Profiles of Academic Library Efforts to Enhance Student Retention

This report presents four case studies of how academic libraries are enhancing student retention by running tutoring services, driving down educational materials costs through open access and other provisions, centralizing support services for students, and devising retention-enhancing information and computer literacy programs, among other strategies.  The institutions profiled are the University of Central Florida, the University of Tennessee, Western Connecticut State University and Tennessee Technological University.  The report was written by Sharon Holderman, Coordinator of Public Services at Tennessee Tech University. She has an MA in journalism, an MLIS from Kent State University, and an MS in leadership from Creighton University.  Sharon has also previously worked as an academic advisor.

The four profiles of this 57-page report help its readers to answer questions such as: what is the best role for the library in the student retention process?  How successful are library efforts to run tutoring operations that at many colleges are controlled by other departments?  What can be gained if the library runs such services?  What has been the experience of colleges and universities that have put tutoring and related services under the direct control of the library?  How have libraries contended with misgivings and outright opposition from other departments and power centers on campus to an expanded library role in areas such as textbook provision and tutoring?

This pathbreaking study brings together information and analysis on a variety of approaches and avenues for academic libraries to influence the retention issue.  The University of Central Florida pioneers textbook affordability while Tennessee Technological University hosts a supplemental instruction class with significant retention-boosting potential. The University of Tennessee develops a unique first year experience program while Western Connecticut State University libraries attack retention issues with a library managed peer tutoring program, among other initiatives.