Library use and information-seeking behavior of veterinary medical students revisited in the electronic environment

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1 Colltions n Thnil Srvis Pulitions n Pprs Colltions n Thnil Srvis Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior of vtrinry mil stunts rvisit in th ltroni nvironmnt Nny L. Plzr Iow Stt Univrsity Willim H. Wis Iow Stt Univrsity Jon M. Lysn Iow Stt Univrsity Follow this n itionl works t: Prt of th Lirry n Informtion Sin Commons Th omplt iliogrphi informtion for this itm n foun t lit_pus/10. For informtion on how to it this itm, pls visit howtoit.html. This Artil is rought to you for fr n opn ss y th Colltions n Thnil Srvis t Digitl Iow Stt Univrsity. It hs n pt for inlusion in Colltions n Thnil Srvis Pulitions n Pprs y n uthoriz ministrtor of Digitl Iow Stt Univrsity. For mor informtion, pls ontt igirp@istt.u.

2 Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior of vtrinry mil stunts rvisit in th ltroni nvironmnt By Nny L. Plzr, M.A. Assoit Profssor Willim Rort Prks n Elln Sorg Prks Lirry Willim H. Wis, M.A. Assistnt Profssor Vtrinry Mil Lirry Jon M. Lysn, M.S.L.S. Assistnt Profssor Willim Rort Prks n Elln Sorg Prks Lirry Iow Stt Univrsity Ams, Iow Vtrinry mil stunts t Iow Stt Univrsity wr survy in Jnury of 1997 to trmin thir gnrl us of th Vtrinry Mil Lirry n how thy sought informtion in n ltroni nvironmnt. Comprisons wr m twn this stuy n on onut go to trmin th fft of th growth in ltroni rsours on stunt lirry us n informtion-sking hvior. Th si pttrns of stunt tivitis in th lirry, rsours us to fin urrnt informtion, n rsours ntiipt for futur ution ns rmin unhng. Th 1997 stunts us th lirry most frquntly for photoopying, offi supplis, n stuying ourswork; thy prfrr txtooks n hnouts s sours of urrnt informtion. Howvr, whn ths stunts wnt yon txtooks n hnouts to sk urrnt informtion, mjor shift ws sn from th us of print inxs n strts in 1987 towrs th us of omputriz inxs n othr ltroni rsours in Almost 60% of th stunts rport using th Intrnt for loting urrnt informtion. Ovrll us of ltroni mtrils ws highst mong group of stunts riving th prolm-s lrning mtho of instrution. Most of th stunts survy in 1997 init tht ltroni rsours woul hv som gr of importn to thm for futur ution ns. Th ltroni nvironmnt hs provi nw opportunitis for informtion profssionls to hlp prpr futur vtrinrins, som of whom will prtiing in rmot gogrphil lotions, to ss th wlth of informtion n srvis vill on th Intrnt n W. A go n originl stuy ws unrtkn to xmin th lirry us n informtion-sking hvior of vtrinry mil stunts t Iow Stt Univrsity's (ISU) Collg of Vtrinry Miin [1]. Sin tht tim th Pw Ntionl Vtrinry Eution Progrm issu its rport, Futur Dirtions for Vtrinry Miin, with th intnt to nourg urriulum rvisions in Unit Stts vtrinry shools in rspons to th hnging prti of vtrinry miin. A ky phrs for informtion profssionls in th Pw rport ws th rommntion tht vtrinry ution fous "on th ility to fin n us informtion rthr thn th umultion of fts" [2]. Coinintlly, in th pst, th omputr rvolution hs introu rmti nw vlopmnts, whih hv h signifint impt on th vilility of informtion for vtrinrins. Mny rports [3-10] hv sri th us oi nw omputr-s th- 346 Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July 1998

3 Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior nologis in vtrinry prtis. Pion n Frguson [11] pl th tul numr of vtrinry prtis onlin to t s ing "only smll minority (prhps 10%) of th vtrinry profssion." Howvr, thy go on to sy tht "On-lin ommunitions hv grt potntil for hlping th vtrinry profssion ovrom th ntrliz hospitl mol n th gogrphi n tim rrirs tht hv inhiit ommunity uiling in th pst." Th Amrin Vtrinry Mil Assoition (AVMA) rogniz th potntil of tlommunition s mns of informtion issmintion n in 1994 form th Ntwork of Animl Hlth (NOAH), vill through th Compu- Srv onlin srvi. Evn rlir, in 1990, Pion n Frguson foun th Vtrinry Informtion Ntwork (VIN), vill on Amri Onlin, s forum for prti support srvis, ontinuing ution, n srhl informtion ts. Both of ths srvis purport to provi fst n sy ss to ro sptrum of informtion trgt spifilly to th vtrinry profssion. "Th Informtion Ag is finitly hr, n mor n mor vtrinrins r fining tht omputr systm is s nssry to thir prti s stthosop" [12]. If this ws tru, thn omputr skills for ssing informtion oul onjtur to of utmost importn to toy's vtrinry mil stunt. Vtrinry mil lirris, inluing ISU's, hv "rfous[] thir mission to srv stunts, fulty n lumni" [13], wy from tritionl print mtrils to proviing informtion ltronilly. Wht i vtrinry stunts know out ssing informtion in th ltroni nvironmnt? As ws th s go, littl oumnttion xist in th litrtur toy onrning vtrinry stunts' us of lirry filitis or how thy ttmpt to lot informtion. Th prsnt stuy ws unrtkn to xmin th ISU vtrinry stunts' prsnt y informtion-sking hviors, ntring on th stunts' us of omputriz rsours, s wll s to vlut thir us of mor tritionl lirry srvis t ISU's Vtrinry Mil Lirry. Th xtnt to whih stunts ntiipt us of ltroni rsours following grution from vtrinry shool ws lso of intrst s n inition of thir ommitmnt to ths rsours in th futur. SURVEY METHODOLOGY Th uthors' 1988 rport srv s sis for th prsnt stuy. Th 1997 survy popultion ws similr to th 1987 group of stunts y inluing ll four lsss of stunts nroll in th profssionl urriulum t th ISU Collg of Vtrinry Miin in Jnury Thos stunts who h omplt ISU's rquir iliogrphi instrution ours prior to vtrinry shool wr sk to intify thmslvs. Vtrinry stunts with vn grs (mstrs of sin n otor of philosophy) wr lso sk to intify thmslvs. An itionl group of nin son-yr stunts who wr nroll in th Rurl n Gnrl Prti Option (RGPO) urriulum wr survy. Ths stunts hv spnt four smstrs of th ight-smstr profssionl progrm prtiipting in th prolm-s lrning mtho of instrution, whih took pl in "smll group, s s, stunt ntr, prolm s lrning tivitis" [14]. An ssssmnt of whthr this ltrnt progrm of lrning ontriut to ny iffrns in ths stunts' informtion-sking hvior from th stunts nroll in th tritionl profssionl progrm ws m. Th survy instrumnt ws ompos of fifty-ight tgoril qustions, whih inlu inquiris out th stunts' gnrl us of th ISU Vtrinry Mil Lirry filitis; pprohs to sking urrnt informtion, us of inxs, strts, n ltroni rsours; n ntiipt rsours for quiring informtion whn in prti. Most of th qustions from th originl survy in 1987 wr rpt, ut th prsnt survy ws nhn with qustions tht wr spifi to ssing informtion in th ltroni nvironmnt. Th tim frm of th survy ws mnt to nompss stunt's ntir xprin whil nroll in th Collg of Vtrinry Miin. A iffrn in mthoology istinguish this stuy from th prvious on. To nsur highr survy rturn rt in Jnury of 1997, th survy ws istriut to th mjority of th stunts in th lssroom, rthr thn ing pl in thir miloxs s ws th s with th 1987 stuy. Howvr, survys wr pl in th miloxs of pproximtly onhlf of th 1997 fourth-yr stunts who wr on offsit or on non-shul loks. Minimizing th potntil for nonrspons is y inrsing th rturn rt through lssroom prsnttion of th survy instrumnt ws onsir to mor importnt thn simply rpliting th prvious mthoology. This hng i not prlu irt omprisons of similritis or iffrns twn th two sts of vtrinry stunts (1987 n 1997) us th finings in oth stuis wr givn s prnt of th totl numr of stunts survy. Sttistil nlysis inlu th lultion of frqunis s prntgs. Th sttistil tst of lst signifint iffrn ws us t th 0.05 lvl of signifin to init sttistil iffrns twn groups of stunts. Thr hunr twnty-ight qustionnirs wr rtum from totl of 398 nroll stunts, for n ovrll rturn rt of 82%. Clss rprsnttion of th totl rturn ws 30% first-yr stunts (n = 99), 28% son-yr stunts (n = 91), 27% thir-yr stunts (n = 88), n 15% fourth-yr stunts (n = 50). Th survy rturn in th fourth-yr group inlu svrl vtrinry forign xhng stunts. Thirty- Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July

4 Pizr t l. Tl 1 Stunt tivitis in vtrinry mil lirry Frquny of rspons (%)^ On pr wk Survy yr Evry y 2-4 Tims pr wk or lss Non n Using photoopir Using offi supplis * 43* Stuying ourswork * Assign ring/rsrv mt rils Sking informtion for ours work Using SCAVMA "ol tst" fil Sking informtion for rsrh * 34* Lisur ring * Extrurriulr journl ring Sking informtion for s prsnttion ours VCS385/ 495 A Prntgs my not qul 100% u to rouning. * No 1987 t vill. * Signifint iffrn tt t th 5% lvl. Th lst signifint iffrn t th 5% lvl is pproximtly 10%. four prnt of th stunts hl no prvious unrgrut gr, 63% hl hlor of sins or rts gr, 3% hl th mstrs of sins or rts gr n 1% hl th otor of philosophy gr. FINDINGS Lirry tivitis Stunts wr sk to mrk on hklist th frquny with whih thy ngg in tn lirry tivitis (Tl 1). As in 1987, us of th photoopirs n offi supplis form th primry tivitis for whih th 1997 stunts us th lirry. Gnrl stuying of ourswork ws lso ommon tivity, lthough signifintly grtr numr of 1997 stunts si tht thy nvr us th lirry to stuy, 22% in 1997 s ompr with 12% go. This might irt rfltion of ru stuy sp vill s th olltion hs xpn. Although most stunts us th lirry to sk spifilly sssign ring or rsrv mtrils n to sk informtion rlt to ourswork or rsrh, th mjority init tht this ourr on pr wk or lss. Lisur us of th lirry ws own signifintly (15%) from go. A nw qustion, not sk on th prvious survy, rflt th itionl rquirmnt in th vtrinry urriulum tht ll four lsss xpos to linil ss through th sminr ours, Vtrinry Clinil Sins 385/495. Whn sk how oftn thy us th lirry to otin informtion for this ours, not surprisingly, th fourth-yr lss, whih is rsponsil for th tul prsnttion of linil ss, liit th lrgst rspons, with 86% of th lss initing tht thy spnt on visit pr wk or mor on this tivity. Sking urrnt informtion History rpt itslf whn stunts wr sk whih rsours wr us to fin urrnt informtion on topi or ssignmnt tht ws nw to thm. Whil hnouts, txtooks, n sking lssmts or instrutors ontinu to srv s primry rsours, th 1997 stunts lso init sustntil us of th omputriz inxs n th lirry's onlin tlog (Figur 1). Not only i th ISU onlin tlog hv holings, lotion, n ll numr informtion for journls list in th omputriz inxs, ut it lso inlu urrnt (in pross or on orr) titls tht wr unvill in th r tlog. Th W or Intrnt ws rport y 59% of th 1997 stunts s rsour for fining urrnt informtion. Print inxs n strts wr th lst us rsour of th stunts, prtiulrly th fourth-yr lss, 90% of whom rport using th omputriz inxs n strts, whil only 32% of this lss si tht thy us th print prouts. Whn th stunts wr sk whih on of th rsours tht ppr in Figur 1 ws thir first hoi in looking for urrnt informtion, 38% nm txtooks, 26% omputriz inxs, 16% hnouts, 8% th ISU Lirry onlin tlog, 4% th W or Intrnt, 2% print inxs n strts, 2% 348 Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July 1998

5 Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior Figur 1 Rsours us y stunts for loting urrnt informtion VM Stunts 1997 (n=328) -60 U1) 0) VM Stunts 1987 (n=1 96) 1 Hnouts 2 Txtooks 3 ClssmtsAnstrutor 4 Computnz Inxs 5 Lirry's Onlin Ctlog 6 Ask Lirry Stff 7 Brows Shlvs 8 Worl Wi WAntrnt 9 Print Inxs 10 Cr Ctlog No 1987 t vill No 1997 t vill 'Signifint iffrn tt t th 5% lvl. Th lst signifint iffrn t th 5% lvl is pproximtly 10%. lssmts or instrutors, 2% rowsing th shlvs, n 1% lirry stff. It ws grtifying to not tht, lthough sking th lirry stff for ssistn ws not th first hoi of stunts, 63% of thm si tht thy onsult with th lirry stff t som point in srhing for urrnt informtion. Inxs/Eltroni rsours Stunts wr sk to init us of six print inxs n strts n thir omputriz quivlnts. As shown in Tl 2, th omputriz inxs, VETCD, MEDLINE, n BEASTCD, prov to populr with n vrg of 82% of stunts initing us from on to six or mor tims, whil n vrg of only 16% of stunts utiliz th print quivlnts. Th Currnt Contnts: Agriultur, Biology & Environmntl Sins, whih inlus vtrinry journls, show similr usg twn th print n omputriz vrsions. Tkn togthr, ths rsults show rmti shift from us of th print inxs to omputriz inxs uring th sprting th 1987 n 1997 stuis, s wll s n ovrll inrs us of inxs most proly u to stunts ssing thm vi omputr. Th 1987 group of vtrinry stunts' highst init us of omputriz inx, Vtrinry Bulltin, ws msur t 16% us of on to six or mor tims. Lik thir ountrprts in 1987, th twlv 1997 vtrinry stunts who hl vn grs us th inxs n strts mor in sking urrnt informtion thn i th gnrl oy of stunts. Th xtnt to whih th vtrinry stunts utiliz othr ltroni rsours ws lso ssss. Th qustionnir sk whthr thy wr wr of ny of list of spifilly nm omputr srvis, W sits, ltroni mil lists, n nwsgroups. Sixty-two prnt of stunts init tht thy wr wr of t lst on of th following ltroni rsours: (1) omputr srvis (NOAH-th Amrin Vtrinry Mil Assoition's Ntwork of Animl Hlth; VIN- Vtrinry Informtion Ntwork, privtly own srvi); (2) W sits (NtVt n Eltroni Zoo); (3) ltroni mil lists (VETSTU-L, VETMED-L, VET- PLUS-L); n (4) vtrinry nwsgroups. Thirty-ight prnt of th stunts rpli tht thy wr not wr of ny of th rsours nm ov. Brokn own y vtrinry shool lss, ths rsults wr: 51% first-yr, 35% son-yr, 33% thir-yr, n 26% fourth-yr. Fw stunts, howvr, rport us of th spifilly nm ltroni rsours intifi ov; thrfor, thy wr possily utilizing othr ltroni tools, prhps mor topil or spifi, tht r vill through th Intrnt. Whn sk whr thy h lrn out ltroni rsours, vrity of nswrs wr givn, l y "Othr vt stunts" (19%) n follow y "Othr" (13%), "Lirry stff" (10%), "Vt journls/ooks" (9%) n "Vt shool" (6%). Th "Do not us/dos not pply" nswr ws hk y 41% of th rsponnts. Biliogrphi instrution Th ISU-rquir unrgrut iliogrphi instrution ours h n omplt y 38% of th stunts prior to mission to vtrinry shool. An- Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July

6 Pizr t l. Tl 2 Stunt us of omputriz n print inxs/strts Frquny of rspons (%)^ Survy yr 0 Tims 1-2 Tims 3-5 Tims 6+ Tims n Computriz MEDLINE (Humn Miin) * 20* 17* 47* VETCD (Vtrinry Miin) BEASTCD (Animl Sin) AGRICOLA (Agriultur) Biologil & Agriulturl Inx Currnt Contnts Vtrinry Bulltin BIOSIS Print Biologil Astrts Vtrinry Bulltin * 13* 3* Inx Mius * 10* Inx Vtrinrius * 1 0* 2* 2* Currnt Contnts: Agriulturl, Biology & Environmntl Sins Currnt Contnts: Lif Si ns Prntgs my not qul 100% u to rouning. No 1987 t vill. No 1997 t vill. * Signifint iffrn tt t th 5% lvl. Th lst signifint iffrn t th 5% lvl is pproximtly 10%. othr 24% h riv som typ of lirry orinttion, whil 39% rport hving h no lirry instrution t ll. Bginning with th 1992 mi yr, th ISU iliogrphi instrution ours hng from ltur-s ours to slf-p, omputrs tutoril, whih inlu xriss in th us of omputriz inxs. To ror th possil influn of this nw prsnttion mtho n xposur, th stunts wr sk whthr thy h tkn th ours prior to 1992 (th pr-1992 group) or 1992 or ltr (th post-1992 group). As with th 1987 stuy, thr ws littl iffrn twn stunts with forml iliogrphi instrution n thos without in th wys tht thy sought informtion or us lirry srvis. Th xption ws th pr-1992 iliogrphi instrution group. This group, whih riv instrution only in print inxs through th ISU ours, nm omputriz inxs s thir most importnt rsour in fining urrnt informtion, n init th highst usg of th inxs, prtiulrly VETCD, BEASTCD, n MEDLINE. Th pr-1992 group inlu 61% uppr lss stunts, s ompr to 25% uppr lss stunts in th post-1992 group. It oul onjtur tht th n for informtion ws rivn y th urriulum, s th thir n fourth-yr stunts mov from th initil two yrs of th mor iti, si sin ourss to th mor intrtiv rng of linil xprins uring th lst two yrs of th vtrinry progrm. For xmpl, th fourth-yr stunts wr involv with linil rottions uring this prio n woul intrst in fining urrnt informtion on prtiulr ss. Rurl n Gnrl Prti Option stunts Th prolm-s lrning (PBL) mtho of instrution, us inrsingly in mil shools [15-17], hs n implmnt s n xprimntl urriulr option t th ISU Collg of Vtrinry Miin. Th ojtiv of PBL is to th prolm-solving skills to stunts s wll s to intgrt th si n linil sins into n utionl whol. Stunts nroll in this option, whih uring th spring 1997 smstr onsist of tn son-yr stunts, r xpt to rsrh n informtion rlting to thir lsss in prprtion for prsnttion to th group. Survys rturn from nin of ths stunts suggst tht th informtion-sking hvior of this pilot group of vtrinry stunts is somwht iffrnt from tht of th stunts in th tritionl urriulum. Whn sk how mny ourss uring th fll smstr rquir us of th lirry's print or ltroni mtrils othr thn rsrv, most of th tritionl 350 Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July 1998

7 Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior Tl 3 Informtion rsours for futur ution ns Frquny of rspons (%)^ Survy yr Not importnt Somwht importnt Importnt Quit importnt Vry importnt n Collgus * 23* 60* Continuing ution ourss/ workshops Confrns/mtings Prsonl lirry * 42* Vtrinry/univrsity lirry Worl Wi W E-mil lists Computr srvis Inx tss Nwsgroups Computriz informtion Puli lirry ^ Prntgs my not qul 100% u to rouning. No 1987 t vill. No 1997 t vill. * Signifint iffrn tt t th 5% lvl. Th lst signifint iffrn t th 5% lvl is pproximtly 10%. urriulum stunts init on or two ourss, whil th mjority of RGPO stunts si thr to fiv ourss. All of th RGPO stunts si tht thy spnt two to four tims pr wk or mor sking informtion rlt to thir ourswork, whil only 23% of thir son-yr lssmts nroll in th tritionl urriulum i so. Thy wr lso mor likly to us th W or Intrnt (89%) thn thir ountrprts (62%) in sking urrnt informtion. Us of th omputriz inxs n th lirry's onlin tlog wr th first hois of th RGPO stunts for sking urrnt informtion, ut thir son-yr tritionl urriulum lssmts nm txtooks first, follow y omputriz inxs. Th RGPO stunts onsistntly init th highst us of ll th omputriz inxs. Littl or no iffrns wr sn twn th RGPO stunts n th tritionl urriulum stunts in th us of print inxs, ltroni rsours nm in th survy, or projt informtion ns for futur ution. Although th rsults from this smll pilot group of nin RGPO vtrinry stunts must viw with ution, thy gr with rport rsults from stuis of mil stunts involv in th PBL mtho of instrution. Ths vtrinry stunts fin tht mor of thir ourswork rquir us of lirry rsours. Thy ppr to monstrt mor inpnnt n ggrssiv pproh to sking informtion, rlying on omputriz inxs n othr ltroni rsours for urrnt informtion in ition to txtooks n hnouts. Avn gr stunts Lik thir ountrprts in 1987, th twlv 1997 vtrinry stunts who hl vn grs (AD) tn to us th inxs n strts mor in sking urrnt informtion thn i th four stunt lsss s whol. Ninty prnt of th 1997 AD stunts hos omputriz inxs s thir first or son hoi in sking urrnt informtion, whil 38% of thir lssmts init txtooks s th most oftn us rsour, follow y hnouts s th son hoi (30%). This gr with th 1987 t n, gin, monstrt th grtr xprin of th AD stunts in onntrting on th inxs s rsour for urrnt informtion. Unr th tgory "Futur ution informtion ns," th AD stunts sw grtr rol for th vtrinry n univrsity lirris, inx tss, n th W in fulfilling thos ns thn i th gnrl stunt oy. Rsours for futur ution Most of th vtrinry stunts on tht th ltroni rsours list in th survy woul hv som gr of importn to thm for futur ution ns, ut not s muh s th tritionl mns of ollgus, ontinuing ution ourss or workshops, onfrns n mtings, or thir prsonl lirry (Tl 3). Aout two-thirs of th stunts flt tht vtrinry mil lirry oul ontinu to srv thir futur ution ns following grution. Ovr 40% of stunts sw th W n ltroni Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July

8 Pizr t l. mil lists s ithr vry importnt or quit importnt to thir futur ution, whil pproximtly 35% onsir omputr srvis n omputriz inxs s ing usful to thir futur ution ns. Although no irt omprisons oul m with th 1987 survy, only 11% of th stunts rsponing 10 yrs go liv "omputriz informtion" in gnrl, woul ithr vry importnt or quit importnt to ution ns following grution. DISCUSSION Th si pttrns of lirry tivitis n informtion-sking hvior utiliz y th 1987 vtrinry stunts-using photoopir n offi supplis, stuying, sking rsrv mtrils, n sking informtion for ourss-wr rplit y th 1997 group of stunts. Howvr, whn th 1997 stunts wnt yon txts n hnouts to sk urrnt informtion in inxs n strts, mjor shift ws sn from th us of print inxs n strts to omputriz prouts. This osrvtion ws not surprising givn th prolifrtion of vill onlin inxs n strts uring th pst. Th shift to using omputriz prouts inlu us of th Intrnt for fining urrnt informtion y 59% of th stunts s msur y th survy instrumnt. Kn Boshrt, D.V.M., rtor of th wr-winning NtVt n Eltroni Zoo Intrnt sits ommnts tht, "with toy's p of lif, no on is going to hppy with 6 month turnroun on informtion xhng... th mor rnt vtrinry gruts r going to muh mor rptiv to omputr ntworking, sin thy will hv h xposur in shool n mny will wnt to us this mium to kp in touh oth profssionlly n prsonlly [18]. Th rsults of th prsnt stuy show lrly tht th mjority of ISU vtrinry stunts r rptiv to using ltroni rsours. This intrst in ltroni rsours y vtrinrins hs grt implitions for informtion profssionls. Thy hv n opportunity to ssist vtrinry utors who hoos to th informtion rtrivl skills tht utiliz onlin n n-usr srh systms. W, Intrnt, n ts instrution my inorport into th mtril of xisting ourss, or tught s sprt ours (or workshop) trgting vtrinry rsours. Instrution my prsnt to ll stunts in squntil mnnr, or to just th fourth-yr stunts s rport y Bru [19]. Bru's rport suggsts vrity of wys in whih lirry profssionls my involv with vtrinry utors in proviing stunts with funmntl srh skills. Prsnt y stunts woul nfit from mor xposur to toy's ltroni thnologis s nothr mns of proviing for thir informtion ns following grution. Spifi isvntgs tht r inhrnt to omputr ntworking, suh s lk of pr rviw, oul rss s wll. Prtiulrly importnt to onsir is th ntrliztion or isoltion of mny vtrinry prtis from othr prtitionrs n informtion rsours. Confrring out ss on rgulr sis n no longr limit primrily to liniins in mi or inustry [20-22]. Tstimonils out th nfits of ths onlin intrtions oun in vtrinry tr journls. An xllnt xmpl pprs in rnt issu of Hors Dirymn unr th titl, "Th nt hlp solv this Psturll mstitis prolm." In this instn, th vtrinrin onnt vi -mil to "svrl uthoritis from roun th ountry" who, in th ours of on y, wr l to vis him out n unusul form of mstitis. "Formrly," th prtitionr sys, "otining th nswrs woul hv rquir numrous tim onsuming phon onsulttions, txtook rsrh, n writtn inquiris to ollgus. In this s, it rquir totl of thr -mil mssgs" [23]. Th Intrnt n now srv s gtwy to univrsity onlin tlogs; to inxs suh s MEDLINE, AGRICOLA, CAB ABSTRACTS; onlin journls n nwslttrs; ommril omputr srvis; n ltroni mil groups suh s VETPLUS-L (vt profssionls list), whih hs ovr 1,000 susrirs roun th worl [24]. Th omputr srvis NOAH n VIN oth offr ontinuing ution mtrils onlin, lthough, s yt only limit ontinuing ution rit is llow y most stt linsing ors n th AVMA [25]. Cultivtion of vtrinry stunts' intrsts in ths ltroni rsours y vtrinry utors n lirrins, will nsur tht ll gruting stunts hv th nssry thnil xprtis to nvigt th onlin worl n n provi for stunts mns of fining informtion prtiulrly wll-suit to ling with rpi vns in th profssion. As til y L [26] n Coff [27], vtrinry mil lirris n ontriut in vrity of wys to th futur ution ns of vtrinrins y proviing hlp intifying n srhing rmot tss, outrh srvis, n irultion n intrlirry lon privilgs. CONCLUSION Whthr y urriulum sign or y stunt prfrns for nw lirry thnology, or oth, th inrs wrnss n us of omputriz inxs n othr ltroni rsours mong th 1997 stunts ws nourging to s. Th mjority of ths stunts sm to priv th importn of looking for informtion, spilly urrnt informtion, yon txtooks n hnouts. This ws prtiulrly vint in th RGPO group of stunts. Eltroni rsours oul ply n ovious rol in ruing th in- 352 Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July 1998

9 Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior formtion isoltion of mny vtrinry prtis. Illy, th utionl pross oul now fous on thos stunts who init tht thy wr not wr of ny of th ltroni rsours, prtiulrly th fourthyr stunts who soon woul om prtitionrs n oul most immitly nfit from th wlth of informtion tht omputriz rsours hv to offr thos who my prtiing in mor rmot gogrphil lotions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Th uthors wish to thnk Dr. Elon Uhlnhopp, ssoit n of Ami n Stunt Affirs, Collg of Vtrinry Miin, n Ms. Anr Bshr, Stunt Srvis spilist, for filitting ministrtion of th survy instrumnt in th ISU Collg of Vtrinry Miin. REFERENCES 1. PELZER NL, LEYSEN JM. Lirry us n informtionsking hvior of vtrinry mil stunts. Bull M Lir Asso 1988 Ot;76(4): PRITCHARD WR, ED. Futur irtions for vtrinry miin. Durhm, NC: Duk Univrsity, Pw Ntionl Vtrinry Eution Progrm, AVMA CENTER FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. Us of omputr tlommunitions in vtrinry miin. J Am Vt M Asso 1992 Nov 15;201(10): Informtion g kons prtitionrs: tlommunitions ntworks pntrt prtis. Vt Forum 1993 F: AVMA CENTER FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. Computr us n pplitions in vtrinry miin. J Am Vt M Asso 1992 Nov 1;201(9): TALBOT RB. Communiting with omputrs: fining thos missing links for your prti. Vt Forum F: DYE L, HARRIS T, RAY CM, WALDHALM S. Computr us in privt vtrinry prti. J Am Vt M Asso 1994 Mr 15;204(6): SPENCER L. Computrs: yon th sis. J Am Vt M Asso 1994 Ot 1;205(7): FEATHERSTON R. Brkthroughs in omputr us y vtrinrins. Emrg Si Thnol 1995 Jn: BOSCHERT K. Vtrinry miin on th informtion suprhighwy. Smin Vt M Surg (Smll Anim) 1996 My; 11(2): PION PD, FERGUSON DC. On-lin vtrinry ommunitis: th tim is now or I'v got mom: wht shoul I o with it? Whr shoul I point it? Smin Vt M Surg (Smll Anim) 1996 My;11(2): Informtion g kons prtitionrs, op.it. 13. COFFEE G. Vtrinry shool lirris ntr omputr g. J Am Vt M Asso 1996 Apr 1;208(7): FLAMING K. Rurl n Gnrl Prti Option in vt. m. Th t ISU 1997 Jn;9(5): RANKIN JA. Prolm-s mil ution: fft on lirry us. Bull M Lir Asso 1992 Jn; 80(1): MARSHALL JG, FITZGERALD D, BUSBY L, HEATON G. A stuy of lirry us in proll, )s n tritionl mil urriul. Bull M Lir As.o 1993 Jul;81(3): SCHILLING K, GINN DS, MICKELSON P, ROTH LH. Intgrtion of informtion-sking skills n tivitis into prolm-s urriulum. Bull M Lir Asso 1995 Apr; 83(2): BOSCHERT K. R: Vtrinrins n th Informtion Suprhighwy [istriution list]. Vtinfo@uvls.itnt [16 F 1994]. 19. BRUCE NJ. Lirry instrution for 4th-yr stunts: os it py? J Vt M Eu 1992 Summr;19(3): AVMA CENTER FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. Computr us n pplitions in vtrinry miin, op. it. 21. BIAGIOTTI PR. Th nt hlp solv this Psturll mstitis prolm. Hor's Dirym 1997 Apr; 10: NOAH notook. J Am Vt M Asso 1996 D. 15; 209(12): BIAGIOTTI, op. it. 24. LANE-TRAINOR V. R: VETPLUS-L ross th 1000 rrir; sponsors sought [istriution list]. vtplus-l@u. wshington.u [27 My 1997]. 25. COLE R. Digitl xtrity: omputr is in vry ornr of vtrinry prti. Vt Forum Sp; LEE TP. Th vtrinry mil/hlth sins lirry s ontinuing ution opportunity for vtrinrins. J Am Vt M Asso 1993 F 1;202(3): COFFEE EG, DAVIDSON C, [COMP] Dirtory of informtion sours. In: Sulrti M,. AVMA irtory. Shumrg, IL: Amrin Vtrinry Mil Assoition, 1997: Riv July 1997; pt Novmr 1997 APPENDIX A TO: Vt. M. Stunt FROM: Nny Plzr, Prks Lirry Jon Lysn, Prks Lirry Willim Wis, Vt M. Lirry W r onuting survy of your us of informtion rsours vill in th Vt. M. Lirry. W woul lik to know how you r fining informtion n to support your ours work n on linil topis of intrst to you. Whil your prtiiption in this survy is voluntry, your rspons to th stuy qustions is importnt for n urt ssssmnt of Vt Lirry srvis n rsours. Dt will summriz in group form, nsuring iniviul onfintility. Woul you pls tk fw minuts to nswr th survy qustions. Your ooprtion is pprit. Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July

10 Plzr t l. VETERINARY STUDENT LIBRARY USE SURVEY Pls nswr h qustion with th rspons tht st sris your us of th Vt. M. Lirry n its rsours. This survy os NOT inlu us of Biomil Communitions. Us lk No. 2 (soft) pnil on th tth nswr sht n sur to fill in th pproprit irls ompltly. 1. Your lss:. VM1. VM2. VM3. VM4 2. Init th highst lvl of ution or gr omplt:. Unrgrut ourswork. B.S. /B.A.. M.S. /M.A.. Ph.D. 3. Init whthr you r lso urrntly nroll in ny of th low progrms:. B.S./B.A.. M.S./M.A.. Ph.D.. Non of ths 4. Wht typ of lirry instrution hv you riv prior to vt shool?. Lirry 160 ours t ISU prior to Fll Lirry 160 ours t ISU, Fll 1992 or ltr. Orinttion/ours in ollg, othr thn Lirry 160. No ours (slf-tught) 5. How oftn hv you riv lirry ssistn or instrution t th Vt. M. Lirry?. nvr. on or twi. thr to fiv tims. six or mor tims 6. How mny of th ourss you took uring th Fll smstr rquir you to us print or ltroni lirry mtrils (othr thn rsrv)?. non. on or two. thr to fiv. six or mor How frquntly o you spn tim in th Vt. M. Lirry on th following tivitis? vry 2-4 tims y wk 7. Stuying ourswork 8. Ring spifi rtils or ooks ssign y instrutors, inluing rsrv mtrils 9. Utilizing th SCAVMA tst fil 10. Looking for informtion for us in VCS 385/VCS 495 n/or othr linil ss 11. Looking for informtion for us in ll othr ourswork 12. Looking for informtion for us in rsrh 13. Ring vtrinry/niml si. Journls on your own, not s prt of lss ssignmnt 14. Lisur ring (nwspprs, populr mgzins) 15. Using th photoopy mhins 16. Using th hol punh, stplr, tp, pnil shrpnr, t. 17. Gtting ook or rtil not vill in th Vt. M. Lirry 18. Stuying To fin urrnt informtion on topi or ssignmnt tht is nw to you, o y 19. Txtooks ssign for th ours 20. Hnouts/ours mtril othr thn txtooks 21. ICAT (ISU Lirry's onlin tlog) 22. Print inxs/ strts 23. Inx tss on omputr (MEDLINE, VETCD, BEASTCD, t.) 24. Worl Wi W n othr Intrnt rsours 25. Ask lirry stff 26. Ask lssmts n/or instrutors for tips 27. Brows ooks n/or joumls on th shlf 28. Of th sours list in 19-27, whih on o you us most oftn? f. 24 g Of th sours list in 19-27, whih on o you us son most oftn? f. 24 g. 25 on/wk or lss,ou us th following?. Ys. No. Ys. No. Ys. No. Ys. No. Ys. Ys. Ys. Ys. Ys h. 26 i. 27 h. 26 i. 27. No. No. No. No. No not t ll 354 Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July 1998

11 Print inxs/strts 30. Inx Vtrinrius 31. Vtrinry Bulltin 32. Inx Mius 33. Currnt Contnts: Agriultur, Biology n Environmntl Sins 34. Currnt Contnts: Lif Sins 35. Biologil Astrts (Prks Lirry) Inx tss on omputr 36. VETCD (Vtrinry sin) 37. BEASTCD (Animl sin) 38. MEDLINE (Humn n vtrinry miin) 39. Currnt Contnts 40. AGRICOLA (Agriultur) 41. Biologil n Agriulturl Inx 42. Any of th ov or similr inx tss ss from omputr t hom 43. Computr srvis, w sits, lists, n nwsgroups r list in qustions Ar you wr of ny of ths?. Ys. No Lirry us n informtion-sking hvior Blow is list of print n omputriz inxs. How ifrquntly hv you us ths inxs s vtrinry stunt? or mor tims tims tims tims or mor How frquntly hv you us ths rsours tims tims tims tims 44. NOAH, VIN 45. NtVt/Eltroni Zoo 46. VETSTU-L, VETMED-1, VETPLUS Nwsgroups (.g., lt.m.vtrinry) 48. Whih of th following ws th most usful in lning out th rsours in qustions 44 47?. Vt shool urriulum. Vt journl/ooks. Lirry stff. Othr vt stunts. Othr f. Do not us/ os not pply Whn you r mploy, how importnt will th following rsours to your futur ution? Not Somwht Quit Vry Imp 49. Prsonl lirry, inluing journls 50. Vtrinry or univrsity lirry 51. Onlin srvis (NOAH, VIN) 52. Inx tss (.g., MEDLINE) 53. Worl Wi W (.g., NtVt, Eltroni Zoo) 54. Eltroni mil lists (.g., VETMED-L, VETPLUS-L) 55. Nwsgroups (.g., lt.m.vtrinry) 56. Collgus 57. Confrns n mtings 58. Continuing ution ourss n workshops THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION Bull M Lir Asso 86(3) July