Effective instruction needed to improve students' use of government documents

Findings from an analysis of printer data in the Walter Stiern Library at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), revealed that government documents accounted for about 5% of the total materials printed. A comparison of these findings with circulation statistics for government documents showed that students are more likely to print web-based government documents than to check out their paper counterparts. However, neither paper nor electronic government documents were accessed at levels indicating extensive use. This study indicates that students are neglecting important materials in their research and that instructors need to further incorporate the use of government documents into their course requirements. Collaborative instruction between librarians and teaching faculty can promote access to the rapidly developing digital collections of government documents. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.