Library anxiety: Characteristics of ‘at-risk’ college students

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Abstract

Library anxiety is a psychological barrier to academic success among college students. This study of 493 university students examined factors which predict library anxiety. A setwise multiple regression analysis revealed that eight variables (age, sex, year of study, native language, grade point average, employment status, frequency of library visits, and reason for using the library) contributed significantly to the prediction of library anxiety. Analysis of variance, which included trend analysis, revealed that freshmen reported the highest level of library anxiety, and that this level declined linearly as a function of year of study. Based on these findings, both librarians and teaching faculty should be aware of the characteristics of high-anxious students, and increase the availability of anxiety-reducing interventions for students.

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