Student perceptions of academic and social effects of working in a university library

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to explore the positive and negative effects of working in an academic library, as reported by college students.Design/methodology/approachThrough surveys and interviews, student workers shared their perceptions of how employment in a university library affects their academics, social life, engagement with campus life, professional skill development, and emotional/psychological states.FindingsResults indicate that the library job is seen as a generally positive part of the students' college experience, particularly in the areas of skill development and academic performance. However, neutral, mixed, and negative effects exist as well.Research limitations/implicationsFindings may not be generalizable due to the limited number of participants and their employment in a single department. Future research could include students in other departments, libraries, or universities. This study employed a single survey and interview, capturing a snapshot of student perceptions. A more longitudinal approach could examine how the attitudes and perceptions of working students change over time as a result of their employment.Practical implicationsThis study presents suggestions for how librarians, faculty, staff, and administrators can promote working students' academic success and professional development.Originality/valueThis paper contributes a new perspective to the current literature on the academic and social effects of library employment. By gathering student perceptions via surveys and interviews, this research provides one of the first analyses of the experiences of library student workers as shared in their own voices.

Perceptions of students working as library reference assistants at a University Library

“…Although there is some concern in the literature that student employment may have a number of negative effects -such as the potential for decreased academic performance due to time spent at work, higher rates of stress and the potential for a lack of student integration within the larger community of the academic institution -these negative results typically seem to be related to the numbers of hours that students work. Specifically, student employment appears to exert a negative influence on grades and retention only if students work more than 20 hours per week (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013). Additionally, it appears that students who are able to limit their employment commitment to less than 20 hours per week are not adversely affected.…”

“…Recent research has shown that there are a number of benefits for students employed on a part-time basis within the library. Part-time student employment, defined as employment that requires a time commitment of 20 hours or less per week, has been shown to correlate with higher student academic performance, higher student retention rates and higher graduation rates (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013). Researchers have also shown that students specifically employed within the library also display higher rates of retention and social integration within collegiate environments (Folk, 2014;Maxey-Harris et al, 2010) as well as higher graduation rates and academic success (Folk, 2014).…”

“…Additionally, it appears that students who are able to limit their employment commitment to less than 20 hours per week are not adversely affected. It has been postulated that students who are employed less than 20 hours per week develop better time management skills and greater efficiency to compensate for the time spent at work (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013).…”

“…Second, based on an analysis of students' motivations for employment, library employment offers a number of other advantages to students. These include the gained work experience, the development of transferrable skills, such as the ability to conduct research, the improvement of students' résumés, the development of customer service, team building and leadership skills (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013;Maxey-Harris et al, 2010), and the money earned by working (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013). However, working in the library specifically offers students a number of advantages they may not obtain in other part-time positions.…”

“…However, working in the library specifically offers students a number of advantages they may not obtain in other part-time positions. These advantages include the ability to have a flexible work schedule, the ability to learn skills, such as research skills, that may directly impact academic performance in a positive way (Faix, 2014;Stanfield and Palmer, 2011), a low stress and pleasant work environment and better than average hourly wage (Jacobson and Shuyler, 2013).…”