the WAWL incited my idea that a
CNA may be beneficial to this group.
William Allen White Library
The WAWL is located on ESUs campus in Emporia, KS, 1,775 miles from Portland, OR,
where distance students complete ESUs 2-year SLIM program in a cohort structure. The
majority of distance students never access the WAWL in person, meaning their contact with
WAWL occurs through the library web site and distance services. The WAWL mission is to
facilitate critical thinking, collaboration, and lifelong learning in order to foster adaptive
teaching and learning communities (ESU, 2015). Its vision frames the WAWL as an essential
component of a vital and vibrant university that [enriches] academic experiences and
achievement through our adaptable spaces, state-of-the-art technology, dynamic resources, and
the integration of information literacy skills across the curriculum (ESU, 2015a).
The WAWL web site contains the catalog, access to full-text databases, course reserves,
the institutional repository, research guides, and virtual reference. Distance services include
document delivery and mailed physical materials (local and ILL), for which students must pay
return postage. Enrollment gives students access to the full-text databases and journals, from
which instructors select required readings. Students use Canvas for discussions, assignment
submission, syllabi, learning modules, video lectures, grades, and links to WAWL resources.
WAWL Services for Distance Learners

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While resources and services accessible to OR14 are primarily found on the WAWL web
site, there is no distinct portal for distance learners. There are two research guides that speak to
this community. The first, designed for SLIM students, is the Library and Information
Management Resources research guide. It includes information and tutorials about using various
eResources, however the content is relatively undeveloped compared to the scope of information
needs mandated by graduate level coursework. Unfortunately, some of the tutorials are out of
date and include instructions for Internet and database interfaces that have since changed.
The second resource which could speak to distance OR14 learning needs, the Library
Instruction Resources guide, addresses library skills for the general student body. It includes
using the discovery tool, databases, building a search, and using Wikipedia, but it too has blank
slots with Content to be added here signs. Again, some videos demonstrate searches on
interfaces that have since changed. While this does not totally render the information moot, it
indicates a deficiency in attention given to online services available for distance students. The
statistics on ESUs YouTube tutorial views reveal 1,201 views in the 2013-2014 school year, with
just 3 hits coming from Oregon and 1 from Washington (Mudd, A., personal communication,
April 23, 2015). OR14 is simply not finding or using these resources.
ESU offers no introductory information literacy or research skills course, therefore
distance learners preliminary academic information needs go unaddressed. WAWL maintains an
Ask-A-Librarian virtual reference service, and of the 3,974 questions received over the 20132014 academic year, 13% were received virtually or by telephone (T. Summey, personal
communication, April 23, 2015). These statistics do not differentiate between questions from
local or distance students, thus 13% is the only chunk of questions that could have come from
OR14 students. It seems this, too, is not a service OR14 utilizes in their information seeking.

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SLIM does offer an introductory technology course, LI513XI, which is optional and does
not count towards degree credits. 11 of OR14s 30 students took this course, myself included, (P.
Parise, personal communication, April 23, 2015), but through my impressions I sense they did
not find its content addressed their self-identified information gaps, which fall under the
classification of information literacy and research skills. Those who took the course expressed
dissatisfaction with its content and its perceived lack of relevancy to needed information skills.
In the absence of help, OR14 students seem to self-educate for necessary learning curves, such as
database usage, citations, reading scholarly research, and writing at an academic level.
OR14 Community Data
Behind this CNA is the question: Does WAWL provide adequate resources and services
for distance learners? Is WAWL reaching all members of OR14? To what extent do members of
OR14 use WAWL resources to answer their information needs? What needs are left unaddressed
by existing WAWL services? A later section will propose recommendations for services WAWL
might undertake to meet these needs. To systematically apply these questions to this CNA, I will
break the OR14 cohort down into the four groupings recommended by Grover, Greer, & Agada
(2010): individuals, groups, agencies, and lifestyles.
Individuals
The consideration of individuals is paramount to this community, considering the
majority of OR14s SLIM program coursework occurs in isolation. The 30 individuals range in
age from 23-54 (P. Parise, personal communication, April 22, 2015). As adults, they are nontraditional students. Some have families and work obligations. The data provided to me by the
program director of Oregons SLIM Program reflects the OR14 cohort as of April 2015 and is
provided in Appendix A. It outlines OR14s demographic makeup and educational experience.

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Groups
Grover et al. define a group as a set of people who [meet] and [function] regularly
(2010, p. 85), making OR14 a group itself. Face-to-face class weekends occur an average of four
times per semester, for which students commute to the Portland State University (PSU) campus
in downtown Portland for two-day intensive sessions. From conversations with OR14 members,
I have ascertained these meetings provide vital community-building and information-sharing
opportunities which ameliorate the isolation many students experience. Many expressed their
reason for choosing ESU over other online programs is exactly this in-person component. This
suggests that students highly value face-to-face learning and interactions with peers and faculty.
Within the OR14 cohort, groups form around assignments, as collaborative projects are a
staple of the SLIM program. These temporary arrangements often require students to collaborate
on projects over the course of a semester. To do this, they communicate electronically via email,
videoconferencing technologies like Skype and Google Hangouts, or telephone calls. The most
prominent hub for OR14s interactions is their private Facebook group. They use this space as a
peer support network to socialize, discuss assignments, commiserate, and share information. The
Facebook group is actively utilized for groupwork and crowdsourcing reference questions.
Agencies
OR14 members are actively engaged with the various library groups and associations in
their region; these range from state library associations to topical task forces to Friends of
Library groups and more. Students monitor job, internship, and volunteer opportunities through
local email listservs and newsletters. OR14 maintains Student Chapter of the American Library
Association (SCALA), a volunteer group that supports and engages the local library community.

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As educational agencies, the public library systems in which OR14 students reside have
significant relation to their information seeking behavior. King County and Multnomah County
library systems rank 11th and 8th respectively in the largest budget bracket ($30 million+
annually) of the annual Library Journal national public library rankings (Library Journal, 2014).
Students residing in districts with such resources may be more inclined to utilize local resources
over those of WAWL, as well as have an advantage over students whose library systems are more
limited by budget and rurality. This potential inequity suggests WAWL services should be an
equalizing force in OR14s access to help. From conversations with OR14, I have gleaned a
distinct preference for finding physical items locally than waiting for them to arrive from WAWL
and having to pay return postage. There are over 150 colleges in Oregon and Washington
(Wikipedia, n.d.), giving students local access to academic resources and assistance. Also, as 23
of the 30 students work in information centers, it may be inferred that students can use resources
from their workplaces to conduct academic research as well.
Lifestyles
The OR14 cohort lives in a region that differs culturally and ecologically from Emporia,
Kansas. It receives significant rainfall, although inclement weather is rare enough to not disrupt
commutes and daily operations. It has extensive public transit, trains, buses, and bicycle paths to
allow students to commute to the Portland State University campus for classes. However, the
ease of travel does not mean students are able to meet on a regular basis to offset the isolation of
being distance students, considering most are working adults with prior commitments. Residents
of the Pacific Northwest tend to have strong community pride and self-concept of being forward
thinking, progressive, self-governing people. This no doubt informs OR14s penchant for selfeducation and independent learning. The region was originally founded on natural resource

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sectors like logging, and much of the population still resides outside major urban centers. Still,
urbanization in population centers has resulted in strong education, health, public service,
business, government, and information sectors. OR14 students intend to enter these jobs with
their degrees; therefore they are assets WAWL can map in planning distance services.
Insights from Data
The data collected here demonstrates OR14 distance learners have a significantly
different educational experience than their on-campus counterparts in Emporia, Kansas. With
diverse educational backgrounds, students have variant levels of experience conducting scholarly
research and interpreting academic literature. The disparity in age of OR14 students indicates
some may have been out of school for many years, thus their scholastic skills might require
development. OR14 members have variant levels of information literacy. A need for information
literacy calibration reveals itself in this group. New SLIM distance learners lack a structured
framework for learning how to conduct and process scholarly research, a key factor in
determining student success in the program. As this need is currently unaddressed by the WAWL,
students search for information independently and without guidance.
The SLIM program is rigorous and research-based, requiring a significant amount of
academic reading and writing. It demands a high level of information literacy, especially the
ability to find and analyze information to be synthesized into critical evaluations. But because
OR14 resides remotely from the ESU campus and WAWL library facility, their learning is not
scaffolded by the resources and expertise concentrated there. They are largely independent.
Because their learning is mediated by information communication technologies, they must have
a high level of digital literacy and the ability to learn and master new technologies (for
presentations, portfolios, building web sites, tutorials, screencasting, web design projects, etc.).

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While research shows some faculty believe that learning to find resources is part of a students
self-education (Kvenild & Bowles-Terry, 2011), the dominant vein of library instruction
advocates for instruction of information literacy principles. Through my impressions, Ive
gleaned that they learn these skills through trial-and-error on assignments, using instructor
feedback to identify knowledge gaps and instructor-suggested resources to close these gaps.
Cultivating information literacy in this group is a somewhat motley process, dependent upon
chance and personal initiative. The low statistical usage of ESUs tutorials and reference service
hints that students do not conceptualize WAWL as their go-to place for information seeking
assistance. There is room for the WAWL to provide effective outreach to identify these existing
knowledge gaps and instruct accordingly at the outset of a distance learners education, which
would contribute to student success.
The expressed preference of many OR14 members for utilizing local public and academic
library resources over those of WAWL suggests that distance is a barrier to usage, specifically the
need to pay return postage for mailed physical items. The groups inclination to use Facebook as
the primary communication hub suggests an online platform is an appropriate solution to
ameliorate learners perceived isolation. Canvas cannot be said to meet this need, as students do
not make use of the discussion forums unless required to for an assignment. While it would be
invasive for a librarian to be embedded in the Facebook group, there is an opportunity for the
WAWL to use Facebook to source reference questions and share information literacy tips on an
informal basis. The presence of volunteer groups such as SCALA present WAWL an opportunity
to make contact with the group. The students who participate in these activities might be said to
be more engaged than others, and therefore these groups could be used by the WAWL as an

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outreach and feedback loop about how the WAWL could be a stronger collaborator in distance
learners programs.
Recommendations
Based on the data and analysis gathered in this report, the most basic information need
that WAWL could plausibly address is for an introductory information literacy and research skills
curriculum at the outset of the SLIM degree program for distance learners. Building up the suite
of online tutorials would be insufficient because the numbers show students are not accessing
them to begin with. Because LI513XI is an existing asset, WAWL librarians could use this
infrastructure to provide this service. If LI513XIs course content were overhauled from
technology skills to information seeking skills, students could enroll at the start of their program
to reconcile their academic skills with the upcoming demands of the SLIM curriculum.
There is also a need for distance students to perceive WAWL as being helpful to them.
Reference assistance and online library tutorials are present but underused, therefore I
recommend using LI513XI as a way to introduce these resources to distance students and use. A
distance learners portal on the WAWL web site could provide the necessary framework for
allowing students to guide themselves through a strong collection of curated instructional
tutorials and guides specifically designed for their information needs and SLIM curriculum.
A final recommendation is to establish a remote physical library branch in the Portland,
OR, area that students can use to access physical materials. This could be done at minimal cost
using existing SLIM infrastructure and partnerships, including the program directors office or a
shared shelf space at PSU Library. This space could house a highly specific collection of library
science physical materials alongside a workspace which could be a meeting place for students
involved in group-based assignments.

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Outcome Assessment
Considering the LI513XI course is already in place and OR14s central unaddressed need
is an introductory calibration of information literacy and research skills, it follows that the
content of LI513XI should be overhauled and mapped to these outcomes. All library services
must be assessed for impact, therefore LI513XI requires an evaluative framework that seeks to
determine the impact of the librarys services/resources on the library service and resource users
(Bertot & McClure, 2003, p. 599). If the outcome for LI513XI is to build more information
literate graduate students able to produce higher quality work, then the course must be designed
to achieve this outcome. Standards for assessing the outcomes must be in place from the start.
WAWL librarians should design the curriculum alongside SLIM instructors to ensure it builds the
necessary skills. Instructors should be receptive to this idea as it will produce more competent
students. WAWL staff should survey prior SLIM distance cohorts to see if the concept would
have been desirable for them. If the answer is yes, WAWL should market the class to incoming
cohorts. Graduates of LI513XI could then provide course evaluations. Halfway through their
SLIM program, they could complete a survey designed to identify whether the skills they learned
were perceived to be beneficial to subsequent coursework. SLIM could track the GPAs of
distance students and search for correlations between completion of LI513XI and academic
success. This quantitative data could be supplemented by future iterations of this CNA, which
would keep WAWL staff attuned to the changing needs of its distance learners. If becoming
outcome-oriented requires developing deep knowledge of the community (Anthony, 2014), then
a sustained investigation into the specific needs and nuances of the cohort is essential. This
document represents a first start in a direction I believe is necessary for the success of SLIM
distance learners and the program as a sustainable future entity.

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References
Anthony, C. A. (2014, July 7). Moving toward outcomes. Public Libraries Online. Retrieved
from http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/07/moving-toward-outcomes/
Bertot, J. C. & McClure, C. R. (2003). Outcomes assessment in the networked environment:
research questions, issues, considerations, and moving forward. Library Trends, 51(4),
590-613.
Emporia State University (ESU). (2015). Library Mission Statement. Retrieved from
http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/about-the-library/mission.html
Emporia State University (ESU). (2015a). Library Vision Statement. Retrieved from
http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/about-the-library/mission.html
Grover, R. J., Greer, R. C., & Agada, J. (2010). Assessing information needs: Managing
transformative library services. Denver, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Kvenild, C. & Bowles-Terry, M. (2011). Learning from distance faculty: A faculty needs
assessment at the University of Wyoming. Journal of Library & Information Services in
Distance Learning, 5(1-2), 10-24. doi: 10.1080/1533290X.2011.548239
Library Journal. (2014). Library Journal index of public library services 2014 edition. Retrieved
from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/11/managing-libraries/lj-index/class-of-2014/findyour-library-2014
List of colleges and universities in Oregon. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_Oregon
List of colleges and universities in Washington. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved April 20, 2015
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_Washington

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Appendix A
OR14 Demographic Data

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