The Experience of International Students at Cross-Border University Libraries

Abstract

This article describes the results of a small research study investigating international student library use and perceptions in a cross-border setting. The graduate degree program at the center of this study is a binational joint degree M.A. program in Canadian-American studies that takes place simultaneously at Brock University in Canada and at the State University of New York at Buffalo in the United States. The students’ library use was explored as were their perceptions of the two different university library systems. Results indicate that students in such joint degree programs do make use of cross-border university libraries and that they see benefits in doing so. This suggests that these library settings offer librarians a unique but viable way of working with international students, and that cross-border university libraries are worthy of both mention and further study in librarianship