Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Conference Strand
Outreach and Partnership
Target Audience
Higher Education
Second Target Audience
K-12
Location
Ogeechee Theater
Relevance
This proposal is tied to information literacy because it examines how faculty perceptions and behaviors influence the way students interact with library collections and services, ultimately impacting their development of information literacy skills. By enhancing faculty awareness and engagement with library resources, libraries can foster stronger information literacy practices among students, helping them to navigate the information landscape effectively and ethically.
Proposal
Effective collection development is essential for a library’s ability to support the evolving needs of its academic community. Faculty perceptions of library resources will undoubtedly influence how students engage with and benefit from these collections. This research explores how faculty at Georgia Southern University (GS) Libraries understand collection development practices and how their views shape teaching, research, and collaboration with librarians.
Following a review of existing literature, a mixed-methods survey was distributed to faculty via email. The survey combined quantitative and qualitative questions to capture faculty attitudes toward library collections, their use in course curricula, and their role in supporting student learning.
Findings will inform strategies to:
-
Improve library collections: Align faculty needs and library services to ensure students can easily access materials that support their academic work.
-
Encourage engagement with library resources: Integrate library instruction into courses to strengthen student use of services and foster information literacy.
-
Facilitate targeted support: Collaborate with faculty to guide acquisitions and services that better serve student and program needs.
By deepening understanding of faculty perspectives, this study highlights opportunities to strengthen faculty-librarian partnerships and create collections more attuned to academic priorities. The ultimate goal is to enhance student success through improved access to resources, greater engagement with library services, and more responsive collection strategies.
This presentation builds upon a poster from GICOIL 2025, From the Stacks to Student Success: Understanding Faculty Perceptions of Collection Management and Its Impact on Student Use of Library Resources, which established exigence for this kind of research and presented a framework for such a study.
Short Description
By examining faculty views on collection authority, credibility, and development practices at Georgia Southern University Libraries, the study aims to identify gaps between faculty understanding and student use of library materials. Ultimately, this research seeks to improve library collections, foster stronger faculty-library partnerships, and increase student access to resources that support academic success.
Keywords
Faculty perspectives, student engagement, academic libraries, library services, faculty-librarian collaboration, collection development, library resources, educational resources
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Swaringen, Jessica L.; Bagley, Alyshia K.; Sapp, Payton; and Mayes, James, "From the Stacks to Student Success: Findings From a Study of Faculty Perceptions of Collection Development" (2026). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 38.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2026/2026/38
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education Commons, Information Literacy Commons
From the Stacks to Student Success: Findings From a Study of Faculty Perceptions of Collection Development
Ogeechee Theater
Effective collection development is essential for a library’s ability to support the evolving needs of its academic community. Faculty perceptions of library resources will undoubtedly influence how students engage with and benefit from these collections. This research explores how faculty at Georgia Southern University (GS) Libraries understand collection development practices and how their views shape teaching, research, and collaboration with librarians.
Following a review of existing literature, a mixed-methods survey was distributed to faculty via email. The survey combined quantitative and qualitative questions to capture faculty attitudes toward library collections, their use in course curricula, and their role in supporting student learning.
Findings will inform strategies to:
-
Improve library collections: Align faculty needs and library services to ensure students can easily access materials that support their academic work.
-
Encourage engagement with library resources: Integrate library instruction into courses to strengthen student use of services and foster information literacy.
-
Facilitate targeted support: Collaborate with faculty to guide acquisitions and services that better serve student and program needs.
By deepening understanding of faculty perspectives, this study highlights opportunities to strengthen faculty-librarian partnerships and create collections more attuned to academic priorities. The ultimate goal is to enhance student success through improved access to resources, greater engagement with library services, and more responsive collection strategies.
This presentation builds upon a poster from GICOIL 2025, From the Stacks to Student Success: Understanding Faculty Perceptions of Collection Management and Its Impact on Student Use of Library Resources, which established exigence for this kind of research and presented a framework for such a study.
