How They Search,How They Feel,and How to Serve Them? Information Needs and Seeking Behaviors of Chinese Students Using Academic Libraries

ABSTRACT

America has become a choice for international students to study abroad because of its advanced education system and environment. Libraries become a way for international students to access resources and experience campus life, while Chinese students are increasing gradually as the biggest component of international students. This article investigates how Chinese students use American academic libraries and their information needs and seeking behaviors, as well as Chinese students' satisfaction with library facilities, resources, and services, and their expectation for other services. The article aims to better understand Chinese students, analyze their search strategies, and better provide relevant library services for them.     

Beyond These Walls

Abstract

To enhance the learning experiences of all students, today's academic librarians must engage in outreach efforts that move beyond the walls of the library. In the past year, Oakland University's Kresge Library has made significant inroads in developing outreach initiatives that provide needed services to previously underserved student populations, such as transfer students, multicultural groups, and on-cam-pus residents. These programs have increased the library's visibility, enhanced its image among the university's students, faculty, and staff alike, and positioned it at the heart of teaching and learning on campus. This article describes some of these outreach efforts.     

Doctoral Dissertations at a Distance

Abstract

The model suggests that librarians can assume the role of co-supervisor to ensure that the literature review of a doctoral dissertation is comprehensive and relevant. Librarians can also assist research students, make sure their supervisors are kept abreast of new information resources in their research disciplines, and act as a mentor to both student and staff member in library matters. The model was developed in recognition of the special support needs of off campus research students who are disadvantaged by isolation, time and distance. It is anticipated that adoption of the model will lead to increased rates of completion, higher standards of research, an improvement in information and literacy skills of research students and supervisors, and reduced isolation for off campus researchers.     

The Integration of Libraries and Academic Computing at Columbia: New Opportunities for Internal and External Collaboration

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, the libraries and academic computing units at Columbia have been brought together to form a new information services organization. This article will trace the history and current state of IT and library relationships at Columbia University. The expanding collaboration among academic computing services, their deeper partnership and integration with library programs, the working relationship with campus administrative computing, and participation in national and international projects will be described and evaluated.     

The Literature on Academic Integrity and Graduate Students: Issues,Solutions, and the Case for a Librarian Role

SUMMARY

Graduate and professional school students face a variety of academic integrity issues and are sometimes academically dishonest. The author surveys the literature of the last decade on graduate student academic integrity, including plagiarism, cheating, falsification, and authorship conflicts, focusing on empirical studies in multiple disciplines, studies that portray issues arising in individual disciplines, and solutions suggested. The author proposes that librarians who serve, teach, and consult with graduate students should develop their instructional role in this area. By becoming aware of the chief academic integrity problems and the subject-discipline related concerns, they can better assist graduate students in the context of information literacy and collaborate with faculty on training and other solutions.     

Redefining Diversity: Creating an Inclusive Academic Library through Diversity Initiatives

ABSTRACT

This article contends that it is essential for academic librarians to identify and remain mindful of the unique needs of an increasingly diverse student demographic to ensure that academic libraries are a welcoming place for all students. It is through diversity initiatives that we can expect to improve the educational outcome for students by presenting the library as a vital part of their college experience. The article defines diversity in the most “elastic” sense of the word—including minority racial groups, but expanding the term to include international students, graduate students, returning students, distance learners, transfer students, “at-risk” students, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender students.     

Reaching Out to the Net Generation on Campus

Abstract

The tremendous expansion of online information sources has prompted academic librarians to increase their outreach to undergraduates of the “Net Generation” in an effort to more effectively promote their libraries' resources to these students. Such outreach programs involve identifying library resources that support the information-seeking behaviors of Net Generation undergraduates, as well as establishing collaborative relationships with the individuals and groups affiliated with these students. This article describes an outreach initiative conducted by the Reference Department at the Mississippi State University Libraries, in which the Department worked with staff in residence halls to target undergraduates living on campus.     

Where the private meets the public: Results of a survey of library professionals’ observed student use of academic library spaces for prayer

Abstract

Reports of college students using the library for spiritual practices, including prayer and meditation, consist mainly of anecdotal observations, news stories, or press releases about the creation of such spaces within academic libraries. Driven by their own experiences with students using library spaces for prayer, the authors examined how prevalent this was across US academic institutions. Using a large-scale national survey, this study found library professionals observe a wide range of student prayer behavior in a variety of library spaces, regardless of institutional or campus demographics. The results provide academic libraries with evidence to support accommodating students’ spiritual needs in library spaces.     

Positioning the Library

Abstract

As environments become more challenging and resources decline, a library must position itself strategically within the university. This article provides twenty-three ways to improve the library's image on campus and to position the library for future success. Following these recommendations will enable the library to become a positive force in campus life and to establish its centrality to the academic mission.     

Academic libraries as active contributors to student wellness

Abstract

Colleges and universities have come to realize that student wellness is a factor in student retention and success. While academic libraries have not generally been included in wellness initiatives they are strategically placed on college campuses to play an essential role. By parlaying their reputations as trusted information providers and community centers, academic libraries can partner with more traditional campus health providers to be active and effective participants in this essential form of outreach.     

From the Other Side of the River

Summary

Loyal to long-held convictions of what undergraduates need intellectually, academic librarians ignore the critical signs that they may be failing students and faculty. Unless librarians are willing to question assumptions about how students think, what they value, and how external incentives shape their behavior in the information environment, they will find themselves increasingly at the margins of students' academic life. If there are important questions that beg for answers before librarians can redefine the teaching role of libraries, librarians have probably never been in a stronger position as a profession to engage in the research necessary for meaningful solutions.     

Building a Path to College Success: Advocacy,Discovery and OER Adoption in Emerging Educational Models

ABSTRACT

In this case study we will examine the role of the library in Open Educational Resources through the lens of library value described in Megan Oakleaf's 2010 ACRL report. While librarians in our organization have traditionally not played a role in textbook adoptions, the campus academic goal to increase online, blended and competency-based models is a strategic direction that intersects with the library's strategic vision to increase its contribution to online learning. Further, we will describe the process of building a partnership around OER with the campus Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and articulate the impact of our combined services on faculty adoption of OER and student success.     

The Difficult Patron in the Academic Library

Summary

Faculty members depend on the resources and services provided by the libraries to teach, satisfy the curricular needs of the students, and conduct their research. Students need the library for many reasons, among which are to complete their assignments and to expand on what faculty covers in class. The patron/librarian relationship in the academic library is not always perfect. Issues which students and faculty face in the academic library environment are completely different from those in the public library. Identifying the characteristics of the difficult or problem patron in academia is a little more difficult than in the public library. Are what librarians face when dealing with faculty and students more issue-related than just dealing with problem patrons? The authors will identify, from the librarians' perspectives, some of these often called difficult patron issues and offer solutions to try and preempt these issues before they become problems.     

Checking Out the Library: Partnering for Outreach to Short-Term International Students

In the academic year 2015–2016, librarians at Eastern Washington University implemented a series of outreach events for incoming cohorts of international students from Japan participating in a short-term English language program on their campus. The outcome of those outreach efforts has yielded valuable insights into the challenges associated with reaching a short-term international student population, and the particularly vital importance of a strong partnership with program faculty and staff.     

Chinese students in American academic libraries: A survey of Chinese user satisfaction with U.S. library experience

Abstract

While scholarship has addressed issues around serving international students in U.S. libraries, until recently, relatively little attention has been directly focused upon the library needs of specific ethnic groups. This study surveys 83 Chinese students and scholars after they returned from studying at universities in the United States to measure and document their satisfaction with the academic library services and resources they used during their study abroad. Results of the survey are analyzed with the goal of benchmarking and improving services for this growing academic library user population in the United States.     

Tracking the Elusive Student: Opportunities for Connection and Assessment

ABSTRACT

At Eastern Michigan University, information about library resources and services for Extended Programs (off-campus and online) students was provided in a number of online locations and was sometimes inconsistent and difficult to manage. The library formed an internal task force to evaluate all of the library information and instructional materials provided to Extended Programs students. The task force consolidated key information in one location on the library Web site and collaborated with departments within the library and around campus to provide links from the relevant online locations. This case study describes how Google Analytics was used to assess the use of the revised library Web site and online instructional materials by Extended Programs students. The researchers describe examples of techniques for using Google Analytics and explain how the data collected was used to identify further enhancements to the information provided to Extended Programs students.     

Students' Perceptions of Academic Librarians

Summary

Academic librarians, eager to participate in the education of college students, have been researching library anxiety, students' aversion to asking questions, and other problems with interactions between students and library staff for decades. Misconceptions about librarians' professional status, teaching roles, knowledge and expertise, and attitudes toward students are often proposed as causes of dysfunctional interactions and as reasons why some students don't ask questions. It is important for students to know that librarians are willing and able to help, so that they feel free to ask questions that will help them advance their education. This study reports the findings of a survey of 48 undergraduate students regarding their perceptions of academic librarians, and discusses ideas for addressing existing misconceptions.     

Retention of Adult and Traditional Learners: Library Strategies for Student Success

Nontraditional adult learners are often treated as separate and distinct in their needs and desires from more traditionally-aged college students. As retention continues to be a critical issue for colleges and universities, academic units and departments turn their focus to student success. This review article examines strategies that institutions have taken to increase students' self-efficacy and engagement, and compares their usefulness for both nontraditional and traditional learners. These strategies are viewed through the lens of the academic library with suggestions for how distance librarians can support the institution in its retention efforts and the students themselves in their own success.