Library Skills for International Students

The special challenges faced by international students, particularly those from East Asia, in using academic libraries in the United States are presented, along with practical strategies for independent use of library resources by international students. With the large number of enrolments in colleges and universities in the United States, international students make up a large proportion of patrons in academic libraries. Among them, East Asia is a leading origin of these patrons. Two major difficulties faced by East Asian students are use of online databases and use of reference services. Use of online databases, especially constructing effective search terms, is highly dependent on vocabulary-based strategies, which can be a challenging task for ESL (English as a second language) speakers. They may experience difficulty using reference services, since these services are not as commonly utilized in East Asian countries as in the United States. Some practical strategies for international students to overcome such difficulties are suggested. While previous literature has been geared to librarians on how to better serve this user group, it is important for international students to have skills for navigating a library independently. By empowering international students with library skills, librarians can encourage them to make the most of library resources and put them on the track to academic success.