Graduate Occupational Therapy Students: Communication and Research Preferences from Three University Libraries

Abstract

Library liaisons from three universities distributed an anonymous survey to graduate occupational therapy students to gauge preferred methods of communication when conducting research. This article discusses three findings: whom the students prefer to turn to when seeking research assistance, which methods of communication students prefer, and how long students spend searching before asking for assistance. From 193 responses, the liaisons reasoned that students prefer consulting with their peers before seeking help from librarians or faculty or instructors and they prefer assistance face-to-face. Additionally, the majority are willing to research from 30 min to one hour before seeking research help.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication preferences
• information literacy
• learning preferences
• occupational therapy students
• library instruction
• rehabilitation sciences
• occupational therapy students
• teaching

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Occupational Therapy departments at Quinnipiac University, Philadelphia University, and Thomas Jefferson University for their support. Specifically, we are grateful for Mike Hughes, MLS, MA, and Kimberly Mollo, OTD, OTR/L for reading our paper and offering insightful feedback, and Francine Seruya, MA, PhD and Wendy Krupnick, PhD for assisting in the distribution of the survey instrument to students.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. No outside funding supported this study. This manuscript has not been previously published. This project was presented, in part, at the Medical Library Association conference on May 22, 2018 in a poster titled: “Phone a friend (or a librarian): Learning and communication preferences among occupational therapy students at three universities.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lisa A. Adriani

Lisa A. Adriani, MLS, AHIP ([email protected]) is a Research and Instruction Librarian at Edward & Barbara Netter Library, Quinnipiac University, 275 Mt. Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT 06518 USA.

Daniel G. Kipnis

Daniel G. Kipnis, MSI ([email protected]) is a Life Sciences Librarian at Campbell Library, Rowan University, 215 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08034 USA.

Ronda I. Kolbin

Ronda I. Kolbin, MLS ([email protected]) is a Public Services Librarian at Arnold Bernhard Library, Quinnipiac University, 275 Mt. Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT 06518 USA.

Daniel Verbit

Daniel Verbit ([email protected]) is the Scholarly Communications & Digital Initiatives Librarian at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA.