The impact of library instruction: do first-year medical students use library resources specifically highlighted during instructional sessions?
OBJECTIVE
The research sought to determine if first-year medical students consulted and cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions.


METHODS
Students attended a library resources instructional session. Resources that pertained to the students' assignment were demonstrated and discussed. The students created a report including citations from relevant literature. The citations were analyzed and categorized as: a resource discussed at the instructional session, a resource found on the course LibGuide, a library resource, course material, or some other resource. All citations were subcategorized as print or electronic.


RESULTS
Three years (2008-2011) of data analyzing 2,983 citations showed that 49.55% of all citations were from resources discussed during library instructional sessions; 21.86% came from resources with links on the course LibGuide; 77.51% were from library resources; and 90.68% came from electronic resources.


CONCLUSIONS
Students cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assignments. The percentage of all citations coming from resources highlighted during the instructional sessions or found on the course LibGuide indicates that library instruction had an impact on the students' work.
Library of the Health Sciences-Urbana, University of Illinois at Chicago, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. rraffer2@uic.edu
Ryan S
RS
Rafferty
D004501:Education, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007087:Illinois; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007999:Library Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*