George D. Kuh and Robert M. Gonyea
George D. Kuh and Robert M. Gonyea were involved in the College Student Experiences Questionnaire
Research Program, Center for Postsecondary Research, Policy, and Planning, School of Education, at
Indiana University Bloomington; e-mail: kuh@indiana.edu.
This study examines the nature and value of undergraduate students’
experiences with the academic library. The data represent responses
from more than 300,000 students between 1984 and 2002 to the College
Student Experiences Questionnaire. Although library use did not appear
to make independent contributions to desirable outcomes of college, such
experiences were related to important educationally valuable activities.
Because the emphasis a campus places on information literacy is a strong
predictor of students becoming information literate, librarians should
redouble their collaborative efforts to promote the value of information
literacy and help create opportunities for students to evaluate the quality
of the information they obtain.