How do first-year students perceive learning support services in Chinese university libraries?

Abstract

There are many studies on the learning support services of university libraries, but there are few on the first-year students’ perception of learning support services in Chinese university libraries. As a special user group, first-year students are in a transition period of learning modes and have special perceptions on learning support services of university library. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perception of first-year students on the learning support services of Chinese academic libraries, by adopting questionnaire survey method. Three hundred and fifty-two valid questionnaires were collected. Descriptive statistics are used to analyse numeric data. The results show that the information needs of first-year students in Chinese university libraries can be divided into two types. The university library can meet the information needs of first-year students through venue visits and welcoming activities for first-year students. At present, first-year students are satisfied with the service projects of university libraries in China, but the learning support services of university libraries still have some problems, such as weak publicity, lack of experience sense, and lack of rich form and content of service. This study provides support for librarians and managers in university libraries to develop strategies for improving first-year students’ satisfaction with learning support services.