scholarly journals The Impact of the Academic Library on Student Success: Connecting the Dots

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angie Thorpe ◽  
Ria Lukes ◽  
Diane J. Bever ◽  
Yan He
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Sara Sharun

A Review of: Cook, J.M. (2014). A Library credit course and student success rates: A longitudinal study. College & Research Libraries 75(3), 272-283. doi:10.5860/crl12-424 Abstract Objective – To determine the impact of a credit-bearing information literacy skills course on student success rates. Design – Observational Study. Setting – An academic library at a mid-sized university in Georgia, United States of America. Subjects – Nine cohorts of students (n=15,012) who entered the institution for the first time, on a full-time basis, each year between 1999 and 2007. Methods – Aggregate data on each student cohort was gathered from the Department of Institutional Research and Planning. Data included high school ACT and SAT scores, high school graduating GPAs, college graduating GPAs, and college graduation dates. The nine cohorts were each divided into two groups: students who took a credit library course (LIBR 1101) at some point during their student career, and students who did not. For each cohort, a Pearson Chi-Square test was used to determine statistical correlation between library course enrollment and four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates. Z-tests were used to determine a difference in the average graduation GPA of students who did and did not take the course, as well as a difference in the average high school graduation GPA, ACT, and SAT scores of the two groups in each cohort. Main Results – Graduation rates were positively associated with students who took the library course at some point during their studies. Students who took the library course graduated at higher rates than students who did not: 56% of those students who took the library course graduated within the study’s time frame, compared to 30% of those who did not take the course. On average, there was no significant difference in college graduation GPAs between students who did and did not take LIBR 1101. During the time period of the study, more students who took the course graduated than those who did not, but those students who took the course did not have higher graduating GPAs. Conclusion – Students who enrolled in LIBR 1101 at some point in their studies graduated at a significantly higher rate than students who did not.


Author(s):  
Salamatu Baba ◽  
◽  
Dikuma Ibrahim ◽  
Sanda Grema ◽  
◽  
...  

In order to promote utilizing the available resource made in any library information has to be taken to the door step of a clientele a such information and communication technology will serve as a catalyst in doing that. This paper has explored the role of information and communication technology ICT in academia and as well as the strategies used in propagating the available services in an academic library this is because tailor made information it is highly required so as to avoid wasting the precious time of academicians and this can be only achieving with the help of information and communication technology software, therefore, descriptive method was adopted in the methodology of this study.


2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (104) ◽  
pp. 45-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Ann Chelin ◽  
Jason Briddon ◽  
Elspeth Williams ◽  
Jane Redman ◽  
Alastair Sleat ◽  
...  

This article outlines research carried out with students and academic staff at a large UK university library on how e-books are being used for learning, teaching and research. It was discovered that e-books are meeting many of users' needs, especially in terms of accessibility, but there are still concerns about subject coverage and the impact on students' learning. There are various reasons why e-books are beneficial in developing an academic library collection, most particularly for reference materials and essential readings, but librarians need to work closely with academic staff to integrate use of e-books effectively into learning and teaching, taking care that licence and access implications are better understood. The drivers to the use of e-books appear to be outweighing the barriers, although the latter will require considerable effort on the part of librarians within their institutions and also in terms of communicating concerns to e-book providers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Marie L. Radford ◽  
Laura Costello ◽  
Kaitlin Montague

In March 2020, academic libraries across the United States closed and sent everyone home, some destined to not reopen for months. University offices closed. Classes were moved online. Suddenly, librarians and staff pivoted to working from home and to all remote services, without time for planning logistics or training. To study the impact of this extraordinary and sweeping transition on virtual reference services (VRS), we conducted a major study of academic library responses to the pandemic that focused on librarian perceptions of how services and relationships with users morphed during this COVID-19 year.Academic librarians rallied to our call, and we collected a total of 300 responses to two longitudinal surveys launched at key points during the pandemic. Data collection focused on two phases in 2020: 1) shutdown and immediate aftermath (mid-March to July), and 2) fall ramp up and into the semester (August to December). Via Zoom, we also interviewed 28 academic librarian leaders (e.g., heads of reference and/or VRS, associate directors for User Services) from September to November. Surveys and interviews centered on adaptations and innovations to reference services, especially VRS and perceptions of changes in user interactions.


Author(s):  
Mark Hoyert ◽  
Cynthia O'Dell

The scholarship of teaching and learning literature is replete with examples of pedagogical techniques that have been demonstrated to be effective in improving learning, motivation, and student success. The extension of these techniques beyond the original context has tended to be slow, difficult, and incomplete. The following paper examines an intervention designed to encourage the exploration and use of a variety of pedagogical techniques by faculty in a traditional, four-year college faculty within the context of the AASCU Re-imagining the First Year Initiative. Small groups of six to eight faculty, joined and created communities of practice. The groups were known as Pedagogical Interest Groups, or PIGs for short. The faculty read about and analyzed a series of pedagogical techniques and committed to introducing at least one technique into their courses to further explore the techniques. When the techniques were successful, the faculty members redesigned entire classes to expand the impact. The communities of practice were successful in encouraging faculty to explore a wide variety of techniques. The average faculty group explored eight different pedagogical techniques. Faculty were able to use the opportunity to experiment with techniques with the support from their colleagues in their PIG. A dozen techniques were explored across the PIGs and dozens of class sections have been completely redesigned. To date, over 2000 students have experienced redesigned courses. Measures of student success, satisfaction, and interest in those sections have increased. The effort has been accompanied by a robust increase in the campus-wide retention rates. ​


2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Jaskowiak ◽  
Todd Spires

Purpose As medium-sized academic libraries’ budgets continue to shrink or cannot compete with inflation rates, document delivery options like ILLiad and unmediated Get It Now can play a prominent role in providing content lost due to the inevitable cancellation of serial subscriptions. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of using these two options in a US university. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the usage of these two services for the three fiscal years following the implementation of Get It Now at Bradley University. Findings Questions addressed are as follows. How have they been used over the three-year time period? Which user status group has been using them, undergraduates, graduate students or faculty members? Which departments on campus have been using them the most? Originality/value This study is the first to look at the usage of Get It Now and ILLiad together over multiple years.


Author(s):  
Lynn Meltzer ◽  
Michael Aaron Greschler ◽  
Kim Davis ◽  
Caitlin Vanderberg

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article was to discuss the important relationship between executive function and language skills and to provide speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with strategies for promoting student success. Background and Method The impact of executive function processes on language and literacy begins in the preschool years and becomes increasingly important from third grade onward. These executive function processes play a more dominant role when tasks require students to integrate and synthesize multiple linguistic and other subskills in order to read and comprehend, write, complete projects, and study for quizzes and tests. In this clinical focus article, we provide a brief overview of research-based executive function strategies that are beneficial for all learners and are essential for students with language weaknesses as well as learning and attention difficulties. We focus on the key executive function processes that are the foundation of academic performance, namely, goal setting, organizing and prioritizing, thinking and problem-solving flexibly, accessing information in working memory, and self-monitoring. We discuss a theoretical framework for understanding and promoting metacognition and executive function as part of assessment and treatment plans for SLPs. Finally, we address the importance of executive function strategies for improving students' effort, academic performance, and resilience. Conclusion SLPs can promote student success by offering structured and systematic approaches to teaching executive function strategies.


Author(s):  
Amy Jo Catalano ◽  
Sharon Rose Phillips

Objective - The authors investigated the impact of library instruction on information literacy (IL) skills as part of ACRL’s AiA initiative. Additionally, the researchers sought to determine whether there was a relationship between IL tests scores and research experiences with student success outcomes such as retention. Methods - The researchers administered a standardized IL test to 455 graduate and undergraduate students in multiple disciplines. They then collected outcome data on GPA, retention, and graduation three years later. Results - While there were no significant differences between those students who had instruction and those who did not on the IL test, a regression analysis revealed that experience writing research papers that required library resources and an individual’s use of library books throughout their academic career demonstrated significant, positive relationships with whether a student passed the information literacy test. Additionally, using the longitudinal data on GPA, retention, graduation, and employment, the researchers found that students’ IL scores were significantly correlated with their GPAs, and that students who passed the IL test were more likely to be retained or graduate within six years. Conclusion - The ability to demonstrate IL skills appears to contribute to retention and graduation and, therefore, may be an integral part of one’s academic success. Further, experience writing research papers and other meaningful assignments contributes to student success.


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