Abstract
Chinese students form a significant population on Canadian university campuses. Literature indicates that these students face various challenges when using library services to meet their information needs. Canadian academic libraries need to better understand this group’s previous library experiences in China to help them address these challenges. A survey was conducted on the main library websites of all thirty- nine Chinese universities of the Project 985, a project initiated by Chinese government to found world class universities in China. It reveals that certain services reported as challenges for Chinese students by previous studies, such as: interlibrary loan, document delivery, reference services, and library instructions are popular in Chinese academic libraries; however, subject services, data services, and some other services are not as well established compared to their counterparts in Canada.
Highlights
The number of international students has been increasing significantly in the past twenty years
It reveals that certain services reported as challenges for Chinese students by previous studies, such as: interlibrary loan, document delivery, reference services, and library instructions are popular in Chinese academic libraries; subject services, data services, and some other services are not as well established compared to their counterparts in Canada
What are Chinese students’ experiences and perceptions of academic libraries prior to their arrival to Canada? What services are offered or not offered by Chinese libraries compared to Canadian ones? This paper aims to answer these questions to obtain an overall understanding of the services provided by Chinese university libraries from the perspective of a Canadian academic librarian
Summary
The number of international students has been increasing significantly in the past twenty years. In 1996, there were 71,054 international students studying in Canada (Citizenship and Immigration Canada [CIC], 2006); and the number went up to 336,497 by the end of 2014 (CIC, 2015). The impact of international students on Canadian higher education is huge. According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (2016), in the 2012-2013 academic year, 11% of students registered in the postsecondary institutes in Canada were international. Among the origin countries of these students, China has ranked at the top since 2002. In 2014, the number of students from China reached 110,918, representing nearly one third of the total international student population in Canada. In 2014, the number of students from China reached 110,918, representing nearly one third of the total international student population in Canada. (CIC, 2015)
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