Student Values and Research: Are Millennials Really Changing the Future of Reference and Research?

ABSTRACT

This article provides perspective on the research habits of Millennials, placing them in generational context while questioning whether adherence to generational differences hinders educational pedagogy. An exploratory survey at Pima Community College (PCC) East Campus provides context from which Millennial behaviors, commonly perceived by faculty and in literature, can be scrutinized. The article discusses the preference for experiential learning across generations and the misnomer of the digital native, while discussing the student as information consumer and the consumer behavior behind library use. The significance of customer service and user education to library use is demonstrated. The future of libraries is discussed to include service barriers and the outlook that the Web is enhancing rather than eliminating the need for libraries.

This article originally published in Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 49, Issue 4, pages 341–364, 2009. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01930820902832454

KEYWORDS:

• Millennials
• generational differences
• college students and technology
• college students and research
• college students and values
• future of library service
• library customer service
• library research