First-year college students’ library experience and its impact on their perceptions of academics during the pandemic

Abstract

How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect first-year college students’ library experience and how did their experience affect their GPA? By employing both quantitative and qualitative data collected at a public research university during spring 2021, this article found that first-year students rarely used the physical library, used the online library more often than other undergraduates, perceived the library as having a positive impact on their coursework, and determined that the online library resources and services were a primary contributor to their academic performance. Recommendations on how to improve library service and avenues for future research are provided.

Keywords:

• College first-year students
• COVID-19
• library survey
• GPA
• undergraduate students

Acknowledgment

This article used data from the previous study approved by the University Institutional Review Board (IRB research protocol: #2019-1445), examining public research university students’ library experiences and its impact on their GPA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special thanks to my colleagues Elena Carrillo and Paula Dempsey for their review and valuable feedback on this article.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to participants’ privacy and ethical restrictions.