University Libraries: Empowering Students to Succeed

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Image 1: Students in Library

University Libraries: Empowering Students to Succeed
By Jessica Sparks

Libraries are constantly evolving to meet the needs of technology and its community, and University Libraries are no different. Changes in technology, in research, teaching and learning all have an impact on the missions of academic and research libraries.

University libraries have to be many things for students. They are the center of the student's college life. Most students live on or very near to the campus and spend late nights, early mornings, long days, and even weekends studying in the library. The library  is also the center of the campus community, including graduate students, professors, and visiting scholars. The library must also meet the needs of the outside community who use the library resources, attend library events, and visit the college special collections and exhibits. To meet the needs of everyone, university libraries must be active in creating new programs and offering resources that are essential to the students. University Libraries go above and beyond to meet the needs of its students and support them. The video below is of Temple University Library's Finals Week: Therapy Dogs:

University libraries are always acting with the students in mind from the design of the building to even extending the library hours to meets the needs of its students during the middle and end of the quarter/semester. While a working at the UCSB Library as a student, I was given hundreds of blue books to hand out to students as they walked through the library along with candy. Many university libraries partner with campus programs like Health Services to prove students with stress relief activities:

• The University of California, Santa Barbara Library co-hosts a “Study Breaks” with Health Services that includes chair massages, puzzles, coloring books, a stretching station, tea and healthy snacks.
• The Cal State University, San Marcos has a “Crunch Time” snack cart that roams around the library during midterms and finals.
• The Florida State University Libraries had a 90's themed De-stress Week with Lego's and other activities.
• Stanford University Libraries brings dogs on campus for a De-Stress event.

Image 2: Stanford University Libraries De-Stress Event

Libraries have a direct impact on the well-being and academic success of students. Whether a student needs a quiet place to study, find that source they need for their paper or sit and ready between classes, the library is a space where students can go. Recently, many university libraries have undergone renovations and expansions to create a space that better suits its students and allows them to succeed. Some of the additions are not only space but new technology. In a study done by the Association of College and Research Libraries on the contributions of academic libraries and student success, it was found that a library’s research and study space has an impact on students, and overall library instruction contributes to students’ confidence, persistence, and achieve higher grades (Association of College and Research Libraries). The design of the library, the study rooms, study spaces, and library classrooms, are just some of the ways in which the students’ needs determine the space of the library.

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References

Karen, B., & Malenfant, K. J. (2015, January). Academic library contributions to student success: Documented practices from the field. Retrieved April 26, 2017, from http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/value/contributions_report.pdf

Finals week: Therapy dogs take students' stress away [Video file]. (2013). Temple University Library. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJu34FZlS6M.    

[Stanford De-Stress Fest Dog Petting.]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from library.stanford.edu/news/2014/11/de-stress-fest

[Students in Library.] (Feb 25, 2015). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from www.lrs.org/2015/02/25/5521/.