College Students Use of Libraries

This report produced by OCLC focuses on the perceptions college students have of libraries and information resources. The study revealed that in many areas college students use libraries more, and are more aware of resources, than are respondents overall. Also, when correlations were done between educational attainment and library use, there is evidence that the more educated the respondent, the more likely they are to use libraries after formal education is completed. These survey results confirm that libraries – both academic and public – are used by college students. College students also expect their library usage to increase in the future at a higher rate than do total respondents. When asked to give advice, many student respondents suggested increasing libraries’ open hours, improving the lighting and furniture, hiring friendlier staff and allowing food and drink in libraries. The results confirm that the majority of college students are still not making high use of the array of electronic resources (online magazines, databases and reference assistance, for example) libraries make available. However, college students use electronic resources at higher rates and are the most familiar with what libraries have to offer compared to usage and familiarity of overall respondents.

De Rosa, C., Cantrell, J., Hawk, J., Wilson, A., Gauder, B., Havens, A., Limes, R., & Smith, S. (2006). College students’ perceptions of libraries and information resources: A report to the OCLC membership. Dublin, OH: OCLC. https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/reports/pdfs/studentperceptions.pdf

Student Reading Trends in United States

The 10th anniversary edition of What Kids Are Reading, the world's largest annual study of K-12 student reading habits, discusses a program called Accelerated Reader, which helps teachers promote and manage students’ reading practice by providing independent reading and targeted nonfiction reading practice. Additionally, this report examines the reading records of millions of students across the United States to discover their favorite books, the factors that drive reading growth, trends in nonfiction reading, and so much more.  This report discusses:

• Which practices help struggling readers reach grade-level goals
• Changes in students' nonfiction and STEM reading over the years
• Most-popular and highest-rated books and articles for each grade
• How student reading habits compare to college and career demands
• Short essays from beloved authors and fellow educators

Reinassance (2018). What kids are reading – With essays from popular authors Nick Bruel and Janet Stevens. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Reinassance. https://p.widencdn.net/xzb1sn/R41012-Reniassance-What-Kids-Are-Reading

Study peer pressure changes brain behavior

A new study to be published indicates that peer pressure is hard for students to fight because it changes the brain itself. Researchers asked young men to rate the attractiveness of people in two cycles. Once on their own and again after seeing peer ratings. The study found that participants uniformly changed their ratings to match those of their peers. MRI scans of the participants' brains also showed significantly different patterns of activity in two areas associated with determining subjective value and reward. The study suggests that being in a class with people who are interested in a subject can make a student more engaged, and overall school culture can have a greater impact on student achievement than isolated programs.
Psychological Science, 2010, Social influence modulates the neural computation of value

College students' study research

New research, conducted by two California economics professors, shows that over the past five decades, the number of hours that the average college student studies each week has been steadily dropping. According to time-use surveys, the average student at a four-year college in 1961 studied about 24 hours a week. Today’s average student hits the books for just 14 hours.
Babcock, P., & Marks, M. (2010). Review of Economics and Statistics.


The 2009 National Survey of Student Engagement found that 62 percent of college students studied 15 hours a week or less — even as they took home primarily As and Bs on their report cards. On the positive side, the report shows that a variety of colleges and universities have shown steady improvement in the quality of undergraduate education, as measured by students’ exposure to and involvement in effective educational practices.
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2009). Assessment for Improvement. Bloomington, IN: NSSE. http://nsse.iub.edu/_2010/sandbox.cfm?editMode=0&cid=41