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Campus Library Assessment Team: International Student Project: Impacts

Materials from the UWB/CCC Campus Library Assessment Team's ALA 2014 and Library Assessment Conference 2014 poster sessions

Summary

As a result of this project we have a richer sense of our international students’ experiences both navigating and using library services, resources, and spaces. From our preliminary findings we have identified practical impacts on the library’s services, marketing and outreach approaches, our teaching and pedagogical practices, the need for staff and librarian training and support, and broader applications:

Library Services & Spaces

image of library study table
  • Inform decisions made about the library’s physical and virtual spaces including the use and functions of library spaces (e.g. group and quiet study spaces), building hours, and access to library services
  • Enhance effectiveness of our public services by informing the library’s approach at service points and developing a deeper understanding of international students' experiences
  • Serve as a foundation from which to explore opportunities for additional services, changes to space, collections, etc. in the future


Photo: A comfortable place in the library

Marketing & Outreach

  • Evaluate language used on library signage and the placement of the signs in order to avoid library jargon and increase visibility.
  • Improve students' awareness of available library resources and services through instruction and marketing materials.
  • Inform the perceptions and understanding of the functions and services of academic libraries and librarians in the U.S.

Teaching & Pedagogical Practices

  • Enhance international students' learning in the classroom by:
    • Recognizing group work challenges and developing strategies for mitigating them.
    • Fostering a culturally inclusive classroom environment that values international students' experiences and backgrounds, encourages their participation, and facilitates the development of domestic students' communication skills and understanding of their international peers.
  • Identify faculty and librarian development and training needs and collaborate with campus partners to provide necessary instruction and support.      

image of library databases web page

Photo: A confusing research tool

Training & Support for Librarians & Staff

  • Encourage a reflection of how our own assumptions about this population have changed over the course of this project
  • Enhance staff and librarians’ understanding of international students and their needs and barriers by providing examples of how libraries differ worldwide, by recognizing different academic and cultural backgrounds, and by identifying information seeking behaviors and study habits.
  • Identify evidence-based training and support for librarians and staff (e.g. culturally inclusive instruction strategies, facilitating effective group work, cross cultural communication skills, knowledge of other cultures and languages, etc.)

Broader Applications

 
    image of campus office
  • Share our process and findings with relevant units on campus, such as:
    • Student Success Center, Teaching and Learning Center, Writing and Communication Center, Quantitative Skills Center, Career Center, Information Technologies, and advisors across the academic programs on campus.
    • Administrators focused on recruiting international students, student life, students' academic success, and retention.

 

Photo: The Student Success Center was photographed as one of the most helpful places on campus