Antecedents of Library Anxiety

Abstract

Research suggests that library anxiety is a prevalent phenomenon among American college students. Indeed, five general antecedents of library anxiety have been identified, namely, barriers with staff, affective barriers, comfort with the library, knowledge of the library, and mechanical barriers. This study utilized a sample of 522 university students in order to examine factors that are related to these antecedents. Setwise multiple regression analyses and a series of analyses of variance revealed that the following seven variables were related to three or more of these antecedents: use of computerized indexes and on-line facilities, gender, year of study, native language, frequency of library visits, number of library skills courses undertaken, and reasons for using the library. Recommendations include the following: (1) librarians should acknowledge that anxiety exists and should provide students with positive library experiences; (2) librarians should be trained to act in a friendly, professional, and accessible manner at all times; and (3) librarians, instructors, and academic advisors should encourage students to attend library instruction courses that emphasize both affective skills development and search strategies.