Libraries and Student Success
Darla Mulder
April, 2017
Most people who use the library are there for a good reason. Weren't you? I was. Always to get a book, meet someone for a study hour, return a book, ask a librarian for help, sit and daydream while waiting for my mom to pick me up.
Pretty simple. I never thought about the library ever becoming critically analyzed in how much it benefits the users.
But did you ever think there would come a day when people would wonder and measure how much the library actually contributes to a student's success?
How much can a library help a student achieve success in school? Many parents and teachers today speak highly of library use. But can any of them show a spreadsheet chart on the amount of educational growth being contributed...either in one library user? That is a lot of data right there, imagine a collective measurement on all the users!
Certainly, whenever there is a change in learning and retention, people would like to know the factors. For decades, a library has offered students a place to read, borrow and research. Now people wonder how much it contributes to student success, and thus administratively measured.
It appears that to be funded, more data needs to be reported. Gathering information about student success and libraries (a broad issue) one needs to consider which levels of students to focus on, how to construct a plan, a rubric, an outcome score and much much more!
Many thoughts of student success, measurement, and funding were briefly articulated in the below articles.
It appears there are discussions about a variety of libraries' contributions toward student success, even if not classified as an academic library. Questions range from the structure (or ambiance) of the building to the quality of the material, socioeconomic areas, ages, the ease in operation of the technology, the interface with schools and community, and the ability of the staff to know exactly what the student needs in order to succeed.
Most workers in education during the past decade know it is an age of assessment and accountability. The pressure that libraries are under is to prove their value according to new university measurements of student success, according to an A. Thorpe article called "Connecting the Dots. Portal: Libraries & the Academy." The article discussed a study describing a methodology. The libraries need to know what is being examined, how a student relates to their services and how the usage impacts grade point averages.
Many want to correlate library usage (by some percentage weight or manner) with retention rates.
Future funding stresses whether or not a student drops out of courses because they are not being helped or guided by teachers, staff and librarians.
Here is a You Tube video that raises interesting points about library usage and student success. The library is comparing the extracurricular activity (physical involvement) of a student. It is quite interesting. It discusses self efficiency.
Usage data were collected at six library service points during the 2013-2014 academic year according to Thorpe. Many of the findings demonstrate the value of the academic library .
You have to Blow Your Own HORN!!
The article written by Hess in "Books, Bytes, and Buildings: The Academic Library's Unique Role in Improving Student Success" described how one independent library embraced cross-campus programs, partnerships, and initiatives to contribute to student success efforts.
If students know the library is there for them, they might use it. The responsibility belongs to the library to promote itself.
Free, D. (2016, June). ACRL reports shows compelling evidence of library contributions to student learning and success. College & Research Libraries News, 77(6), 271-271. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from Academic Search Premier.
Spencer, M. E.,
& Watstein, S. B. (2017, April). Academic Library Spaces: Advancing Student
Success and Helping Students Thrive. Portal: Libraries & the Academy,
17(2), 389-402. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from Academic Search Premier.
Accession Number: 122412900
Thorpe, A.,
Lukes, R., Bever, D. J., & He, Y. (2016, April). The Impact of the Academic
Library on Student Success: Connecting the Dots. Portal: Libraries & the
Academy, 16(2), 373-392. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from Academic
Search Premier.
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