Learning from degree-seeking older adult students in a university library

Mary C. Aagard · Marilia Y. Antúnez · Jaime Sand

9 citations0/0 files storedReference Services Review

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Library Science and Information Literacy Library Science and Administration Web and Library Services

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of library resources and services by degree-seeking older adult students (aged 50 years and over) and it is driven by the role of libraries in serving this often overlooked student population. Older adult students bring many benefits to the life of college campuses; nevertheless, many of these students also face challenges in meeting their information needs in academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach – The authors surveyed degree-seeking older adult students at a comprehensive metropolitan university in the western USA. Surveys were distributed to 579 students enrolled in the spring semester 2013, 134 students completed the 15-question online survey about the use of the library, information-seeking behaviors and use of other university services. Findings – The self-reported findings confirmed that the library meets most of the information needs of this student population. Students commented on satisfaction with the library services, barriers to using the library, areas in need of improvement and use of other university services. Research limitations/implications – Survey participants were gathered from one university and a corresponding sample size of 18-24-year-old students were not surveyed. More research is needed to demonstrate how this particular group varies from their traditional aged counterparts. Practical implications – This paper can be used as a starting point for future research into the information-seeking behaviors and needs of degree-seeking older adult students to develop greater understanding of this diverse population and their unique strengths and challenges. There is an absence in the literature on this demographic group in academic libraries. Originality/value – The article includes recommendations for further study and suggests outreach opportunities directed to older adult students that can also benefit the growing diversity of college students.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 9 citations exist upstream.

References

1988Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective 2008Hardiness commitment, gender, and age differentiate university academic performance 2013Library Use and Undergraduate Student Outcomes: New Evidence for Students’ Retention and Academic Success 2009Information behavior of people in the fourth age: Implications for the conceptualization of information literacy 2012Assessing library contributions to university outcomes: the need for individual student level data 2013Analyzing Demographics: Assessing Library Use Across the Institution 2012Proactive Outreach to Adult Students: A Department and Library Collaborative Effort 2003Nontraditional undergraduates at home, work, and school: an examination of information-seeking behaviors and the impact of information literacy instruction

Cited by

2020Age-Friendly University environmental scan: Exploring “age-friendliness” with stakeholders at one regional comprehensive university 2023Bibliotecas universitarias y formación permanente de las personas mayores: análisis de una experiencia en un entorno digital

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.