Half of the current generation of college students have never experienced a normally functioning academic library and other students have only experienced a pre-COVID academic library for a year or two. How has this impacted the current and future circumstances of academic libraries? This study examines how the library using behavior of college students has been impacted by the pandemic and implications for the future.
The study helps its readers to answer questions such as: which students will likely go back to the library post pandemic? Which missed the traditional library experience the most? Which the least? What do students think of the COVID-control measures taken by academic libraries? What kinds of library services have students learned to tap into online, or forego entirely, during the pandemic? Have they or will they return to use of these services? How safe do students feel in the library? Are they unsafe in the library due to fears of COVID or any other reason? If so, to what extent? How should the inevitable changes impact the strategies of academic libraries going forward?
Data in the report is broken out by more than 20 personal and institutional variables, so, for example, readers can get specific data on how COVID impacts the library use plans for first year students vs. sophomores, juniors or seniors, or for students in level 1 research universities vs. doctoral institutions, or for male vs. female or vs. transgender students, or for business/economics majors vs fine arts majors, etc., etc.
Breakouts include age, year of school standing, major or intended major, religion, gender, sexual orientation, income level, SAT/ACT scores, college grades, regional origins, race/ethnicity, level of school tuition, size of school of institution attended and many other variables.
The study helps its readers to answer questions such as: which students will likely go back to the library post pandemic? Which missed the traditional library experience the most? Which the least? What do students think of the COVID-control measures taken by academic libraries? What kinds of library services have students learned to tap into online, or forego entirely, during the pandemic? Have they or will they return to use of these services? How safe do students feel in the library? Are they unsafe in the library due to fears of COVID or any other reason? If so, to what extent? How should the inevitable changes impact the strategies of academic libraries going forward?
Just a few of this 81-page report’s key findings are that:
- Nearly 17% of respondents said that they missed the library so much that they planned to visit it more post than pre-pandemic.
- 61% of respondents said that they always felt safe in the academic library.
- Students raised abroad were less critical of the library’s COVID control efforts than students raised in the USA.
- African American students are also much more likely than others to feel unsafe in the academic library.
Data in the report is broken out by more than 20 personal and institutional variables, so, for example, readers can get specific data on how COVID impacts the library use plans for first year students vs. sophomores, juniors or seniors, or for students in level 1 research universities vs. doctoral institutions, or for male vs. female or vs. transgender students, or for business/economics majors vs fine arts majors, etc., etc.
Breakouts include age, year of school standing, major or intended major, religion, gender, sexual orientation, income level, SAT/ACT scores, college grades, regional origins, race/ethnicity, level of school tuition, size of school of institution attended and many other variables.
Table of Contents
1. THE QUESTIONNAIRE- Characteristics of the sample
2. SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS
- Impact of the Pandemic on Tendency to Visit the Physical Library Space
- Student Evaluation of the Success of Academic Library COVID Policies
- Student Wish List for Library Services
- How Safe do Students Feel in the College Library?
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library-visiting behavior will be impacted?
Table 1.2 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 1.3 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by population density of place of origin
Table 1.4 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by geographic region of origin
Table 1.5 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by student school year
Table 1.6 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by annual income of family of origin
Table 1.7 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by relationship with organized religion
Table 1.8 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by political views
Table 1.9 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by college grades
Table 1.10 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by field of study
Table 1.11 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by gender
Table 1.12 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by current housing situation
Table 1.13 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by current employment status
Table 1.14 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by sexual orientation
Table 1.15 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by SAT or ACT scores
Table 1.16 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by race or ethnicity
Table 1.17 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by religion
Table 1.18 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by public or private college
Table 1.19 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by enrollment
Table 1.20 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by tuition, $
Table 1.21 Going forward and looking past the present pandemic, how do you feel your library visiting behavior will be impacted? Broken out by carnegie class
Table 2.1 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been?
Table 2.2 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 2.3 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by population density of place of origin
Table 2.4 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by geographic region of origin
Table 2.5 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by student school year
Table 2.6 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by annual income of family of origin
Table 2.7 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by relationship with organized religion
Table 2.8 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by political views
Table 2.9 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by college grades
Table 2.10 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by field of study
Table 2.11 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by gender
Table 2.12 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by current housing situation
Table 2.13 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by current employment status
Table 2.14 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by sexual orientation
Table 2.15 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by SAT or ACT scores
Table 2.16 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by race or ethnicity
Table 2.17 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by religion
Table 2.18 How successful has your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by public or private college
Table 2.19 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by enrollment
Table 2.20 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by tuition, $
Table 2.21 How successful have your college library's COVID operating policies been? Broken out by carnegie class
What do you wish your college library could provide that it does not currently provide?
Table 3.1 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library?
Table 3.2 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by age of respondent
Table 3.3 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by population density of place of origin
Table 3.4 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by geographic region of origin
Table 3.5 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by student school year
Table 3.6 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by annual income of family of origin
Table 3.7 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by relationship with organized religion
Table 3.8 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by political views
Table 3.9 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by college grades
Table 3.10 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by field of study
Table 3.11 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by gender
Table 3.12 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by current housing situation
Table 3.13 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by current employment status
Table 3.14 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by sexual orientation
Table 3.15 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by SAT or ACT scores
Table 3.16 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by race or ethnicity
Table 3.17 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by religion
Table 3.18 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by public or private college
Table 3.19 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by enrollment
Table 3.20 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by tuition, $
Table 3.21 Do you feel safe when visiting the college library? Broken out by carnegie class
Samples
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Methodology
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