Supporting Today’s Students in the Library: Strategies for Retaining and Graduating International, Transfer, First-Generation, and Re-Entry Students

The latest ACRL offering on how to reach nontraditional students is reminiscent of others that have come before it, particularly when it comes to services for international and English-language learners, but it stands out in discussions of first-generation and reentry students. Editors Tran and Higgins (both librarians, San José Univ.) compile a variety of case and research studies, theoretical models, and program descriptions from contributors at academic libraries large and small across North America. Chapters about new and innovative methods for encouraging library use by reentry students, such as “family zones” for young children of students and research-writing practicums for students needing heightened support in the area of scholarly writing, are food for thought. In addition to descriptions of large initiatives, there are practical points about the language in policy and signage relating to children in the library, which is relevant to single-parent students bringing children to the library.