Book Reviews  135

brary and Information Science will not be added to my reading list and this saddens me greatly 
because this book in itself is not a bad book. In the annals of librarianship, there is room for a 
book that provides an historiography of the profession, and, in many ways, this is the strength 
of this book.—Debbie Rabina, Pratt Institute

Supporting Today’s Students in the Library: Strategies for Retaining and Graduating In-
ternational, Transfer, First-Generation, and Re-Entry Students. Ngoc-Yen Tran and Silke 
Higgins, eds. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2020. 275p. Paper.

This collection brings together research from the library and student 
affairs fields to present a thorough look at methods for increasing 
student success among populations with distinct needs and char-
acteristics: international, transfer, first-generation, and re-entry 
students, with international and first-generation populations re-
ceiving the most attention. It is a welcome addition to the academic 
library literature. The theories of well-established student affairs 
scholars, such as George Kuh and Vincent Tinto, are highlighted 
in many chapters’ literature reviews and appear in the bibliogra-
phies of nearly all chapters. Familiarity with this literature is key 
in engaging outside units within the academy and building the 
kinds of partnerships suggested by many authors in this work. 
Common themes include robust partnerships with academic writ-
ing centers, collaborating with graduate programs to increase ESL 

students’ research and writing skills, and deliberately structuring assignments to aid student 
comprehension and skill development.

The 31 authors featured hold a variety of different types of positions, including deans of 
libraries, metadata specialists, research and instructional technology librarians, just to name 
a few. Some come from other campus units, such as a director of international student suc-
cess. Many also have or are pursuing advanced degrees (MEd, EdD) in higher education and 
student affairs. Their richness of expertise is evident throughout the book. Variety of institu-
tion type and size is also present, including institutions in the United States and Canada from 
community colleges to large research libraries. The editors, Tran and Higgins, are academic 
librarians who themselves work in the student success space. They have curated a rich and 
useful work. 

Each of the 16 chapters (plus introduction) in this volume addresses one of the target stu-
dent populations from the title. In most cases, authors present a case study of a theory-based 
intervention from their institution(s) in the context of student success research applicable to 
that population. As noted by Brinkman, Natale, and Smith in chapter 12 (“Meeting Them 
Where They Are: Campus and Library Support Strategies for First-Generation Students”), 
students may not personally identify with a “first generation” label—which is often not the 
primary identity these students identify with (187). 

The typical structure follows that of a research article, with literature reviews, results, 
and so forth. A variety of research methods are employed, including surveys, interviews, 
and sharing of best practices. Many authors have shared examples of the intervention they 
describe (such as lesson plans or surveys) in appendices. The authors recognize the students’ 
unique knowledge and skills throughout this work, avoiding a deficiency mindset in their 



136  College & Research Libraries January 2021

approaches. All contain thorough endnotes and bibliographies helpful to readers hoping to 
do additional research. 

I highly recommend this book to those academic librarians and library leaders, and I 
would like to see many more like it. In today’s higher education climate, given all we have 
learned about college students’ needs, we are called to engage campus partners in collaborative 
efforts to support student success. We know that students are not a homogenous population 
and know that we must not treat them as such. Librarians are expected to deliver services that 
positively impact campuswide outcomes, and that means addressing the particular needs of 
everyone on campus. The question many of us face is where to start and how to appropriately 
allocate staff time and resources. 

These authors provide thoughtful and well-researched blueprints that could be modified 
and replicated at other institutions. Many of the building blocks used are familiar within li-
braries already: lesson plans, research guides, tutorials, and so on. The theory and application 
of these tools is unique. Supporting Today’s Students in the Library is a valuable read for public 
services librarians, student success and first-year-experience librarians, archivists, instruction 
librarians, public services administrators, and all who work with the student populations 
upon which this book focuses. It would be an excellent addition to MLIS coursework that 
focuses on these areas as well. I hope it brings the student affairs literature more attention in 
the academic library field as we all work together to best support our students’ needs.—Ginger 
H. Williams, Wichita State University