"My Second Home": Why Undergraduate Women in STEM Use Academic Libraries

Abstract:Few women major in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at the undergraduate level. Given the drive to attract and retain students in general, and women in STEM in particular, educational institutions need to know what resources and services might help support these students in their work. This study seeks to provide a better understanding of how undergraduate women in STEM use the academic library. The study involved focus groups and interviews with women at a research-intensive university in the United States. Grounded theory principles provided a basis for analysis of the collected conversations. The findings from this study indicate that undergraduate women in STEM depend on the academic library as a quiet place to study where there are few distractions and technology is easily available.