liu.p65 348 College & Research Libraries July 1997 348 cans, and Pacific Islanders form even smaller percentages.1 How do college and university librar- ies respond to the needs of a more diversi- fied student body? How do librarians pro- vide more effective and efficient services to their multicultural patrons? Knowing the in- formation needs and information-seeking behavior of library users from culturally di- verse populations not only helps explain the multicultural communication process, but also aids librarians in developing systems and services to meet the increasing challenge of a diversified society. Background and Related Research Currently, there is great interest in higher education—and among academic librar- Information-Seeking Behavior of Multicultural Students: A Case Study at San Jose State University Mengxiong Liu and Bernice Redfern Mengxiong Liu is a Reference Librarian in Clark Library at San Jose State University; e-mail: mengxion@sjsuvm1.sjsu.edu. Bernice Redfern is a Reference Librarian in Clark Library at San Jose State University; e-mail: redfern@sjsuvm1.sjsu.edu. In 1995 a survey was conducted on the campus of San Jose State Uni- versity where, for the first time, so-called minorities made up 50.7 per- cent of the total student population. Asian students compose the largest group among other ethnic groups. The study shows that students who use English as their primary language are usually more successful in using the library than those who use English as a second language. Length of stay in the United States also affects how often students use the library, as well as their behavior in asking reference questions. The survey found that Asian students are hindered by a fear of asking stupid questions, a belief that their English is not good enough, an inability to understand answers well, and a lack of familiarity with the library refer- ence desk. he demographics of the U.S. population are changing. Our society is becoming more cul- turally diverse, with greater minority composition. Statistical projec- tions indicate that the percentage of mi- norities will grow significantly in this de- cade. Likewise, the population of college campuses has become more diverse in re- cent years. At San Jose State University, the total minority enrollment has grown from 10,353 in the fall of 1988 to 13,169 in the fall of 1995. For the first time, the so-called minorities make up 50.7 percent of the to- tal student population. Asians comprise 25.49 percent of this group, followed by Hispanics who make up 13.22 percent. Fili- pinos, African Americans, Native Ameri- Information-Seeking Behavior 349 ians—in addressing the needs of multicultural students. Several studies published in recent years advocate the need for special programs and services for multicultural students in academic li- braries. In a 1990 article, Glaviano and Lam discussed the importance of affirma- tive action strategies in academic librar- ies and stressed the value of greater cul- tural diversity within the academic library.2 Trujillo and Weber examined the aca- demic library’s response to cultural diver- sity and suggested steps that can be taken to improve its response.3 In addition, the implications of the pluralistic campus in the year 2000 are addressed in an article by Welch and Lam.4 Chadley surveyed di- rectors of ARL libraries to investigate their interest in cultural diversity. Results in- dicate that research libraries are making progress in creating a culturally diverse climate.5 In a survey of two hundred aca- demic library directors in areas of large ethnic populations, Buttlar found that 92 percent of the directors have appropriated financial resources to facilitate cultural diversity.6 These studies provide excellent overviews of the response of academic li- braries to multiculturalism. International students form a compo- nent of the ethnically diverse student population. A number of recent studies discuss the need to provide special ser- vices for this growing segment of the stu- dent population. Allen surveyed the char- acteristics of the international student population in order to determine patterns of library use. She concluded that librar- ies may need to make special efforts to provide instructional services to these stu- dents.7 Moreover, a study by Sarkodie- Mensah suggests that academic librarians should become more aware of pronuncia- tion differences, more attuned to mean- ings, and more tactful and sensitive to dif- fering cultural perspectives when assist- ing international students.8 Liu examined the difficulties of stu- dents from developing countries, mostly Asian students, in using American librar- ies. In an interview conducted with stu- dents studying at the University of Cali- fornia-Berkeley, she found that students in natural sciences have fewer difficulties than those in humanities and social sci- ences. Also, those students who are pro- ficient in English and whose home coun- tries are strongly influenced by American culture encounter fewer difficulties.9 The present study responds to the need for research on information-seeking pat- terns among multicultural students. By obtaining insight into how university stu- dents of various ethnic groups use librar- ies, academic librarians may be better able to respond to the specific needs of multicultural students. Goal of the Study The goal of this study is to obtain insight into how university students from diverse ethnic groups discover, select, and use information and communication re- sources. The study investigates various information channels students use. It also examines communication patterns among a diverse student population. More specifically, it identifies the cultural and educational background of the stu- dents and the impact these factors have on their information-seeking behavior. Methodology The authors used an exploratory survey method, or experience survey to be more specific, in this study.10 The purpose of this type of survey was to obtain insights into the relationships between user be- havior and the reasons behind it in the studied groups, rather than to generalize By obtaining insight into how university students of various ethnic groups use libraries, academic librarians may be better able to respond to the specific needs of multicultural students. 350 College & Research Libraries July 1997 the findings to the whole campus. The authors’ primary interest was in gaining some provocative ideas, useful insights, and suggestions for future research. Be- cause this was a preliminary study, ex- ploratory in nature, a high-response rate was important in order to generate nec- essary information for further research. Therefore, the authors decided to give the questionnaires to faculty members who agreed to distribute them in their classes. The cover letter made it clear to the stu- dents that participation in the study was voluntary, and that choosing not to par- ticipate would not affect their academic attainments. The authors also made sure that faculty assured their students that completion of the questionnaire was not part of their class assignment. The re- turned questionnaires were anonymous. Out of the 300 distributed questionnaires, 237 (79%) were returned. The questionnaire was designed to measure the composition of the student body in the surveyed classes at San Jose State University; to investigate the stu- dents’ experience of using the library, such as visit frequency, purpose of visit, and difficulty and success level; and to examine whether the students asked li- brarians for assistance, as well as the rea- sons for the request. The assumption was that students with multicultural back- grounds may have different information- seeking behaviors which could result in different success levels in using the li- brary. Statistical analyses were performed cautiously with the exploratory data. However, no causal relationship could be generalized but, rather, applied only to the particular cases that were studied. Findings Profile of the Students Among the 237 respondents, 57.8 percent were male and 42.2 percent were female. In the area of ethnic composition, 62 per- cent were Asian and 27 percent said they were Caucasian. Six percent were listed as other, four percent as Hispanic, and one percent as African American. Fifty-eight percent indicated that coun- try of origin was an Asian country; 31 per- cent said that their country of origin was the United States; and four percent listed country of origin as a Middle Eastern coun- try. Latin America and Europe each was listed as country of origin by six percent of the respondents, whereas one percent listed Africa as place of origin. Sixty percent of the study respondents said that English was their second lan- guage, compared to 40 percent who indi- cated that English was their primary lan- guage. Sixty percent of those surveyed said they had lived in the United States between five and fifteen years, whereas 32 percent indicated they had lived in this country for less than five years. Seven per- cent said they had lived here between six- teen and twenty years, and one percent be- tween twenty-one and twenty-five years. Most of the Asian students who com- pleted the questionnaire indicated their major was engineering (44%), compared to 30 percent of the Caucasian students. This profile indicates that San Jose State University is a very ethnically diverse, metropolitan university. Success Level of Library Use In general, the students used the library quite often (more than 40% said they of- ten used the library). They indicated that they had little difficulty in using the li- brary; in fact, 60 percent of these students said using the library was easy. They also found themselves quite successful (45%) in finding the information they needed in the library. Statistical analyses did not find gender, discipline, or country of origin to be re- lated to students’ library use behavior. However, the authors did find that the stu- Fifty-eight percent indicated that country of origin was Asian. Information-Seeking Behavior 351 FIGURE 1 Success Level and English Proficiency who used the library more frequently were more successful in locating needed informa- tion, whereas those who seldom used the library felt they were often unsuccessful. Further analysis shows that the length of stay in the United States makes a dif- ference in the frequency of students’ li- brary use. Students who have been in the country for more than sixteen years tend to use the library more frequently than those who have been in the country for less than fifteen years. Apparently, length of stay plays a part in the students’ level of information-seeking success. Success Level and Reference Inquiry In addition, students’ success levels could depend upon whether they ask reference questions. The chart in figure 3 shows that those students who ask reference ques- tions more frequently are likely to be more successful in locating needed information in the library. A majority (61.2%) of fre- quent reference inquirers felt they were quite successful in finding needed infor- mation. The authors also found that length of stay in this country was a factor that af- fects students’ behavior in asking refer- ence questions. Students who have stayed in this country for more than sixteen years dents’ level of success in using the library is related to these factors: English profi- ciency, frequency of library use, and fre- quency of reference desk inquiry. The chi- square tests showed a .05 level of statisti- cal significance among these variables. Success Level and English Proficiency The bar chart in figure 1 shows that stu- dents with English as their primary lan- guage, whether native born or from an English-speaking country, are usually more successful in using the library than those whose English is not their primary language. The biggest difference between the two groups is the level of “very suc- cessful.” Whereas 15.6 percent of the students who speak English as their pri- mary language were very successful in using the library, only 4.7 percent of the n o n n a t i v e E n g l i s h s p e a k e r s c h e c k e d “very successful” in their use of the li- brary. Therefore, English language pro- ficiency makes a difference in the success level of students’ use of the library. Success Level and Frequency of Library Use Success level also is dependent upon how often students use the library (see figure 2). The authors found that those students 352 College & Research Libraries July 1997 ask reference questions more frequently than those who have been here for less than fifteen years. It can be speculated that length of stay determines the degree to which students from foreign countries feel adapted to the society and, therefore, comfortable with using libraries and asking reference ques- tions. A period of adaptation may take as long as fifteen years. It leads to the as- sumption that a person’s information- seeking behavior may change after stay- ing in a different culture for a certain pe- riod of time. Asian Students: Difficulty and Success Because Asian students comprised the majority of the surveyed student group, and also represent the largest ethnic group on campus, separate statistics were performed to analyze their library use pattern. The authors found that most Asian students do not feel that using the library is that difficult. Indeed, 61.6 per- FIGURE 2 Success Level and Frequency of Library Use FIGURE 3 Success Level and Reference Inquiring Information-Seeking Behavior 353 cent of them said that using the library was easy or very easy, and their success level was high. In addition, 44.3 percent of them said they were quite successful in locating information in the library. However, among those who were not that successful and those who seldom asked reference questions, the following reasons contributed to their behavior of avoiding the reference desk: l afraid of asking stupid questions; l afraid of English not being good enough; l afraid of not understanding an- swers well; l never think of asking reference questions; l do not know what a reference li- brarian does. Conclusions and Recommendations The analysis presented here describes how students from diverse ethnic back- grounds attending a large metropolitan university use information resources. A survey was used to examine the level of success and the level of difficulty of their library use. It was found that students with English as their primary language usually were more successful in using the library than those for whom English is not their primary language. Success level also is dependent upon how often stu- dents use the library. Those students who used the library more frequently were more successful in locating needed infor- mation in the library than those who sel- dom or never used the library. The most interesting finding was that, despite their unsuccessful use of the library, some Asian students still avoided asking refer- ence questions. The reasons were related to their cultural background. What can librarians do to help this group of lost library users? This is a real challenge. There is no simple menu to follow. Understanding is the first step in approaching the problem. Developing skill in intercultural communication is the second step. The third step is to make ex- planations relative rather than absolute. Finally, all explanations about the prob- lem should be made relevant to students’ “lifeworld.”11 Cultural diversity is a reality today. If librarians do not make an effort to study their more ethnically diverse patrons, misperceptions about these groups and their information needs will remain. To benefit from the ideas and perspectives of different cultures, academic libraries must become more active in developing and strenthening library services for multicultural students. They must provide a welcoming environment for students from diverse cultures. Most of all, they must encourage these students to make use of the campus library and its services. The most interesting finding was that, despite their unsuccessful use of the library, some Asian students still avoided asking reference questions. Notes 1. These figures are from the Office of Institutional Research, San Jose State University. 2. Cliff Glaviano and R. Errol Lam, “Academic Libraries and Affirmative Action: Approach- ing Cultural Diversity in the 1990s,” College and Research Libraries 51 (Nov. 1990): 513–23. 3. Roberto G. Trujillo and David C. Weber, “Academic Library Responses to Cultural Diver- sity: A Position Paper for the 1990s,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 17 (July 1991): 157–61. 4. Janet E. Welch and R. Errol Lam, “The Library and the Pluralistic Campus in the Year 2000: Implications for Administrators,” Library Administration and Management 5 (fall 1991): 212– 16. 5. Otis A. Chadley, “Addressing Cultural Diversity in Academic and Research Libraries,” College and Research Libraries 53 (May 1992): 206–14. 6. Lois Buttlar, “Facilitating Cultural Diversity in College and University Libraries,” Journal 354 College & Research Libraries July 1997 of Academic Librarianship 20 (March 1994): 10–14. 7. Mary Beth Allen, “International Students in Academic Libraries: A User Survey,” College and Research Libraries 54 (July 1993): 323–33. 8. Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah, “Dealing with International Students in a Multicultural Era,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 18 (Sept. 1992): 214–16. 9. Ziming Liu, “Difficulties and Characteristics of Students from Developing Countries in Using American Libraries,” College and Research Libraries 54 (Jan. 1993): 25–31. 10. Ronald R. Powell, Basic Research Methods for Librarians (Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Pub., 1991), 54–55. 11. Mengxiong Liu, “Library Services for Ethnolinguistic Students,” Journal of Educational Media and Library Sciences 32 (spring 1995): 129–246.