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The purpose of this paper is to discover how many of the authors' own university students own internet-enabled mobile devices and how they use them. That information will be incorporated into the design of a user-centered library mobile web site.

SurveyMonkey was used to create a web based survey which was distributed through a stable URL hosted on the Hunter College Libraries' web site.

This study illustrates that Hunter College students are increasingly using their mobile devices for educational purposes. Students are reliant on these devices even when other internet-enabled devices such as laptops and desktops are available.

The principal tool used, SurveyMonkey, did not enable high level restrictions on potential participants. As a result, multiple demographic questions were used to establish a respondent profile.

The findings of this study provide a framework for the creation of a mobile survey to discover users' habits and preferences. The data collected may also give an indication of what users may desire in a mobile library web site. Further investigation is needed to explore the relationship between commuting and how students use their mobile devices.

This is the only study which provides data on the devices urban college student library users own, and how they utilize these devices.

This article seeks to provide an overview of the development, construction and evaluation of an information literacy testing instrument connected with the VOILA! online information literacy tutorials, developed by librarians at Hunter College libraries for students enrolled in the college's first‐year orientation seminar (ORSEMs).

The VOILA! online information literacy tutorial, developed by librarians at Hunter College, has a test as one of its components. All incoming students registered in the college's orientation seminars (ORSEMs) are required to go through the VOILA! tutorials and take the test. The longitudinal development and evaluation of the test are reviewed, including initial statement of competencies, test creation, test construction (assessment type, question formulation and question type) and test evolution. Validity and reliability are also discussed in detail. Finally, a review of the test results including general statistics and the connection of student performance to test construction is provided.

Test construction was given a great deal of attention during the development of VOILA!, as librarians wanted an instrument that was valid and reliable. The importance of iterative test design and attention to the details of test construction is stressed in the article, and the methodology used to determine validity and reliability is presented. Those interested in testing information literacy skills must be able to examine the instrument, the results and the design process in a way that contributes meaningfully to the preparation of students to undertake research at the college level.

Librarians will continue to modify the VOILA! test in keeping with evaluation results, and the assessment will continue. Thus the results presented may not fully represent the final evaluative outcome.

This research is useful for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation. The longitudinal study presents clear, practical information that can be used as a case study for other libraries interested in this area. The VOILA! test itself is included as an Appendix, and can be used as a model for other libraries to consult.

A literature review revealed a number of articles about testing and information literacy, but very few, if any, articles approached the discussion from a longitudinal test construction standpoint. In this way, the study presents information that is original. The study would be valuable for information professionals who are interested in test design, construction and evaluation.