Evaluating the Library Training Program for Graduate Psychology Students

This applied dissertation study utilized the 2007 version of Stufflebeam’s Context Input Process Product Evaluation Model to evaluate the library training program for graduate psychology students at a not-for-profit university in south Florida. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the library training to determine the extent to which desired institutional outcomes and students’ needs were being met. During the 2007-2008 academic year, students received library training by completing an online tutorial known as the e-train module in their first year of study at the university. Data from 14 interviews conducted with librarians, faculty, and students; 100 graded etrain modules; student responses to an online library questionnaire regarding the e-train module; a document containing background information about the library training program for psychology students; and a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools library training report were reviewed and analyzed during the course of the study. Results indicated that the library training needed significant modifications, and students were not acquiring essential library skills. The institution’s librarians and faculty were also dissatisfied with the library training. Based on the study findings, recommendations for changes were provided to the school of psychology and the library. Recommended changes included developing more interactive training that incorporated multimedia elements and integrating library training into the psychology curriculum. In addition, library activities should be tied to specific assignments, and students should receive library training that builds sequentially and developmentally throughout the course of their programs. Study findings played a significant role in the implementation of changes planned for the library training for the following 2008-2009 academic year.