This follow up post has been a long time coming. Since the query went out in June, I have had a number of personal circumstances that kept me from the blog... not to mention it was summer vacation!
Over the past two months, I did sit down to post the results, but I felt the data was slanted with most responses from those of us in the field. I decided to wait until school resumed to seek additional input.
I am not back at school, begging students to take the survey, and the numbers have not jumped significantly. College students would probably be the best target, but it is time to lay this myth to rest and move on.
Here is a summary of the responses I received:
What is your age?
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| 5-8 | | 0 | 0% |
| 9-11 | | 0 | 0% |
| 12-15 | | 0 | 0% |
| 16-18 | | 3 | 3% |
| 19-22 | | 3 | 3% |
| 23-29 | | 8 | 7% |
| 30-36 | | 10 | 8% |
| 37-45 | | 13 | 11% |
| 46-55 | | 39 | 33% |
| 56-65 | | 34 | 29% |
| 66+ | | 5 | 4% |
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Please indicate your highest level of education
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| K-12 Student | | 0 | 0% |
| High School/GED | | 2 | 2% |
| Some College | | 7 | 6% |
| Associate Degree | | 4 | 3% |
| Bachelor Degree | | 16 | 14% |
| Master's Degree | | 84 | 71% |
| Doctoral Degree | | 2 | 2% |
| Professional Degree | | 3 | 3% |
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What is your field of work?
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| Education - paraprofessional | | 13 | 11% |
| Education - professional | | 86 | 73% |
| Education - administration | | 2 | 2% |
| Professional | | 7 | 6% |
| Homemaker | | 2 | 2% |
| Student | | 5 | 4% |
| Health Care | | 0 | 0% |
| Construction | | 0 | 0% |
| Military | | 0 | 0% |
| Retail | | 0 | 0% |
| Other | | 3 | 3% |
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How comfortable do you feel searching for a book in the library catalog and then finding it on the shelves without assistance?
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Not comfortable - somebody please help
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Piece of cake!
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How comfortable do you feel searching for and finding an appropriate online source of information?
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I take the top item returned... or just guess
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I know how to evaluate websites for reliability
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How comfortable do you feel when looking for a periodical or journal article using a full-reference database?
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| 1 - |
A what???
| 2 | 2% |
| 2 | | 0 | 0% |
| 3 | | 2 | 2% |
| 4 | | 1 | 1% |
| 5 | | 2 | 2% |
| 6 | | 5 | 4% |
| 7 | | 12 | 10% |
| 8 | | 25 | 21% |
| 9 - |
No problem!
| 68 | 58% |
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At what age were you first taught to navigate a library?
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| Early Elementary School (K-2) | | 42 | 36% |
| Upper Elementary School (3-5) | | 35 | 30% |
| Middle School/Jr. High (6-8) | | 10 | 8% |
| High School (9-12) | | 10 | 8% |
| College Freshmen | | 5 | 4% |
| College - after first year | | 0 | 0% |
| Graduate school | | 1 | 1% |
| I was never formally taught - I figured it out myself | | 15 | 13% |
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At what age were you taught to use online resources (web evaulation, databases, etc.)?
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| Early Elementary (K-2) | | 3 | 3% |
| Upper Elementary (3-5) | | 3 | 3% |
| Middle School/Jr. High (6-8) | | 5 | 4% |
| High School (9-12) | | 4 | 3% |
| College Freshman | | 4 | 3% |
| College - after first year | | 10 | 8% |
| Graduate school | | 40 | 34% |
| I was never formally taught. I figured it out myself. | | 49 | 42% |
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Do you think you learned at the optimal, appropriate age?
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| Yes | | 60 | 51% |
| No, I wish I had been taught earlier | | 58 | 49% |
| No, I think it could have waited until I was older | | 0 | 0% |
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At what age do you think students should be taught to use a library and its resources (print & online)?
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Who should teach a student how/where to locate and evaluate information?
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People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.
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