College libraries and student culture: what we now know

How do college students really conduct research for classroom assignments? In 2008, five large Illinois universities were awarded a Library Services and Technology Act Grant to try to answer that question. The resulting ongoing study has already yielded some eye-opening results. The findings suggest changes ranging from simple adjustments in service and resources to modifying the physical layout of the library. In this book the editors, both anthropological researchers have been involved with the project since its beginning. This book: Summarizes the study's history, including its goals, parameters, and methodology; Offers a comprehensive discussion of the research findings, touching on issues such as website design, library instruction for faculty, and meeting the needs of commuter and minority students; Details a number of service reforms which have already been implemented at the participating institutions. This book deepens our understanding of how academic libraries can better serve students' needs, and also serves as a model for other researchers interested in a user-centered approach to evaluating library services.

Ethnographic research in Illinois academic libraries : the ERIAL Project / Andrew D. Asher, Susan Miller, and David Green -- Pragmatism and idealism in the academic library : an analysis of faculty and librarian expectations and values / Mary Thill -- Marketing the library's instructional services to teaching faculty : learning from teaching faculty interviews / Annie Armstrong -- Why don't students ask librarians for help? : undergraduate help-seeking behavior in three academic libraries / Susan Miller and Nancy Murillo -- Searching for answers : student research behavior at Illinois Wesleyan University / Andrew D. Asher and Lynda M. Duke -- Supporting the academic success of Hispanic students / David Green -- First-generation college students : a sketch of their research process / Firouzeh Logan and Elizabeth Pickard -- Seeing ourselves as others see us : library spaces through student eyes / Jane Treadwell, Amanda Binder, and Natalie Tagge -- Transformative changes in thinking, services, and programs / Lynda M. Duke -- Conclusions and future research / Andrew D. Asher and Lynda M. Duke.