College & Research Libraries· 2015Q1
Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory and Its Development
- 469citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2015year
Short summary
A grounded theory of "library anxiety" was developed, revealing that 75-85% of students perceive their own library research skills as inadequate, a feeling they find shameful and fear will be exposed by asking questions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- 75-85% of students experience "library anxiety" when starting research.
- Students perceive their own library skills as inadequate, but believe peers are skilled.
- This inadequacy is perceived as shameful and hidden.
- Fear of asking questions is linked to revealing perceived skill deficits.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This qualitative study explored the feelings of students about using the library for research. Personal writing, collected in beginning composition courses over a two-year period, was analyzed for recurrent themes. It was found that 75 to 85 percent of the students in these courses described their initial response to library research in terms of fear. Three concepts emerged from these descriptions: (1) students generally feel that their own library-use skills are inadequate while the skills of other students are adequate, (2) the inadequacy is shameful and should be hidden, and (3) the inadequacy would be revealed by asking questions. A grounded theory of library anxiety was constructed from these data.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. College & Research Libraries, 2015 · DOI ↗
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Field: Library and Information Sciences
Library and Information SciencesSocial Sciences