| Past research clearly indicates that most student library use in the postsecondary environment is a function of faculty demand, but with the exception of a handful of studies, there is little research indicating what kinds of attitudes teaching faculty may hold towards making assignments of their students which require some type of library use. This exploratory single-case study uses a multimethodological approach (focus groups and self-administered closed-question survey) to identify and describe the purposes, levels of importance, and self-perceived roles of faculty at a large urban community college in making such assignments. It also examines the extent to which these elements may be identified with several demographic variables.;Among the results reported in this study are the attitudes of faculty towards the role of the librarian and of the instructor. Faculty participants felt that librarians should be teaching the process of finding information and creating a welcoming educational environment in the library and that instructors should be making realistic library assignments and motivating students to use the library. Also reported were the values which faculty felt were inherent in library use for students, such as stimulating students' intellectual curiosity and increasing their awareness of the world outside the classroom. The study also reports reasons why faculty believe library use is important, which include increasing students' self-esteem and self confidence, getting students familiar with the literature in their field, and improving general communication skills.;The study concludes with some observations about the implications of the study's findings as well as recommendations for further study and research. |
