This document discusses factors that influence student retention and ways libraries can help with retention efforts. It identifies major retention theories and background, bureaucratic, academic, social, environmental, and attitudinal factors. Specific considerations for health professions students are outlined. The document provides many ideas for how libraries can partner with other campus groups to address different retention factors, such as collaborating with high schools, assisting with academic support programs, creating social spaces in the library, and offering services that reduce library anxiety.

1. Quick Ideas to Help with Retention
Efforts on Your Campus
Carissa Tomlinson, FYE Librarian and Liaison to Nursing
http://tinyurl.com/retentionALA2014
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/empty_shelves/2323457156sa

2. Major Retention Theorists
• Vincent Tinto,
Distinguished Professor
Emeritus – Syracuse
University
• John P. Bean, Professor
Emeritus – Indiana
University Bloomington

3. Background
(Before College Factors)
Family support
Income
Pre-college success
High school rank Photo from:
https://www.flickr.com
/photos/rubyblossom/
4233409284/

4. Bureaucratic
Factors
(Red tape)
University policies:
Ease of registration/
payment
Daycare/parking available
Ease of questions answered
Photo from:
https://www.flickr.com
/photos/julia_manzero
va/4388356403

5. Academic Factors
(Grades+)
Academic support services
Academic roles models
Grades and GPA
Faculty & advising
interactions
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tim_ellis/2269499855

6. Social Factors
(Do they feel
like they fit in?)
Group or community on campus
Involvement on Campus
Close friends,
Informal interactions with faculty
and staff
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bunnyrel/4373313530

7. Environmental Factors
(Distractions)
Jobs
Family
Significant
Others
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lilymonster/3505625308

8. Attitude and Intention
(Do they think they can do it and
do they want to)?
Self Confidence
Self Efficacy
Drive and
Determination
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/merchau/8548057127

9. Things to Consider with the
Health Professions
Many non-traditional students (age, ESL speakers,
ethnicity, first generation)
• Older students may have unique distractions
(family, full time job, etc.)
• ESL students may have academic and social issues
in terms of both language and cultural differences
• First generation and ethnic and racial minority
students can be less likely to see themselves as
college students if they are in a school with a
white majority
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/13192322445

10. Things to Consider with the
Health Professions
Trained to be practitioners
• Students must not only know information, they must
be able to show they can practice what they’ve
learned.
• Students with cultural and language differences may
have problems meeting the expectations of a
practitioner (i.e. strong accents, does not make eye
contact, etc)
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/13192322445

11. Things to Consider with the
Health Professions
Rigor of program
• Many students are not academically ready
for the rigor of a health professions
program. Programs often do not allow for
“easy A” classes.
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/13192322445

12. What can the library do?
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/omcoc/6751047205

13. Make friends!
Cross campus
partnerships are
key to student
retention.

14. Background Factors
Find out who are your
biggest “feeder” high
schools/ community
colleges.
• Opportunities for
conversation and
collaboration.
Massachusetts Library System
sponsored: My College
Freshman is Your High School
Senior
Website: http://www.masslibsystem.org/blog/2013/03/18/my-college-
freshman-is-your-college-senior-may-31-2013/

15. Background Factors
Invite high school
students to your library.
• Does your school already
work with high school
groups? Such as Upward
Bound?
• Are there projects that
high school students in
the area do that need
college library
resources/skill?
Website: http://libguides.starkstate.edu/content.php?pid=121044&sid=1041407

16. Background Factors
Find out if your school has
any special “bridge”
programs.
• STEM
• Health Professions
• International
• General
TOPS Program at Towson
Offer library
services/information
Orientations
Mentorship programs
Workshops
Website information
Advisory board

17. Background Factors
Meet the parents
• Get involved with parent
programming before and after
students start at your school.
• High school visits
• Parent drive-ins
• Family weekend
• Parent organizations
Website:
http://www.towson.edu/main/lifetu/events/familyweekend/documents/ParentPride_Fall20132.pdf

18. Bureaucratic Factors
Be ready and willing to answer
non-research related questions
• Librarians should be knowledgeable
Consider serving as an advisor
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalnc/8263677901

19. Academic Factors
Get involved with any
remedial/preparatory or
College 101 courses
Need to be integrated in FYE
courses/ Freshman seminar
courses
In addition to library
instruction in courses:
• Embed in the course
management system
• Make office hours
Website: http://libresources.wichita.edu/embeddedlibrarians

20. Academic Factors
Offer traditional
reference desk help
and…
Peer to Peer
research assistance
• Cook Library A-LIST
• 3 students “rove”
the library 15 hours
a week helping
students with their
research questions.

21. Academic Factors
• Pre-orientations/ Bridge
• Cohort groups
• Remedial/Prep classes
• Residence halls/floors
• Student groups
• Study lounges
Find out what programs your
school has targeting non-
traditional/ at risk students
especially in the first year:
SAGE Program at Towson
Photo from: http://www.towson.edu/sage/index.asp
Offer library services
• Orientation
• Workshops
• Research Assistance
• (librarian or peer)
Service
• Mentorship
• Facilitate book clubs
• Serve on advisory board

22. Academic Factors
Find out what your health profession
departments are doing/wanting to
do regarding retention and volunteer
to help.
• Towson University: IDEA Center: Center
for ESL nursing students to get extra
attention with language groups, speech
practice, study skills.
• Participate in orientation
• Offer workshops
• Serve on advisory board
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lowercolumbiacollege/4473932900

23. Social Factors
Create social spaces for students
especially for those who do not
have social spaces on campus
(dorms, student lounges, etc).
• Group study space
• Coffee shop/ eating area
• Space for socializing
• Formalized space for student
groups
• Holding events/ meet-ups for
health professions/non-traditional/
commuter students to meet Photo from:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/uofdenver/3770483632

24. Environmental Factors
Long hours should
including early mornings
for commuter students
Make it easy for students
to study without
distractions
• Quiet rooms
• Lots of outlets
• Movable furniture
• Study group incentives
Website: http://library.columbia.edu/services/study-spaces.html

25. Attitude and Intention
Help lessen “Library Anxiety”
• Be open, available, and ready to help
• Offer help a variety of ways
(peer to peer, reference desk, in the
classroom, though student affairs,
etc.)
• Work to make the library and it’s
services easy to use and the point of
need
Support the support organizations
Mentoring
Advising
Photo from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658230838

26. References
Bean, J. P. (2003). College student retention. In J.W. Guthrie (Ed.), Encyclopedia of education (pp.
401-407). New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA.
Bean, J. P. (2005). Nine themes of college student retention. In Alan Seidman (ed.) College student
retention. (pp. 215-244). Westport, CT: American Council on Education and Praeger
Publishers.
Blackburn, H. (2010). Shhh! No Talking about Retention in the Library! Education Libraries, 33(1), 24-
30.
Grallo, J., Baker, P., & Chalmers, M. M. (2012). How do I get a campus ID? The other role of the
academic library in student retention and success. Reference Librarian, 53(2), 182-193.
doi:10.1080/02763877.2011.618787
Jeffreys, M.R. (2004). Nursing student retention: Understanding the process and making a
difference. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Love, E. (2009). A simple step: Integrating library reference and instruction into previously
established academic programs for minority students. Reference Librarian, 50(1), 4-13.
doi:10.1080/02763870802546357
Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, 2nd ed.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

27. Some additional reading
Haddow, G., & Joseph, J. (2010). Loans, logins, and lasting the course: Academic library use and student
retention. Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 41(4), 233-244.
Knapp, J. A., Rowland, N. J., & Charles, E. P. (2014). Retaining students by embedding librarians into
undergraduate research experiences. Reference Services Review, 42(1), 129-147. doi:10.1108/RSR-
02-2013-0012
Beauvais, A. M., Stewart, J. G., DeNisco, S., & Beauvais, J. E. (2014). Factors related to academic success among
nursing students: A descriptive correlational research study. Nurse Education Today, 34(6), 918-923.
doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2013.12.005
Cameron, J., Roxburgh, M., Taylor, J., & Lauder, W. (2011). An integrative literature review of student retention
in programmes of nursing and midwifery education: why do students stay? Journal Of Clinical
Nursing, 20(9/10), 1372-1382. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03336.x
Mckendry, S., Wright, M., & Stevenson, K. (2014). Why here and why stay? Students' voices on the retention
strategies of a widening participation university. Nurse Education Today, 34(5), 872-877.
doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2013.09.009
Shelton, E. N. (2012). A Model of Nursing Student Retention. International Journal of Nursing Education
Scholarship, 9(1), 1-16. doi:10.1515/1548-923X.2334