Purpose & Goals

The purpose of this research is to evaluate library services and resources for Hispanic and Latine students at a mid-size university in the southeast. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) recently became an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and is looking closely as an institution at ways to support students who identify as Hispanic or Latine. An important part of the student experience at a university is the institution’s library, including programming, access to services and materials, research assistance, instruction, and more. Jackson Library at UNCG is about to undergo a major renovation, the first of its kind since the 1970s. As we proceed with this renovation, it will be important to collect data from students about their needs and expectations related to the library. Many Hispanic and Latine students have had experiences with the library beyond normal students because of their involvement with UNCG CHANCE, a summer camp that brings 100 students to campus each summer; the camp always visits Jackson Library. The librarian behind this project maintains friendly relationships with students who help with the camp year-round. With this research, which is a re-do of a project severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope to learn more about these students and how the library can improve to better meet the needs of this student group.

Design & Methodology

There is a growing body of literature related to library anxiety and library offerings for this group of students. This will serve as the project's basis and help inform questions I will ask students. Many questions will come from the library literature, but many will also come from research in the field of higher education in general. There will be a few different phases to this research. First, I will conduct an IRB-approved online survey (which has already been written) of students which will feature both multiple choice/checkbox and narrative questions. Recruitment of participants and marketing the survey is the next step. After the survey is complete, I will schedule interviews with participants who are interested in speaking further. Those interviews will be transcribed and coded for themes, which will them be grouped into categories to inform conclusions and further directions.

Practical Implications & Value

UNCG’s administration has stressed the importance of making our campus into a welcoming and inclusive place for Hispanic and Latine students, who many believe represent the future of our institution. The timing of this research is ideal due to the library renovation. We can make changes and review services and resources as our building is given a much-needed facelift (along with accessibility and facility upgrades). The re-opening of the library will represent a fresh start for many different aspects of our work at UNCG, and this research can help inform what some of that work might look like.