Librarians don't bite: assessing library orientation for freshmen

Abstract

Evaluates the effect of the library component of a freshman orientation program on student attitudes and library anxiety. A modified version of Bostick's Library Anxiety Scale was administered to 1,027 true freshmen enrolled in the Connections First‐Year Experience program at Utah State University in the fall of 2003. First year students showed a moderate level of library anxiety prior to their library orientation sessions. This anxiety was significantly decreased after the orientation sessions. A control group reported similar anxiety levels on the pre‐test and a much smaller degree of improvement on the post‐test. Proposes that academic libraries should participate in the First‐Year Experience programs on their campuses. These activities reduce the levels of library anxiety felt by first‐year students and reduce possible barriers to academic achievement. Concludes that this paper will be of use to librarians seeking administrative and campus‐wide support for inclusion of a library component in First‐Year Experience programs. The survey can be used to assess efficacy of activities for those libraries already participating in such programs.