International Students and the Library: A Survey of Incoming International

Students at San José State University

Pamela Jackson

San José State University

Introduction

• International student enrollment in American academic institutions has continually risen since 1945.

• Most international students find themselves in the cultural and language minority when they travel to a foreign country and enroll in a new educational system.

• Difficulties matriculating into American universities (such as SEVIS) may make the learning experience itself much more stressful and can lead to heightened levels of anxiety for international students.

Past Library Research

• Students from other countries are accustomed to varying degrees of access to information.

• International students come to American universities with limited training in traditional print sources, computer and database use, and are often unaware of how an American library functions.

• Librarians and students encounter difficulty with language barriers and nonverbal communication problems.

More Library Research is Necessary to Determine Needs of International Students as They Perceive Them.

International programs offices and librarians, not

international students, are often surveyed.

Last published library needs survey of international

students:1993

Demographics of SJSU’s International Students

(Based on 2002 Institutional Planning and Academic Resources (IPAR) Statistics)

San José State University Enrollment Statistics International Students

Total Enrollment

International Students

Apx. 5%

International student

enrollment up 28.9%

from 1999.

28.9%

Distribution of International Students by Residence Area

0 200 400 600 800 1000

Spring 2002

Asia

Western Europe

Middle East

Africa

Eastern Europe

South America

North America

Carribbean

Central America

Australia

Mediterranean

In thousands

77%

Distribution of International Students by Residence Area (Non-Asian Countries)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Spring 2002

Mediterranean

Australia

Central America

Carribbean

North America

South America

Eastern Europe

Africa

Middle East

Western Europe

Numberof

Students

Distribution of International Students:Asian Countries

Spring 2002 Percent of Total International StudentEnrollment

S. Korea

Hong Kong

Southeast Asia

China

Japan

India

Tawain

All Others

5%

8%9%

10%13%

18%

23%

14%

Countries of International Graduate Student Origin

13.40%

3.10%

8.60%

Percent of Graduate Enrollment

Other Country

China

India

Percent of Degrees Conferred to International Students

8%4%

88%

MA Degrees toInternational Students

BA Degrees toInternational Students

Degrees to U.S.Residents

Degrees conferred to International Students up

47.6% from 1997.

47.6%

47.6 %

Current Research Study:Incoming International Student Survey

Methodology and Survey

• 161 undergraduate and graduate incoming international students at San José State University were surveyed during Fall 2003 orientation.

• The survey was divided into four sections. – Demographic Data– Students’ library and computer use in their home countries before coming to the United

States– Library concepts and services that they have used or are new to them– Open-ended question section for them to tell what they like/dislike about the library and

how the library can best or better serve international students

• Response Rate: – 82% of students for whom this is their first time in the United States– 65% for students who are transferring from another U.S. institution – A combined overall response rate of 75%

Identifying Barriers to Successful Library Research

• What is the demographic profile of our incoming international students?

• What experience do incoming international students have using libraries in their home countries and what is their level of computer proficiency?

• What library services and terminology are new to international students?

• What do the students like/dislike about the library?• What services/information do respondents think the

library should provide to help international students?

Distribution of Incoming International Students by Residence Area

0 20 40 60 80 100

121 Survey Respondents

Fal

l 200

3

Eastern EuropeAfricaMediterraneanCentral AmericaNorth AmericaAustraliaSouth AmericaMiddle EastWestern EuropeAsia

Demographics

Approximately 67% are under age 25

Gender is nearly equal

Approximately 51% are graduate students

Time in the U.S. was a few days for students new to the country and an average of 2.5 years for transfer students (transfers are all students who have previously studies in the U.S., including graduate students)

Major Areas/Fields of Study

05

1015202530354045

Number

Major/Field of Study

Engineering

Business

Computer Science

All Other SocialSciences All Other Humanities

All Other Sciences

37%

27%

8%

18%

6%4%

Library and Computer Use Before Coming to the U.S.

used a library in their home country

used a computer inside a library

used the WWW

used email

conducted computerized library research

G a m es W e b D e s ign P ro g ram m ing D a tab a se D es ign T e ch n ica l so ftw a re

O ther C om puter U ses--S tudents W rote

New Library Concepts

• Services such as interlibrary loan, librarian reference-by-appointment, and live online reference are new concepts.

• The reference desk and open stacks are understood.

• Students perceive themselves as understanding library terminology; however, further study is needed to determine the extent of their knowledge of library terms and jargon.

What do you like about the library?

“We can connect to the Internet

easily.”

“Rooms for studying in

groups.”

“It is great to see foreign language books, esp. in Urdu.”

“Cooperative staff. People are helpful.”

“Laptop connections at every desk.”

What do you dislike about the library?“The Internet speed is

so slow.”

“Students don’t have unlimited web access.”

(.i.e. a 24 hour computer lab)

“There are not a lot of

open computers.”

“Hours are too short.”

(frequently noted)

“Long lines for checkouts.”

“A bit confusing

to first timers.”

What library services can we provide to help international students?

“Friendly reference desk employees.”“Web access.”“Give us more orientation on how to use it.”“More multimedia resources in different languages.”“Tell us how to use it by email.”“24 hours internet service.”“There isn’t enough time to surf the net.”“Hard to find books after checking the catalog.”“Signs telling what books are on what floors.”

What information would you like the library to provide?

• More orientation to the library

• More resources in other languages, especially daily newspapers from their home countries

• Local area information

• Job-related information

What the Library Can Do

• Create a partnership with university international programs offices.

• Assign a librarian to international student programs and outreach.

• Increase library orientation and outreach efforts to international students.

• Create an online tutorial for international students.

• Create library web pages for international students.

• Collaborate with campus pre-college ESL institutes.

• Plan a professional development seminar for library staff.

Summary and Conclusion

• Incoming students are highly computer literate and most have used a library in their home country.

• Increasing library orientation efforts for this target group can provide a solid foundation for international student success.

• Information literacy initiatives are needed at the graduate level where the largest percentage of international students are enrolled.

This research study will be available in the spring issue of Reference Services Review.

Jackson, P. (Forthcoming 2005). Incoming International Students and the Library: A Survey. Reference Services Review, 33(2).