Understanding the experiences and needs of international students at Duke

Abstract

How can Duke University Libraries further support the needs of its international students? To explore this question, a cross-departmental team of library staff conducted discussion groups with international graduate and undergraduate students during the 2022-2023 academic year and analyzed international students’ responses to the Libraries’ 2023 student satisfaction survey. We sought to understand international students’ experiences in the Libraries and on Duke’s campus in order to improve how well library services, staff, facilities, and materials meet their needs. We spoke with students about their experiences outside the Libraries so that we could understand their experiences holistically, and the greater context in which the Libraries function for them. Findings identify challenges students experience and suggest specific points for library intervention and support. While this report focuses on the experiences and needs of international students, it should be emphasized that some challenges experienced by international student are challenges experiences by all students. In many cases, support or expansions of campus and library services targeted toward international students will help all students succeed.