Associations between Library Usage and Undergraduate Student GPA, 2016-2019

Abstract

We present the results of a study of the association between online resource use of licensed content provided by the library and short- and long-term student performance. We capture library usage using EZproxy logs, or more precisely whether an individual has at least one EZproxy session in an academic term. We measure student performance using the grade point average (GPA), specifically semester (short-term) and cumulative (long-term) GPA. Relying on models of information behavior, we generate a theoretical framework that suggests that student performance is a function of factors that apply to all students, such as race and gender (the “fixed” effects). But student performance is also impacted by factors such as academic background (e.g., schools, colleges, etc.) that cluster student behaviors and outcomes, and unobserved, time invariant factors at the student-level such as grit and motivation (the “random effects”). We therefore run panel linear mixed effects regression models of the association between library usage and student performance. The results show that library usage, as measured by access to library-licensed content, is significantly associated with both semester and cumulative GPA. The magnitude of the effect is larger for semester GPA, but also varies depending on if a student resides on- or off-campus. The library usage effect on semester GPA is larger for off-campus students compared to their on-campus peers. The reverse is true for the library usage effect on cumulative GPA as it is larger for on-campus students. This study shows how connecting identifiable library data to other institutional can yield shed important insights into how library usage shapes student outcomes.