The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

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The Journal of Academic Librarianship

What is a Library?: International College Students' Perceptionsof Libraries

Ilka DatigNew York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2014.05.0010099-1333/© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

a b s t r a c t

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 2 January 2014Accepted 1 May 2014Available online 3 July 2014

Keywords:International studentsPerceptions of librariesAcademic librarians

This study presents findings from an online survey and series of one-on-one interviews with students at NewYork University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) regarding their perceptions of libraries. With an international student pop-ulation, NYUAD represents a unique opportunity to gain insight into a wide variety of student opinions and ex-periences of libraries. The goal of the study was to develop a student-based perspective of libraries, which can beused to improve library services and outreach. The student responses ranged from intense engagement with li-braries to little or no experience. In general, students had a limited view of the role of librarians in the library. In-terestingly, many students have a lofty view of libraries and see them as repositories of knowledge for humanity.

© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

When considering how best to serve college students, it is helpful foracademic librarians to have an understanding of how these studentsfundamentally view the library itself. There are undoubtedly many li-brarians who can share anecdotes about students who seem to have avery different conception of what the library is, and what librariansdo, than the people who work in them every day. This is especiallytrue if the students and librarians come from different countries. Thisstudy aims to provide information and analysis regarding how interna-tional students view libraries and librarians. In a project undertakenduring the summer and fall of 2013, qualitative data was collected onfirst-year students' previous library experiences, their opinions onwhat libraries are for, and what role they think librarians occupy. Thegoal of the projectwas to develop a student-based perspective on librar-ies that can be used to inform library services and outreach.

The study arose as part of the unique situation at the NYUAD library.NYUAD, located in the United Arab Emirates, is one hub of New YorkUniversity's ‘global network’, which has academic centers on six differ-ent continents. NYUAD is a four-year research university integrating sci-ence and the liberal arts, and the students are notably diverse. The classof 2017, the focus of this study, contains 175 students from 72 differentcountries, with the largest groups coming from the UAE, the US, China,India, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and Australia (“NYUADwelcomes”, 2013). Students come to NYUAD with diverse conceptionsof what libraries are for and a wide range of library experiences. Inorder to better reach our students, we need to know what they expectfrom libraries; we can then improve and adapt our services and out-reach programming. For example, by understanding what they think

librarians do, we might be able to explore barriers that keep studentsfrom using the library or asking for assistance from librarians. Due tothe international nature of the student body at NYUAD this data shouldbe of use to a broad range of academic libraries around the world.

LITERATURE REVIEW

International students are a popular subject of inquiry in the libraryliterature, and only a sample of relevant works will be mentioned here.Jackson and Sullivan (2012) and Peters (2010) provide excellent over-views of the current issues and challenges for this student population.Many authors have looked into developing instruction and outreachfor international students (Ganster, 2011; McClure & Krishnamurthy,2007; Mundava & Gray, 2008; Sackers, Secomb, & Hulett, 2008);Koenigstein (2012) in particular provides some useful context. Severalstudies have focused on how international students view library per-sonnel (Wales and Harmon, 1999; Hughes, 2010). Jackson (2005)researched international students' exposure to and experience with li-braries in their home countries. Hickok (2007) gives an interestingoverview of how international librarians can overcome challenges anddevelop a user-centered approach. Long (2011) conducted researchon how Latino college students in the United States perceive libraries;even though the students involved were not ‘international’ there arestill interesting cross-cultural issues at play. The 2005 OCLC report oncollege students and libraries offers some very interesting data onhow students perceive libraries, and includes some international re-spondents (De Rosa, Cantrell, Hawk, & Wilson, 2006). However, thereis a gap in the recent literature regarding international students' funda-mental perceptions of libraries, which this study seeks to address.

Table 1Participant identification.

Participant code Country

Student A MexicoStudent B United Arab Emirates (Russia)Student C PakistanStudent D UnknownStudent E PakistanStudent F MoldovaStudent G SloveniaStudent H PakistanStudent I PakistanStudent J SloveniaStudent K New ZealandStudent L HungaryStudent M UnknownStudent N Russia (USA)Student O USAStudent P USAStudent Q Indonesia (USA)Student R UnknownStudent S ChinaStudent T Vietnam (USA)Student U USAStudent V ChinaStudent X ColombiaStudent Y New ZealandStudent Z USAStudent AA UnknownStudent BB RussiaStudent CC UnknownStudent DD ChileStudent EE South AfricaStudent FF Bosnia-Herzegovina

351I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

METHODOLOGY

The objectives of the study were twofold: to gain a greater under-standing of our students' experiences with libraries before coming toNYUAD and also hownew students conceptualize and envision librariesin general. It was very important that the students be reached beforethey had received much exposure to the NYUAD library and its librar-ians, because those interactions could color the students' perceptionsof the library and librarians. To that end, a mixed-method approachwas chosen. First, an online survey was placed in a pre-arrival e-mailcommunication from the university in early summer 2013. The e-mailcontained information about various pre-arrival tasks students neededto complete over the summer. The link to the project surveywas includ-ed with information about contacting the library with any questionsabout library resources. The survey contained two questions whichasked the student to describe their high school library and explain, intheir own words, what libraries are for.

The second part of the study consisted of individual interviews withfreshmen students. These were held during the first month of classes inthe 2013–2014 school year, before the students had much exposure tothe NYUAD library.1 Interview participants were recruited through so-cial media and the university's student portal. All of the interviewswere conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed by the primary inves-tigator. The interviews were informally structured, but usually includedthe following questions:

1. When I say library, what is the first thing that comes to yourmind?2. What do you think libraries are for?3. What do you think librarians do?4. Think back to your favorite library. Howdid itmake you feel towalk

inside?5. When youwalk in a library, do you feel like youneed to change your

behaviors in any way?6. What was the library like in your previous school?7. How did you use that library?8. What other libraries do you have experience with?9. What expectations did you have for the NYUAD library?

10. How do you plan to use the NYUAD library, if at all?11. If you're trying to study, what do you want the environment to be

like?12. How would you describe your ideal library?

Forty-two students completed the online survey before August2013. When asked to describe their high school or secondary school li-brary in the survey, twenty-four students included a geographical loca-tion (either a city or country name) in their answer, and twenty-onedifferent countries were mentioned. Seventeen students participatedin interviews with the primary investigator. The interview participantscame from eleven different countries.2

FINDINGS

The survey and interview data were coded by the author using agrounded theory approach to qualitative analysis. In this type of ap-proach, the investigator is not seeking to prove any particular hypothe-sis when analyzing the data, but is rather letting theories emerge fromthe data itself. Atlas.ti, a qualitative data analysis software, was used tocode the data and discover themes and patterns. The data was also an-alyzed using theWord Cruncher tool in Atlas.ti, to see how often certainterms were mentioned by students in their answers. The themes de-scribed in this section emerged as being significant in student percep-tions of libraries and libraries. The students' own, unedited words are

1 All new students attend a brief library orientation session during theirfirstweek at theuniversity. The orientation consists of a 10-minute library tour and a 15-minute questionand answer session using the CephalonianMethod (explained inMorgan & Davies, 2004).

2 Please see Appendix 1 for a detailed description.

used to illustrate the themes as much as possible. Each student quotedin this paper is identified in Table 1 by their most recent country of res-idence, if that information is available. When the students mention sig-nificant experience with libraries in multiple countries, the othercountries are listed in parentheses.

A LIBRARY IS FOR BOOKS

The role of books in new students' descriptions of libraries cannot beoverstated. It was the oneword usedmost often by students in their de-scription of the purpose of libraries. In the eyes of many students, a li-brary is essentially a quiet place for books (the library as place will bediscussed below). This finding coincides with results from the 2005OCLC report on college students' perceptions of libraries, which includ-ed respondents from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, India and Singapore.The report concluded that among students, “The library brand is books”(De Rosa et al., 2006, p. 3–22). One student said that the purpose of thelibrary is to “contain extensive collections of books so one can borrowthem when needed, so there is no necessity to track down and buyevery book one ever needs/wants to read.”3 This idea of a library as aplace that provides access to books for people who don't want to buythem came up repeatedly: “[Libraries are] places where we can getbooks that don't cost as much as buying it from the store…we can testout books to see if we like them or not.”4 There is a sense that the jobof the library is to gather books and make them available to students.Moreover, to be a ‘real’ library the books must be organized and acces-sible: “Accessibility I think is the main key. Like even if you have tenthousand books, if you can't access it or they're not organized there'sno point.”5 It is worth mentioning however, that books alone do notmake a library. According to one student, his high school didn't have a

3 Student A.4 Student B.5 Student C.

14 Student J.15 Student K.

352 I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

“real library”, because it contained only “textbooks, class materials, andtest-prep books.”6

Beyond books, occasionally students mentioned newspapers andmagazines as other types of print resources. Newspaper and magazinesubscriptions were usually considered ‘fun’ or ‘pleasure’ reading, and anice perk if their libraries offered it. Online resources, such as databasesand e-books, werementioned only a few times. One studentmistakenlymentioned that she had used databases in high school, when she actu-allymeant that she had used Google.7 Some students view electronic re-sources and libraries as polar opposites: “A library is a place for thosewho enjoy real, hard copy books, and want to leave the busy world ofinternet communications to enjoy a good read in silence.”8 Anotherexpressed his concern that libraries not disappear because of the inven-tion of electronic books.9 Others expressed surprise at seeing what theNYUAD library had to offer: “I was shocked when I came here becauseI did not expect the library to have electronical resources. I did not ex-pect that there would be a million books online that we can order…Idid not expect articles to be available, or movies, or just all the sort ofelectronic things that you can borrow from the library and all theseprinters and what not. I did not think that these things belonged in a li-brary.”10 A quote from a studentwhohad been using theNYUAD libraryduring the first few weeks of school is very illustrative of this point. Sheresponded that the first thing that came to her mind at the mention ofthe word ‘library’ was:

“Books, obviously. My perception of libraries hasn't really changedmuch since I've gotten here. Because, you know the main purposeof libraries has always been to provide books. But it is different in asense now, because I get to see DVDs and you can borrow moviesand documentaries and stuff. And you know it's online too, somaybethere are a couple ofmore things that come tomymind than used toback at home, because back at home we have just books. Nothingelse. So yeah, my perception has changed, but still the main thingis books.”11

A LIBRARY IS FOR ACADEMICS

Libraries are very strongly associated with academics in the eyes ofnew students. The terms related to academics that often appeared instudent answers were school, study, research, and variations of theword itself: academic, academics and academically. This association oflibraries and academics can be broken down into two parts: librarieshelp students with their school work, but also with the pursuit ofknowledge more generally. At the most basic level, libraries are seenas a place to store resources (usually books) related to school: “Librariesare there to facilitate students in improving their knowledge and gettingthe data they need to do their school work.”12 One student describedseeing the NYUAD library and how she realized, “There are no limitsto a library, really. It's limitless. The more books you have, the moreknowledge you have, themore resources you have, the more assistanceyou get in your projects and your research or in your academicpapers.”13

In many cases, this basic idea of the library was the sole purpose ofthe school libraries that students had experiencewith. In a large numberof survey responses, high school or secondary school libraries are de-scribed as places that contain textbooks, books related to the curricu-lum, and nothing else: “Sometimes if you go to the school library you

6 Student D.7 Student E.8 Student F.9 Student G.

10 Student B.11 Student H.12 Student I.13 Student E.

can only find things that are for your course.”14 Several students fromPakistan also mentioned that their school libraries serve as a place tocollect past papers, which are basically test exams from previousyears. For this reason, many students depended on libraries outside oftheir school, usually public or university libraries. A student explaineda common theme during an interview when describing her high schoollibrary: “It was small. It was very tailored to the classes that we weretaking. So it wasn't what I would call extensive. But it was specific inthat, you know, all the biology textbooks that I needed for my classhad been pre-ordered the year before, they were there. But if I everwanted to explore more into a topic, or say we covered genetics reallybriefly and I wanted to look more into it, you wouldn't go to the schoollibrary for that.”15 Many students mentioned the necessity of visitingother libraries if they wanted a greater variety and depth of resources,although there were often difficulties regarding logistics (getting tothe libraries) and access (not being able to check things out).

Many students also recognized the importance of the library as pro-viding a location to study and complete other academic work: “I enjoyspending time in the library and prefer to do most of the research andessay writing on the premises. Thus I believe that a library is a perfectlysuitable location for everything connected to academics short of the ac-tual teaching and lessons.”16 Another student responded to the survey,“A library is essential for substantiating the knowledge that students ob-tain in class and also for providing a quiet and comfortable place tostudy.”17 When asked about her expectations for the NYUAD library,one student replied that she imagined “that it could be a place where Icould study. And that it could be a place where I can check out booksif I need them for studying. I guess that's it.”18 A library often serves asan academic meeting place, where students gather to work on their as-signments, either in groups or independently.

However, students value libraries for more than just a place to studyand find books related to their coursework. They also see it as a place todevelop their greater knowledge:

“A library is a place to meet people with similar interests for thecommon goal of pursuing knowledge.”19

“The prime purpose is giving out knowledge. It's like a collection ofknowledge in one place.”20

“A library is a resource of knowledge—helping scholars to build off ofthe work of others in the past.”21

“Libraries are for knowledge. Searching for knowledge. Answeringquestions that you have about anything.”22

“Libraries are the place to find something that youwant to know, butalso the place youwant to explore and be exposed tomany differentthings.”23

“I see a library as a bridge between students and the rest of the intel-lectual world. A studentwishing to excel academically should have awell-functioning library at their disposal to be able to get the most,best suitable knowledge for the purposes of this student.”24

16 Student L.17 Student M.18 Student N.19 Student O.20 Student E.21 Student P.22 Student K.23 Student Q.24 Student R.

353I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

Several students mentioned how the library helped themwith theirself-directed education, especially in terms of reading literature (oftenin multiple languages).

THE LIBRARY AS PLACE

The physical environment of the library plays a large part in studentdescriptions. The importance of quiet in the library came upmost often.Some of thewords that students used when talking about a quiet atmo-sphere included relaxing, silent, peaceful, calm, and respectful. Somecommon student sentiments include:

“The library is a space to be quiet and to appreciate silence, and toprovide mental asylum from the real world.”25

“For me, it is only a quiet place for reading. I do not go to the libraryunless I cannot find a quiet environment conducive to reading.”26

“The number one rule which I guess counts in all libraries is that thelibrary is a quiet place.”27

“When I walk in to the library I try to stay as quiet as possible. Oreven if I try to talk, or have to talk, I keepmy tone low andmoderateso as not to disturb others. Because that's the only place you can getit, in a school or institution where you can have your own studyspace.”28

“[A library is] a space for quiet study, where I can concentrate, that'smostly what it means for me. A library is a really good way to getaway from distraction, because there's like nothing else to do therebut study…It's kind of weird to see a noisy library.”29

“[A library is…] a sanctuary. Just a place to relax and lose track oftime.”30

“You need tomaintain a quiet environment so that everyone can fo-cus on what he is trying to do…that's the main thing that a libraryshould have.”31

For many students, maintaining quiet is a moral issue, with clearright and wrong behavior: “{People need to show] respect toward peo-ple in the library, but mostly respect towards the institution of the li-brary and what it represents. The kind of knowledge it preserves. And,I don't know, I feel like books are special and they need to be treatedspecial.”32 Another student said that she considers some behaviors in-appropriate: “I feel like I would not come in short shorts to the library,I wouldn't come in wearing a tank top. I feel like it's a library it has tobe respectful in a way. And definitely no food!” .33 Others agreed withthis idea:

“I feel that I need to be calmer [when I walk in a library]. I need to berespectful to other people that need that calm situation, too. And Ifeel a little bit disturbed by people that are not changing their behav-iors, because people seek for that in the library.”34

25 Student O.26 Student S.27 Student N.28 Student E.29 Student T.30 Student U.31 Student I.32 Student G.33 Student B.34 Student Q.

“[Students should be] quiet and respectful. Sincere. Respect othersand respect resources, like the books. It's like walking into achurch.”35

“People should be respectful of the silence which is part of thelibrary's history since they began. It is an atmosphere of quiet andpeace.”36

Students also oftenmention people as a vital part of the library envi-ronment. In part, people show them how they should be behaving.When asked how one knows where in a library to be quiet, a studentsaid, “Thewhole place should be quiet. But to bemore specific, those ta-bles that you have to study, that is where you should be quiet. Wherepeople are sitting and studying at the tables”.37 Other people can also in-spire them to get more work done:

“[A library is] somewhere you can study in a group. Knowledge issomething that is constructed socially, not by yourself. So you gothere and you work with people that are working on the samesubject.”38

“The library is meant to be a place where all the people gather,where they can share if they want to share their ideas.”39

“A library should function as a center of knowledge. A place wherepeople can come to find, discuss and share knowledge in whicheverform is most relevant.”40

“I think just seeing a lot of people studying or with books open, itputs you in amindset that you, too, have to feel it's a place for study-ing or a place for learning…And I think the fact that there's a lot ofpeople there, it isn't really a disturbing factor because I think a lotof times people can gain energy from other people being aroundthem also working.”41

“I guess when there are people inside the library, it makes you feelyou want to learn more, do some research.”42

LIBRARIANS TAKE CARE OF BOOKS

In the survey responses, which did not contain an explicit questionabout librarians, librarianswere rarelymentioned. Among the fewmen-tions, librarians were usually referred to as the person responsible fororganizing and circulating books. This coincides with research done byFagan (2003) on student perceptions of librarians. She found that “Stu-dents know librarians are there to help them but often consider librar-ians' knowledge as limited to familiarity with the physical library” (p.139). Among the mentions, however, there were a few positive com-ments. When writing about the purpose of libraries, one studentwrote, “Its librarians act as a source of information as much as organiza-tion, providing recommendations and assistance to undecidedreaders.”43 Another student describing their high school libraryremarked, “It is extremely small, with a very limited collection ofbooks, however providing a good quality service thanks to the friendlylibrarian.”44

35 Student V.36 Student C.37 Student E.38 Student X.39 Student I.40 Student Y.41 Student Z.42 Student V.43 Student AA.44 Student L.

354 I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

In the interviews, when asked about the role of librarians, studentscontinued to emphasize the librarians' role as ‘organizer of books’:

“Librarians are there to ensure the smooth running of the library.Fromgetting thebooks, ordering the books in the shelves, anddecid-ing which book goes where.”45

“Theymostly keep track of the resources in the library, and that's themain job.”46

“They're there to look after the books, there to arrange books so thatwhoever comes over does not face difficulty looking for the book. Soit's like, they're more like assistants.”47

One student laughed when talking about how she only found outthat librarians help with research at the NYUAD library orientation.48

Another student laughed when asked what librarians do, and said,“That's a good question. Well, they sort books.”49

Some students talked about the guidance librarians can give andtheir role in ensuring accessibility to resources:

“Well, I think a library can be sort of confusing, just because there areso many resources, so a librarian can be a guide on how to use theresources. And I know also at my school library, the librarians therealways helped introduce me to new resources.”50

“The basic image is that they help those who are seeking to find in-formation, any kind of information…I tell them the question I'mtrying to look for, and they help me, because back in Russia it'snot automatic, there are no computers [to look up books in thecatalog].”51

“Librarians organize the books, manage the circulation of the books.They help people find what they are looking for. Basically, runningthe system to be convenient for other people to participate in thelibrary.”52

Some had an even richer view of what librarians do, generally be-cause of positive personal experiences and interactions:

“The librarians [at my high school library] were my favorite part be-cause they were really helpful. And I would go to them and say, ‘I'vegot this debate research assignment, will you help me?’ And theywould tell me which databases would be useful and that sort ofthing.”53

“The best librarians that I've had, have not necessarily answeredmyquestions for me, but helped me frame the question that I had in abetter way so that I could find the answers myself.”54

“Librarians, they are really essential. There are too many books in-side the library, and one has no idea how to find them. But it's notjust that, because they also guide you to research as you seek forknowledge…They're mentor-like people.”55

45 Student I.46 Student T.47 Student E.48 Student B.49 Student G.50 Student Z.51 Student BB.52 Student Q.53 Student U.54 Student K.55 Student X.

“I think librarians both do a boring job and a fun job. The boring partto me is where you put books in order…But the fun part is actuallyexploring the books that are there and recommending them to peo-ple and maybe seeing some people on a regular basis and helpingthem learn. Really assisting in the process of a person learning some-thing. So it depends on the library, but some librarians can be liketeachers.”56

During the interviews, several students recounted negative experi-ences with librarians.While the intent is not to blame librarians for stu-dent experiences, it is worth looking at the types of interaction thatstudents perceive as negative:

“The librarianswehad back at homewere pretty, I don't know, I nev-er really liked them. They would just be so stringent [about silence]…Even if I asked a librarian, ‘Can I read the seventh book of HarryPotter?’ they'd be like, ‘Can't you see, it's over in that section, go findthe book yourself!’”57

“[My high school librarians] were very rude. They don't talk to you,and they just mind their own business. They don't look at you.”58

“The librarian in my school library focused a lot on maintaining si-lence. Like, a lot. And that in turn used to make students not wantto go to the library.”59

One Russian student had negative experiences with librarians interms of accessing books at the public library: “Obviously, librariansare very educated people, constantly reading something, you can seethat in the library, but sadly they have to work there, and the status ofthat job is not so high. As if it's not important, but obviously it is.”60

He also believed that librarians were treated with more respect inother countries.

CULTURE OF LIBRARIES

Several students explained that they had almost no experience with‘real’ libraries before coming to NYUAD. This coincides with resultsfound by Hughes (2010) in her study of international student use of on-line library resources at an Australian university. The three factors thatcontributed to the limited number of library experiences were “previ-ously limited information needs, the prevailing pedagogical approachesin their home country, and the differing nature of library in the homecountry and Australia” (p. 80). During the interviews, several studentsexplained that there was no ‘culture of libraries’ in their home country.

“I have not been tomany libraries. Like, inmy country the concept ofpublic libraries is not there. I only had my school library.”61

“Libraries are not part of the culture in Pakistan. People usually justbuy their own books.”62

“I guess because there weren't that many books available to us andso we didn't have that culture of going to the library, the school li-brary to borrow books. It was more like, go to the bookshop.”63

Students with a lack of library experience had a muchmore difficulttime describing their ‘ideal’ library than other students: “My ideal

56 Student N.57 Student H.58 Student V.59 Student I.60 Student BB.61 Student I.62 Student C.63 Student B.

355I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

library…probably like the one we have here. Because it caters to all myneeds. The fun needs, the study-related needs. Yeah, that's pretty muchit, that's all I need from the library.”64 For students with limited libraryexperiences, movies like Harry Potter, with its magical and mysteriouslibrary, were touchstones. These students often referred to the physicalpresence of books as an integral part of the library environment.

HIGHER PURPOSES OF THE LIBRARY

Many students have an elevated view of libraries as an ‘aspirational’place, for both individuals and society as a whole. This was largely trueregardless of the students' previous library experiences. Some of thewords related to this theme that students used were motivate, nurture,encourage, and inspire. Libraries help to motivate students to pursueknowledge and get their studying done.

“When I really wanted to study in an intellectual environment, Iwould go to the library. That would help me, that would somehowenhance my productivity at the time of working. But at the sametime it's a sanctuary of knowledge…You get inspired by your sur-roundings, and the ideas flowmore.”65

“[A library is] a place where you can, without much boundaries,obtain knowledge. A place where you can relax and either studyor read, and a place where you can expand your horizons,knowledge-wise.”66

“It is a space to be quiet and to appreciate silence, and to providemental asylum from the real world, in the form of the worldscontained within books. It is the church of the mind.”67

Libraries can also serve as a place for personal growth:

“[A library is] not only a source of knowledge, but also an encourage-ment of learning. Just knowing that I have access to the books couldmotivate me to search for more information and knowledge.”68

“[A library is for] research. Wait, let's take it higher.Enlightenment.”69

“A library encourages students to explore a wide pool ofknowledge.”70

“[A library is] a place for learning and exploration. It invites curiosity,interest, and, in the best of cases, many questions.”71

“[Library are for] connecting with scholars and students around theworld.”72

In addition to their role in the lives of individuals, libraries shouldalso preserve knowledge for future generations: “[A library is for]collecting the history of public knowledge and art. Andmaking it publicgoods, and preserving it for the future.”73 One student stated, “Librariesare the guardians of the knowledge ofmankind and as such are essentialto the civilization of our species.”74 One statement from a student,

64 Student H.65 Student X.66 Student N.67 Student O.68 Student D.69 Student BB.70 Student CC.71 Student DD.72 Student EE.73 Student G.74 Student AA.

explaining why he is “hard to satisfy” when thinking about his ideal li-brary, is worth quoting at length:

“Because I find librar as places where you learn stuff, not just whereyou come and pick up a book then learn from that book, study thatbook, return it, and that's it. It's also the space, the environment thatlibrary provides. Where you come and get to know things that youwouldn't normally get to know. To stumble upon books that aren'treally common or that nobody will recommend for you. Or, in con-temporary society it's really easy to go online and search ‘100 booksthat you have to read before you die’ and so on. But that's not it,that's not it. It's too generalized. A library is a placewhere I think thatthose distinctions between individuals cease to exist. We all havedifferent goals, we all are interested in different things, but it is thatcommon place that interests us all. More books, more readers. Moreinterests, more interaction with books and people. And everythingaround you. It's the common ground of a city, of a culture.”75

DISCUSSION

Students still, even in today's digital age, have a very ‘book-heavy’view of libraries. Some of this may be due to the fact that they do nothave much library experience, and are depending on what they've seenand heard about libraries through various media. Also, many of theirhigh school libraries contained only books, so they were not sure whatto expect from a college library. In explaining what they expected fromNYUAD, several students said ‘more books’ than their high school librar-ies; they anticipated that the difference between their high school libraryand NYUAD would merely be one of quantity. There are many possiblerepercussions of this view. For example, if students do not need booksfor their homework, research, or personal use, they might think theydo not need the library. Therefore, although an introduction to the librarycan certainly startwith books, that cannot be theend of the conversation.Students need to hear about electronic resources,media, equipment, andthe many other resources that libraries can provide.

Students also have very strong opinions about how people should be-have in libraries. People should be contributing to the ‘academic’ atmo-sphere by being quiet and respectful. However, as many librarians haveundoubtedly noticed, students often enjoy being loud and working withtheir friends and peers in the library space. One student articulated thiscontradiction when asked what the word ‘library’ brought to her mind:

“Books, peace and quiet, peace of mind. Social, which is kind of con-tradictory to that, but the library that I love [a public library in NewZealand] was always like a hub of different people around, so it wasquite social in that regard. You could sit with people that were doingthe same homework as you, with the curriculum for the school andsomething. So yeah, probably social.”76

In developing library spaces and policies, librarians need to attend tothe balance between these two desires. Libraries should provide, or con-tinue to provide, a variety of spaces within the library to suit the differ-ent needs of students. It should also be clear what the intendedpurposes of the various spaces are.While signage is important, studentstend to look at other students and dowhat they are doing. At leastwith-in certain library spaces, a noise policy might be recommended. Librar-ians should also pay attention if spaces are continually used foralternative or unexpected purposes, in case they need to adapt to stu-dent behaviors and practices.

Regarding librarians, it is clear from this study that students do nothave a full sense of what we do. Even students who worked in librariesas assistants were often only exposed to the librarians' circulation activi-ties. Therefore, when students are introduced to the academic library, therole of librarians should be emphasized. To name just a few areas,

75 Student FF.76 Student K.

Country Number of interviewees

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1China 1Colombia 1Indonesia 1New Zealand 1Pakistan 4Russia 2Slovenia 2UAE 1USA 2Vietnam 1

356 I. Datig / The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (2014) 350–356

students need to knowmore about librarians' research expertise, subjectspecialities, technological experience, and contributions to academicknowledge. They need to know that we are capable of answering ques-tions beyond, ‘Where is this book?’ In addition, students are receptiveto having positive relationships with librarians, so librarians should befriendly, engaged, and ready to interact with them. The students withthe largest number of positive interactions with librarians had a greatersense of the scope of their responsibility, and feltmore positively towardslibraries in general. Everyday interactions with students, no matter howsmall, can therefore have a large effect on how students view the library.

Students think libraries are a force for good in theworld, and there isan opportunity for academic libraries to embrace our ‘motivational’ role.Students think libraries should encourage them to be their best self, theself that pursues knowledge vigorously andworkswith others to createnew knowledge. The extent to which we can do our best to live up tothat image will undoubtedly have a positive effect on students. It mayalso beworthmentioning the lofty ideals of libraries, including our com-mitment to knowledge preservation and access, in our interactionswithstudents. They might prove to be very receptive to those kinds of con-versations. Emphasizing the library's role as the ‘center of knowledge’may also help to broaden the students' book-heavy view of libraries.We should also be encouraged by the fact that students associate librar-ies so strongly with academics and the development of general knowl-edge. This means they value the library's role in an educational setting.

CONCLUSION

This is only a preliminary study, and does not claim to be a completelythorough view of how international students view libraries. One possibil-ity for further study would be to poll librarians for their definitions of li-braries in order to develop a direct comparison. It seems natural that we,as librarians, would put a greater deal of emphasis on the role of librar-ians in the library than students do, but it would be interesting to viewthat data directly. Also, this study only addressed the opinions of incom-ing students; it would be interesting to study how college students' opin-ions change over the course of their college education. Any informationthat can be gathered on student perceptions of libraries will be helpfulin promoting library resources, facilities, and services, and also in ensur-ing the continued importance of the library in students' academic lives.

APPENDIX 1

SURVEY

24 out of 42 students mentioned the geographical location of theirhigh school/secondary school library in their survey responses.

Country Number of respondents

Australia 1Brazil 1Chile 1China 1Colombia 1El Salvador 1Hungary 1Indonesia 1Latvia 1Malawi 1Malaysia 1Mexico 1Moldova 1New Zealand 2Pakistan 1Rwanda 1Singapore 1Spain 1Swaziland 1UAE 1United States 3

Interviews

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