The results of a recent survey conducted by UMUC’s Information and Library Services Department found that 80 percent of UMUC students conduct their research electronically off-campus as opposed to physically coming to the library.

"Regardless of whether they are taking courses in the classroom or online, students prefer to access resources from their home instead of coming to the library," says Kim Kelley, associate provost, Information and Library Services.

Kelley adds that incoming freshman, most of whom are web-savvy, "don’t really know too much about doing research. They know a lot about doing a search on Google, but they don’t know how to look at a Google return and determine what is valuable and what is not."

To help students learn how to properly utilize online resources, an award-winning UMUC online course, LIBS 150, launched Spring 2001, is now mandatory for all incoming students. LIBS 150 introduces students to the research process and methods for retrieving information through online sources. There’s also a voluntary online course, VLIB 101, which offers tutorials and exercises to help students master the research process.

For information about the full slate of innovative services offered online through UMUC’s Information and Library Services Department, visit www.umuc.edu/library/