Mining E‐mail to Improve Information Literacy Instruction

While there was no defined problem with the services being provided, the librarian was curious about the amount and type of e‐mail questions students were asking. Patterns within the types of questions being asked, the programs, levels, courses or assignments that were generating the questions, or the individuals asking the questions might reveal areas where IL might be improved to better meet student needs. The librarian was also interested in the time of day students asked questions as an indication of when students were working on their assignments.