Understanding student populations key to tailoring library instruction and outreach

Abstract

Librarians commonly work with students who are grouped in a variety of ways, such as by course and by major. Another typical way that universities, and libraries, distinguish student groups is by class year. Increasingly, academic libraries have librarians dedicated to first-year student programming, often working closely with first-year experience programs at their local campus. This is not surprising, as higher education has emphasized a student's first year experience as a high impact practice and foundation for student success (Kuh, 2008). First-year experience programs can take a variety of forms such as first-year seminars, peer mentorship programs, common readers for all freshman, and first-year living learning communities. At the programmatic level, many universities focus on providing students with a shared or unified experience for all incoming freshmen.