The Library as Place in the Lives of AfricanAmericans

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The Library as Place in the Lives of
African-Americans

• Ruth C. Shoge D.L.S.,
• Reference/Instruction Librarian
• Washington College
• Chestertown, Maryland
• ACRL 11th Annual Conference 4/12/03

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Focus of this research

• To determine
• How African American Students and professionals
  perceive the library as a transforming agent in
  achieving academic and career success.
• What factors motivate African American Students
  and professionals to use the library and its
  resources.

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Why this topic?

• Civil Rights Activism
• "Libraries can mold character, giving an
  individual powerful words to live by." Carl
  Rowan 
• "Library is the temple of learning, and learning
  has liberated more people than all the wars in
  human history. A black person who wants to be
  liberated first needs to get learning. If he
  does, it will make him a formidable force against
  a would-be oppressor." Carl Rowan
• Freedom Libraries

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The Research Questions

• In which library activities are Black students
  most frequently engaged?
• What factors motivate African-American students
  to use the library and its resources?
• Is there a significant correlation between
  library activity engagement and perceived effect
  on the subjects academic performance?
• Does the perception of the librarys
  philosophical role as a transforming agent differ
  significantly by age of respondents?

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Previous Research

• Ethlelene Whitmires findings, based on the
  College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ).
  African American Students used library sources
  more frequently that white students in the
  following areas
• (1) used the card catalog or computer,
• (2) asked librarian for help,
• (3) read in the reserve or reference section,
• (4) used indexes to journal articles,
• (5) developed bibliography,
• (6) read basic reference documents, and
• (7) checked out books.

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Previous ResearchContinued

• John Ory and Larry Braskcamp (1988) also found
  that minority students used the library more than
  White students.
• The study was also based on the CSEQ dataset.
• A comparative study of students in an honors
  program, a transition program, as well as in the
  regular curriculum.

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More Research

• Qun Jioa and Anthony Onwuegbuzie (1997) in their
  research on The Prevalence and Reasons for
  University Library Usage identified the top
  three reasons for students use of the library
• (1) to obtain a book or an article for a course
  paper.
• (2) to study for a test.
• (3) to use computerized indexes and online
  facilities.

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More Research

• J. Fielder (1975) found that the main reasons
  reported by respondents at the University of
  Washington Libraries for using the library were
• (1) to do class related reading,
• (2) to do class related research and
• (3) to study for a test

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Methodology

• Research Instrument
• Survey questionnaire
• 3 sections
• Demographics
• Library activities engagement
• Respondents perception of the library

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Methodologycontinued

• Population
• 187 African-American subjects in Maryland and
  Delaware.
• 129 undergraduate students
• 26 graduate students
• 32 professionals
• Educational Institutions
• 2 large public universities
• 2 Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• 2 small independent liberal arts colleges
• 1 large private university

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Table 1. Descriptive Summary of Respondents
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Analysis of data

• Population divided into 2 groups
• Group 1 undergraduate students
• Group 2 graduate students and professionals
• Statistical Package for the Social Sciences
  (SPSS) was used to analyze the data.
• Frequency analysis
• T-tests
• Correlations

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Findings

• Q1. In which library activities are African
  American students and professionals most
  frequently engaged?
• Use electronic resources
• Do research
• Study
• Do homework

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Table 2 Means, Standard Deviations and t-Tests
by Activities Listed in Descending Order of Mean
Score by ActivityScale 1 very often 5
never
Correlation is significant at the plt0.01 level
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Findings (Continued)

• Q2. What factors motivate African American
  students and professionals to use the library and
  its resources?
• Help academic performance
• Required to complete assignments
• Library instruction

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Findings (continued)

• Q3. Is there a significant correlation between
  use of library and its perceived effect on
  academic performance?
• Significant correlation between
• Academic performance and use of resources.
• Academic performance and use of the library as a
  place to study.
• Academic performance and help from the reference
  librarian.

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Table 4 Correlation of Library Effectiveness and
Resources By Groups.Control Variable Use of
library resources made a significant difference
to my academic performance.Scale 1 strongly
agree 5 strongly disagree 
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Findings (continued)

• Q4. Does the perception of the librarys
  philosophical role as a transforming agent differ
  significantly by age of respondents?
• There was a significant difference between the
  two age groups.
• Respondents 34 years of age and older agreed with
  the statements.
• Respondents in the 18-33 years of age group were
  undecided.

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Table 7 Correlation of the Perception of the
Philosophical Role of the Library with Age
Groups.Scale 1 strongly agree 5 strongly
disagree
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Conclusion

• Small sample size does not allow for
  generalization beyond this group.
• Respondents use the library to do research and
  study more than any other activities.
• Respondents use the library to improve their
  academic performance.
• Course preparation and tests are the main
  determinants behind library engagement.

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Further Research

• Repeat the survey covering a much wider
  geographic area.
• Limit the population to undergraduate students.
• Investigate the types of online resources used
  for research purposes.

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Significance of the study

• Adds to the body of literature on library use.
• Gives the African-American perspective.
• Encourages further research.
• Has implications for library instruction.