Library instruction for graduate business students: a case study of faculty partnerships, database usage, and service design

Graduate business students at public urban universities are typically working professionals with limited time and uneven preparation for scholarly research. This exploratory case study analyzes 49 library instruction interactions and corresponding business database usage statistics across four academic years at a New England public university. Engagement closely tracked faculty partnership: when course-integrated instruction lapsed, instructional reach and database usage contracted sharply. The data also support a hypothesis worth testing: that research-oriented DBA programs may offer a more receptive environment for library integration than practice-oriented MBA programs. Findings have implications for liaison librarians at access-focused urban institutions.