Student Engagement and Library Use: An Examination of Attitudes Towards Use of Libraries and Information Amongst Undergraduate Students at a Turkish University Library

Abstract

The competitive environment in which university libraries operate and provide their services and resources is one of the biggest challenges to engage today’s undergraduate students. There is a limited amount of high quality attention and time students have, to be able to be engaged with what the library offers to them. Planning and designing library awareness and information literacy programs, particularly for new students has presented itself as an on-going challenge for librarians worldwide in recent times. However, the goalpost keeps on moving and the players are becoming more restless, demanding and seeking instant gratification. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study that examines undergraduate students’ experience with research, library and information use prior to coming to university and their behaviour and attitude towards library and information after they have been exposed to a variety of library awareness activities and received information literacy training during their first year at Ozyegin University in Turkey. Students take a compulsory “Introduction to University’ subject during their first semester taught by both internal and external experts on a wide range of topics including ‘Journey of Information’ presented by library staff. The Library is also involved in the subsequent delivery of information literacy programs throughout students’ university programs in an on-going effort to engage them and to get them involved in university-wide activities. The library staff works as partners with the faculty and other student support services in designing, delivering and evaluating these programs. A variety of social media tools, such as Facebook, twitter and blogs as well as competitions, games, face-to-face interactions in and outside the library have been used to engage the students. Majority of new students spend up to a year undertaking intensive English preparatory classes. The curriculum for the ESL (English as a Second Language) program includes a learning portfolio linking various levels of English competency with each other (e.g. elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate etc.) to ensure students complete the program not only with sufficient English language competency but also with information and life skills to help them throughout their studies and further. The research will examine what impact the library’s efforts to engage students in library and information use and their learning and research has had by comparing their pre-university experience, expectations and knowledge and skills about libraries and information use.