The Internationalization of the Academic Library: A Systematic Review of 25 Years of Literature on International Students

Abstract

This study is a systematic review of the library and information science (LIS) literature related to international students and academic libraries. A systematic review involves the methodical collection and analysis of a body of literature and is growing in popularity in the LIS field. Three wellknown LIS databases were systematically searched for articles related to the topic, and manual bibliography searches were conducted to find additional publications. Journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers were included or excluded based on established criteria. Findings show that articles published about international students and academic libraries have increased steadily between 1990 and 2014. The majority of authors are affiliated with universities and institutions in the United States, although an increase in represented countries is apparent. Fewer than half of the articles can be considered original research, and surveys are the most popular method for data collection. The LIS field-and international students-would benefit from further exploration of this topic, particularly from original research with practical implications.

How open is open access research in Library and Information Science?

“…These well-known indexing and abstracting databases in the field of LIS provide extensive coverage of journals in the field. The same databases were used in previous studies as data sources for evaluating the research output of LIS authors (Click, Wiley &Houlihan 2017, Fourie, Bitso andBothma 2014). Vinson and Welsh (2014) argued that LISTA had the broadest range of coverage and is a logical choice for libraries that can only afford a subscription to a single LIS database.…”

The Experience of International Students at Cross-Border University Libraries

“…A recent survey of the last 25 years of library literature offers an in-depth look at the many different ways that international students have been studied in libraries (Click, Wiley, & Houlihan, 2017). The growing number of library studies devoted to international students seems to signal a surging interest by librarians in learning how to better understand and work with this important student user group on campus.…”

Information Code-Switching: A Study of Language Preferences in Academic Libraries

“…Research about language in libraries exists in the literature and can be found as a topic associated with populations like international students 27 and immigrants. 28 Considering the complexity of the relationship between language and information, very few studies…”