This descriptive qualitative study explores undergraduate students' experiences of physical academic libraries to identify possible connections between physical academic library environments and students' affective experiences. Drawing on a combination of theoretical perspectives focused on how humans understand, navigate, and respond to space and…

A survey concerning perceptions of academic librarians was conducted at a large, 4-year university with three populations: librarians, faculty, and undergraduate students. The high response rate and the use of an instrument based on previous studies offers the possibility of longitudinal comparison and the identification of relationships between…

In 1986, Constance Mellon found that 75 to 85 percent of undergraduate students experienced library anxiety as well as shame about their anxiety. Fifteen years earlier, Helen Block Lewis began her groundbreaking research in shame theory. This paper explores the affective components of library anxiety using the pioneering research of Constance…

An empirical study was conducted using methods borrowed from the psychology of religion (instead of corporate assessment techniques) to assess whether the academic library as place supports students' desire to feel connected to higher education's mission. The findings from an in-person survey of fifty-four students at three universities showed a…

Higher education information literacy standards have readily addressed cognitive skills, although affective competencies--the emotional abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully navigate the research process--have not yet been incorporated into standards. This paper presents examples of current information literacy standards,…

Describes a study of graduate students that examined the relationship between library anxiety and social interdependence. Discusses use of the Library Anxiety Scale and Social Interdependence Scale; and considers the effects of barriers with staff, comfort with the library, knowledge of the library, individual attitudes, affective barriers, and…

This study investigates the relationship between three dimensions of perfectionism and five dimensions of library anxiety among graduate students. Topics include barriers with library staff; knowledge of the library; mechanical barriers; affective barriers; use of the Library Anxiety Scale and Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale; and Pearson…

Describes a study that examined novice online searchers in an academic library as they used a full-text magazine article database on DIALOG. Purposes and motivations for using the database are discussed; affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor search behaviors are examined; and satisfaction with the results are considered. (LRW)

Describes a study of graduate students that examined how Web interfaces impact the quality or outcome of online searches, as well as the information seeking behavior of the searcher. Examines how two search interfaces work to noticeably increase or decrease the impact of the emotive aspects of search behavior. (LRW)

A framework is presented for library instruction that integrates learning in the cognitive and affective domains. A study is reported that supports such a framework. Central to this instruction is the use of an overall strategy called FOCUS, FORMAT, FIND, and EVALUATE. The study compared the effects of two methods of academic library instruction…