Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Best Practices in Developing Online Information Literacy Tutorials, ISBN 978-157440-247-6

 The study looks closely at how academic libraries are developing and deploying online information literacy tutorials exploring issues such as spending, budgets, staffing, range and qualifications of staff used for tutorial development, software use, time frame for tutorial development, conceptions of what constitutes a quality tutorial, assessment of library efforts, marketing to students and faculty, cooperation with other institutions, frequency of tutorial revision, measurement of student outcomes and other issues in the development and use of online information literacy tutorials.

The study was devised with the assistance of Jennifer Holland and Yvonne Mery of the University of Arizona Libraries, and Erica DeFrain of the University of Vermont Library, and the summary of main findings was written by Holland and DeFrain.

Just a few of the main findings from this exhaustive 285 page study are that:
•       The mean number of information literacy tutorials per library in the sample was 27.92, and the median was 10.50.
•       The library homepage was listed as the most popular access point for online information literacy tutorials, followed by subject guides, course guides, and  YouTube.
•       Nearly 69% of tutorials used by the libraries in the sample were created in-house.
•       A third of the libraries sampled reported using the tutorials of other libraries.
•       The following institutions were cited by survey participants for excellence in tutorial development and a source of imitation or inspiration: Cardiff University, Clark College, Coastal Carolina University, Cooperative Library Instruction Project, Glasgow Caledonian (UK), Kent State, Manor College, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Open University (UK), Penn State, Rutgers, South African Universities, TILT, University of Arizona, University of California-Irvine, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Pittsburgh, University of Sydney, University of Texas-Austin, University of Texas-Houston, Vanderbilt, Wayne State University, West Chester University, and Western Oregon University.
•       About a quarter of the libraries sampled assigned only one person to the task of developing information literacy tutorials for the library.
•       Only a third of librarians sampled felt that their institutions provided adequate support for tutorial development.
•       43.75% of respondents from community colleges indicating that it took less than 10 hours to develop an information literacy tutorial.
•       2.56% of the libraries sampled used their own in-house developed software to create tutorials.

Data is broken out by size and type of library, for US and foreign libraries, and for public and private colleges.  For further information view our website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.