From the Ground Up: Creating a Sustainable Library Outreach Program for International Students

Abstract

In spring 2014, the Henry Madden Library at Fresno State implemented an outreach program for incoming international students, consisting of a campus orientation presentation, library orientation and tours, information literacy workshops, and international peer advisor training. Assessment as a result of the program has shown a high level of use of help services among international students, as well as modestly higher use of several services and resources amongst students who attended the library orientation. List of keywordsinternational students, library outreach, information literacy, partnerships, sustainability Authors' FootnoteAddress correspondence to Chris Langer, clanger@csufresno.edu; and Hiromi Kubo, hkubo@csufresno.edu. Henry Madden Library. 5200 N. Barton Ave. M/S ML 34. Fresno, California, 937408014. IntroductionInternational students are a fastgrowing demographic at many academic institutions in the United States. International student enrollment in U.S. higher education has steadily increased over the past five decades, and in 20132014 rose to a total of 886,052 students (Institute of International Education, 2014). California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) currently enrolls nearly 700 graduate and undergraduate students from over 60 countries. While the International Student Services and Programs Office (ISSP) addresses many of the institutional and daily living challenges these students face, the academic literature has demonstrated that many of these students are unfamiliar with Western libraries and the role of librarians in their education.Prior to 2014, the Henry Madden Library at Fresno State offered no coordinated outreach or information literacy programs to this special population. To remedy this, two public services librarians, with the support of library and campus administration, collaborated with ISSP and designed a pilot project of library orientation and a series of information literacy workshops targeted specifically at the international student population. These programs were first implemented in the spring 2014 semester and continue to the present. Assessment of the program has been conducted at various points.This article presents a case study of an academic library initiative that supports international students' library and information literacy needs, and explores sustainable library programs for this student population. Potential audiences of this article are librarians, student service professionals, and administrators, or anyone with a desire to more effectively reach out to international students on their campuses. Our goal is to showcase replicable ideas about creating sustainable library programs that encourage international students to use the library effectively, and increase their academic success. Literature ReviewThere is a considerable body of literature that discusses the challenges of international students in a Western academic environment. Coming from diverse backgrounds, many international students face difficult adjustments to American cultu...

Insourcing library outreach: Engaging technical services in outreach to student organizations

“…In order to connect with new and underserved campus populations, academic libraries are increasingly turning to outreach. Libraries are using outreach to engage with underserved patron populations (Helton 2010;Mathuews and Lewis 2017;Rutledge and LeMire 2016;Walter 2005) as well as other unique populations such as first-year students (Currie 2009;Collins and Dodsworth 2011), international students (Langer and Kubo 2015;Li, McDowell, and Wang 2016), and distance education students (Holloway 2011;Ziegler 2017). Libraries frequently report collaborating on outreach activities with campus units such as student services (Crowe 2010;Love and Edwards 2009;Ursin Cummings 2007), student organizations (Engle 2011), and academic departments (Cannady, King, and Blendinger 2012).…”

International Students and the Canadian University

“…One method for ensuring that international students' needs are being continually reevaluated and prioritized is having an international student librarian. Langer and Kubo (2015) stated that such a librarian may "help facilitate communication as the single point person of the library, increase the awareness of international students' unmet needs, improve library services, programs, and collections for these students, and enhance the reputation of the library" (p. 607). Indeed, Gale (2006) was one such international student librarian who devised an action plan that strove to address common issues such as language barriers, unawareness of services and events, and cultural barriers.…”

“…As events are held, data should be routinely gathered to maintain an accurate understanding of international students' needs, as demographics may change and responses to outreach may vary. Langer and Kubo (2015) surveyed international students' responses to outreach events. Their data revealed that reaching international students within the first few weeks was the most effective way for them to increase awareness and usage of the academic library and its services at Fresno State University.…”

Sharing the value and impact of outreach: Taking a multifaceted approach to outreach assessment

“…For example, Flynn (2017) tracked attendance and collected feedback forms to evaluate the success of finals week outreach activities, and Vanden Elzen and Roush (2013) supplemented their observational assessment with a survey. Langer & Kubo (2015) used a combination of attendance tracking, a survey, and anecdotal feedback to assess their library's international student outreach program. Sclippa (2017) tracked attendance numbers, social media views, and survey results in order to gauge both event reach and potential areas for improvement.…”