In 2021, the Librarian Futures report revealed areas of misalignment between the support and resources prioritized by the library compared to the areas most appreciated by patrons based on a large scale survey of librarians and their patrons. This tallies with a 2019 Ithaka S+R survey that found only 35% of respondents strongly agreed that ‘my library has a well-developed strategy to meet changing user needs.’ While not present in all areas of library support, this identified ‘knowledge gap’ is significant.
In 2022, a student-led research project was commissioned seeking to better understand student perspectives on the university experience, and more specifically, resources and reading lists for the classroom. This international research identified a number of key findings spanning organization, diversification, and communication that are pertinent to library audiences and directly relatable to the findings from Ithaka, Librarian Futures, and other sources on the librarian-patron relationship. Specifically, there is a knowledge gap between what students need from their learning experience in the classroom and what is offered to them through the library. However, the research project highlights key areas for the library to become more deeply involved in the student’s learning journey.
In this session, a student researcher and a librarian will delve into the key findings from the new report and highlight recommendations for institutions designed to improve the student experience and provide insights into the library’s evolving, intrinsic role in student learning and success.
In 2021, the Librarian Futures report revealed areas of misalignment between the support and resources prioritized by the library compared to the areas most appreciated by patrons based on a large scale survey of librarians and their patrons. This tallies with a 2019 Ithaka S+R survey that found only 35% of respondents strongly agreed that ‘my library has a well-developed strategy to meet changing user needs.’ While not present in all areas of library support, this identified ‘knowledge gap’ is significant.
In 2022, a student-led research project was commissioned seeking to better understand student perspectives on the university experience, and more specifically, resources and reading lists for the classroom. This international research identified a number of key findings spanning organization, diversification, and communication that are pertinent to library audiences and directly relatable to the findings from Ithaka, Librarian Futures, and other sources on the librarian-patron relationship. Specifically, there is a knowledge gap between what students need from their learning experience in the classroom and what is offered to them through the library. However, the research project highlights key areas for the library to become more deeply involved in the student’s learning journey.
In this session, a student researcher and a librarian will delve into the key findings from the new report and highlight recommendations for institutions designed to improve the student experience and provide insights into the library’s evolving, intrinsic role in student learning and success.
