“But Where Are You Really From?”: Multiracial Students, Sense of Belonging, and Academic Libraries

Abstract

Academic libraries need to have a stronger understanding of how to best support multiracial college students. The purpose of this study was to learn if multiracial students viewed their academic library as a place that increased their sense of belonging. Through interviews and a focus group with multiracial undergraduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), the author learned that the interviewed students viewed the library in a positive manner but did not feel like it increased their sense of belonging on campus. Suggestions on how to increase their sense of belonging from students are included in the discussion.