The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town
| dc.contributor.author | de Jager, Karin | |
| dc.contributor.author | Nassimbeni, Mary | |
| dc.contributor.author | Daniels, William | |
| dc.contributor.author | D’Angelo, Alexander | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-05-18T06:56:03Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-05-18T06:56:03Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2018 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Purpose This article explores how an innovation in the University Management Information System was leveraged to incorporate library data by an initially sceptical strategic management team. The rationale was to extract evidence of correlations between library use and student achievement. This kind of information is of particular interest to the institution, which is at present dealing with crises popularly summarised in the slogan “#FeesMustFall” among students who suffer from the effects of poverty and exclusion in higher education. • Approach The data extracted from the Data Warehouse was approached from the comparative demographic perspectives of students’ degrees of disadvantage in an effort to uncover any hitherto hidden patterns of library use. • Findings The use of the library as expressed by footfall and loans was mapped against students’ pass rates and their collective grade point averages, indicating a positive relationship between library use and improved academic performance. Comment is offered on some of the relationships between student library behaviour before, during and after the nationwide disruptions that destabilized universities and threatened their survival at the end of 2016, just before the final examination period. The effects on library use of library closures (under threat of damage) at a critical time in the academic year and on student performance are interrogated. • Conclusions Students on financial aid, the indicator of disadvantage, come from schools and environments where access to information technology and libraries is very limited, so that library habits are either poorly established or are wholly lacking. At the University of Cape Town, considerable support is in place to encourage the development of library habits among students. Initial analysis of available data indicates that students who have acquired library habits, regardless of unfavourable financial circumstances, do not exhibit behaviour and academic outcomes markedly different from that of their more privileged peers. • Originality and value of the proposal Combining library data with data from the university data warehouse is a new approach in South Africa. It is an approach that is of value both to the library and to the institution at large and it has brought meaningful insights into the role the academic library might be seen to play in promoting student academic achievement. | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier | 10.1108/PMM-09-2017-0037 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | de Jager, K., Nassimbeni, M., Daniels, W., & (2018). The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town. <i>Performance Measurement and Metrics</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28097 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | de Jager, Karin, Mary Nassimbeni, William Daniels, and "The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town." <i>Performance Measurement and Metrics</i> (2018) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28097 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | de Jager, K., Nassimbeni, M., Daniels, W. & D’Angelo, A. (2018). "The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: Student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town", Performance Measurement and Metrics, Vol. 19 Issue: 1, pp.40-52, https://doi.org/10.1108/PMM-09-2017-0037 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1467-8047 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - de Jager, Karin AU - Nassimbeni, Mary AU - Daniels, William AU - D’Angelo, Alexander AB - Purpose This article explores how an innovation in the University Management Information System was leveraged to incorporate library data by an initially sceptical strategic management team. The rationale was to extract evidence of correlations between library use and student achievement. This kind of information is of particular interest to the institution, which is at present dealing with crises popularly summarised in the slogan “#FeesMustFall” among students who suffer from the effects of poverty and exclusion in higher education. • Approach The data extracted from the Data Warehouse was approached from the comparative demographic perspectives of students’ degrees of disadvantage in an effort to uncover any hitherto hidden patterns of library use. • Findings The use of the library as expressed by footfall and loans was mapped against students’ pass rates and their collective grade point averages, indicating a positive relationship between library use and improved academic performance. Comment is offered on some of the relationships between student library behaviour before, during and after the nationwide disruptions that destabilized universities and threatened their survival at the end of 2016, just before the final examination period. The effects on library use of library closures (under threat of damage) at a critical time in the academic year and on student performance are interrogated. • Conclusions Students on financial aid, the indicator of disadvantage, come from schools and environments where access to information technology and libraries is very limited, so that library habits are either poorly established or are wholly lacking. At the University of Cape Town, considerable support is in place to encourage the development of library habits among students. Initial analysis of available data indicates that students who have acquired library habits, regardless of unfavourable financial circumstances, do not exhibit behaviour and academic outcomes markedly different from that of their more privileged peers. • Originality and value of the proposal Combining library data with data from the university data warehouse is a new approach in South Africa. It is an approach that is of value both to the library and to the institution at large and it has brought meaningful insights into the role the academic library might be seen to play in promoting student academic achievement. DA - 2018 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - Performance Measurement and Metrics LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 SM - 1467-8047 T1 - The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town TI - The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28097 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28097 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/PMM-09-2017-0037 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | de Jager K, Nassimbeni M, Daniels W, . The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town. Performance Measurement and Metrics. 2018; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/28097. | en_ZA |
| dc.language | eng | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Emerald | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.department | Library and Information Studies Centre (LISC) | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.source | Performance Measurement and Metrics | en_ZA |
| dc.source.uri | https://www.emeraldinsight.com/loi/pmm | |
| dc.title | The use of academic libraries in turbulent times: student library behaviour and academic performance at the University of Cape Town | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Journal Article | en_ZA |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image | |
| uct.type.publication | Research | en_ZA |
| uct.type.resource | Article | en_ZA |