ATG Book of The Week: College Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now know

Title: College Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know
Edited by Lynda M. Duke and Andrew D. Asher
ISBN: Softcover: 978-0-8389-1116-7; Ebook: Item Number: 7400-1167
Price: Softcover: $60; e-book: $48.
Imprint: Chicago: ALA, 2011

This title reports “some eye-opening results” from a Library Services and Technology Act Grant to five large Illinois universities initially awarded in 2008.  The purpose of the grant was to study how “college students really conduct research.”

“The findings suggest changes ranging from simple adjustments in service and resources to modifying the physical layout of the library. In this book Duke and Asher, two anthropological researchers involved with the project since its beginning,

• Summarize the study’s history, including its goals, parameters, and methodology
• Offer a comprehensive discussion of the research findings, touching on issues such as website design, library instruction for faculty, and meeting the needs of commuter and minority students
• Detail a number of service reforms which have already been implemented at the participating institutions”

The study has been referenced in a USA Today article, an Inside Higher Ed article, and an article at The Conversation.  You can also listen to a podcast about this title as well as read a sample of the book.