Beyond Books: The Extended Academic Benefits of Library Use for First-Year College Students

摘要

The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether there are relationships between first-year college studentsa€? use of academic libraries and four academic outcomes: academic engagement, engagement in scholarly activities, academic skills development, and grade point average. The results of regression analyses suggest studentsa€? use of books (collection loans, e-books, and interlibrary loans) and web-based services (database, journal, and library website logins) had the most positive and significant relationships with academic outcomes. Studentsa€? use of reference services was positively associated with their academic engagement and academic skills, while enrollment in library courses was positively associated with grade point averages.