Assessing Underrepresented Students’ Perceptions of Library Welcomeness

Understanding the needs and experiences of current and potential library users is critical to fulfilling Booth Library’s mission “to collaboratively empower the intellectual and creative growth of our diverse campus and community.” To do so, we need input from representative voices of our patron base.

Booth librarians solicited insights from African American undergraduates at Eastern Illinois University regarding their perceptions and use of library services.

Booth Library staff adopted a survey assessing perceived welcomeness within the library, centering questions around three areas: resources, interactions with people, and atmosphere and outreach. Three graduate students in EIU’s College Student Affairs program led our focus groups to expand on the feedback provided in the survey.

Findings allowed staff to develop recommendations to improve Booth Library’s contributions to student success. The methods used in this project may be more broadly applicable to libraries of all types interested in better serving the needs of their underrepresented patrons.

For more information, including speaker bios, view the ILA event page. 

All ILA Noon Network webinars are free and recordings will be made available shortly after the webinars. Registration for all live webinars is limited to Illinois libraries. Others may view the recordings when they are available.

Questions? Contact:

Tamara Jenkins, ILA Communications & Engagement Manager
tjenkins@ila.org