Developing evidence-based models for detecting and evaluating student attitudes towards information may assist in the creation of more culturally responsive services and methods of instruction by librarians. Being able to detect student perceptions of information types, and information environments, may aid in identifying how an information provider is, and is not, supporting his/her constituencies or users. In this study, it was evident that participants were not fully aware of the information resources and services made available to them as graduate students. In addition, participants did not seem to possess an understanding of how to evaluate and determine the authority of the information resources that they were using to support their studies. Prior research, identified in the literature review, offers support for the need to advocate
for providing culturally responsive library instruction, services, and research to support international student populations (Lewis, 1969; Lopez, 1983; Lafon, 1992; Morrissey & Given, 2006). This study adds to this body of work, and indicates the importance of understanding why, and how, international students IB may be different from domestic non-international students.
This study offers support for the need of librarians to understand how the intersection of a task, and the information resource necessary to complete that task, may not necessarily be found in an academic library resource. Such was the case in this study when participants were seeking API data or computer programming trouble shooting. This is significant, as it suggests the need for library inclusion in curriculum processes. If a library’s collections and services do not concurrently align with the curriculum and scholarship, it will not be able to support students in their studies, and the library will not serve an active role in student learning.
This study’s findings provide evidence that international students’ information needs extend beyond their academic studies to situations related to acculturation to a new country and academic administrative systems. In this process of trying to learn a new educational and social environment, these students may also have the added challenge of struggling to overcome their cultural assumptions towards North American culture, which might have prevented them from making sense of their situation. Studying IB may assist in detecting and understanding what assumptions students may have towards information, and the providers responsible for facilitating and promoting a collection. Using this evidence, one may be able to build more culturally responsive services and instructions, as well as support existing models and methods.
Based on the findings of this study, the researcher offers some practical suggestions on how academic librarians and libraries may better support to international students during their intercultural learning experience.
1. Support the development of cultural competencies through awareness of cultural differences in education systems. In order to gain perspective on similarities and
differences in academic libraries and education systems, librarians can seek to investigate the countries and associated education systems that their institutions’ international
students are coming from. By doing so, librarians may gain an awareness of areas of need, and as a result, provide support that will better assist international students. 2. Support the development of cross-cultural communication through student engagement.
Librarians may consider participating in outreach activities that involve supporting international students in their acquisition of learning to navigate their new education system. By understanding about the challenges students may face while learning to navigate a new education system, librarians might develop an awareness of international student needs, and obtain practice, in communicating with persons whom they might not share a similar cultural, ethnic, or linguistic background.
3. Provide culturally responsive library orientations and services. Librarians may seek to better understand the needs of international students, by soliciting from international students, what similarities, differences, or gaps they notice between their previous education experiences and their current ones. By creating this model of instruction, it may support cultural relevancy, and assist librarians in better understanding students’ information needs. Facilitation of this model may be accomplished through student engagement, and liaison work with the student services responsible for assisting international students.
4. Create joint programming and establish liaison ties with other support services within an academic institution. Librarians can assist students in both their academic needs and everyday information need by promoting the appropriate resources, services, and
collections. This could come in the form of sharing information resources with academic advisors, faculty, and career services. In addition with soliciting information problems and collection development suggestions from liaison partners.
The above suggestions are based upon reflection on the study's findings and previous literature on international students. In order for the above suggestions to be executed in practice, support must first come from the administration of an institution. Leadership must make it an initiative to address the information needs of international students; librarians should not be expected to work alone, or without institutional support.
Lastly, international students are an ever-changing population of students whose needs may reflect the countries from which they originated. There is no guarantee that all higher education institutions in the United States will have similar composition of students as those reflected in this study. Each institution should seek to investigate where their international students come from and how their unique needs may, or may not, be met.