Library use is strongly linked with student persistence in higher education, and Latino students have lower rates of academic library use and proficiency than other racial/ethnic groups of students. This study explores Latino undergraduate students' perceptions of the academic library and library staff and identifies the conditions which impede or facilitate the students' use of the library. Using a multiple case study design, this study describes the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate students who identify as Latino and attend a four-year public research-intensive university in the Midwest. The findings suggest that Latino students use the library through the influence of peers, interpret the library as a space for cultural support based on their experiences with public libraries, and do not fully understand the range of resources and support available. Background My father used to take my sister and I to the public library when we were kids. He gave us books and told us that reading was the way out. There were storytellers speaking Spanish, other people I knew from our neighborhood, lots of books in Spanish. It was a good place to go as a kid. I look around at this library here, and I don't see myself in anything here. (Carolina) Going to college is a way to make something better for yourself. My grandfather owns a Mexican restaurant. My mom works in it. This is a way to be more stable, you know. Coming to college. This was all pretty new to me, but I learned about studying and how to work harder in class. But I guess I don't know very much about [the library.] (Alberto) Latino/s are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. They comprised more than 50.5 million persons (16.3%) of the 308.7 million people counted in the 2010 U.S. census, with a growth rate of 43% since the previous U.S. census in 2000. 1 Latinos have the highest birth rates in the country and represent the largest immigrant group. The U.S. Census Bureau defines persons of Hispanic or Latino origin as people originating in Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America, and South America. 2 While the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino"

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