During the last two weeks of March, law library staff conducted a user survey to determine who is using the library and why. A total of 687 library users completed a survey. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of those who responded were law students (81%). The rest of the users consisted of other GMU students (6%), members of the general public (6%), attorneys (4%), faculty (1%) and others (2%).
The survey asked users to select their purpose(s) for visiting the library. The overwhelming majority of law students (480 out of 554) responded that they were using the library to study or prepare for classes. An equally large number of law students (466) indicated that they were going to use electronic resources. The most popular were Westlaw (240), Lexis (150), Loislaw (28) and the Library Catalog (29). A much smaller number of students indicated that they planned to use the print collection (109). The most frequently used print materials were cases and digests, followed by law journals, treatises, and statutes. Law students selected a number of other purposes for using the library including use of their laptops (217), use of the computer labs (130), photocopying (28) and reference assistance (18).
Usage by other GMU students followed a similar pattern with study coming in first followed by use of the print collection, computer labs, laptops, and reference help. Attorneys and other public patrons indicated that they were using the library primarily for the print collection, but some also planned to use photocopy services and reference. A number of public patrons indicated that they were using the library primarily for study.
Tags: Surveys