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Library Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Dana Navarro
January 13, 2009 (773) 442-4227
d-navarro@neiu.edu
**Interview Opportunities Available
NEIU Library Receives Grant to Study
Research Needs of Hispanic Students
CHICAGO – The Ronald Williams Library at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) received a $177,000 research grant from the Illinois State Library to conduct an ethnographic study of academic research habits of minority and underserved student populations in Illinois. By uncovering the specific challenges different underserved student populations face in completing academic research projects, the study hopes to lead to modifications in services at university libraries that will better help these students succeed in their academic studies.
The study, led by three anthropologists and coordinated by the Ronald Williams Library, will focus on various undergraduate student populations at five different Illinois institutions: NEIU, DePaul University, Illinois Wesleyan University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Springfield. Each library will focus on a specific underserved student population. NEIU, which is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, will focus on Hispanic students. The other institutions will focus on a variety of other student populations including African American, Asian American, first generation college students and non-traditional students.
A core team of librarians at each of the five institutions will receive training in ethnographic methodologies. The librarians will then work side-by-side with anthropologists in the field, conducting the broadest ethnographic research endeavor in the nation focused on the academic support needs of college students. The Ronald Williams Library will be the lead library in this project and will facilitate hiring the anthropologists, purchasing necessary equipment and coordinating the research efforts.
According to David Green, associate university librarian for collections and information services at NEIU, “If university libraries are going to help minority and underserved students succeed in their academic endeavors, we need to understand the students’ environments, the issues they are dealing with, and the resources and services they require to successfully graduate.”
This grant comes from the Library Services and Technology Act, funded by the Illinois Secretary of State Office and administered by the Illinois State Library. It is intended to answer the question: “What do students, especially those in the underserved and non-traditional group identified by each library, actually do when they are assigned a research project for one of their class assignments, and what are the expectations of students, faculty and librarians of each other with regard to this assignment?” Students will be asked to participate in mapping diaries, photo surveys, design workshops and in-depth interviews. The results and interpretation of the data will be done under the guidance of the anthropologists.
For more information, contact David Green, associate university librarian for collections and information services, Ronald Williams Library, NEIU, at (773) 442-4470 or d-green3@neiu.edu.
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