College and Research Libraries


L L O Y D A. KRAMER and MARTHA B. K R A M E R 

The College Library and the Drop-Out 
This study shows a statistically significant correlation between li-
brary use and persistence among college freshmen at California State 
Polytechnic College, Pomona. It confirms an earlier study showing 
correlation between library use and grades. However, no GPA ad-
vantage accrued to science and engineering students. Data suggest 
correlation between on-campus residence and persistence, but Chi-
Square test fails to validate the data. Forty-three per cent of non-users 
of the library dropped out in one year; only 26 per cent of library 
users dropped out. 

D O E S A S T U D E N T ' S use of the college li-
brary have anything to do with the like-
lihood of his persisting to graduation? 
From a study of entering freshmen at 
California State Polytechnic College, 
Pomona, it appears that it might. This 
study shows, for example, that of those 
freshmen who failed to use the library, 
43 per cent did not return the following 
year. But of those who did borrow at 
least one book, only 26 per cent dropped 
out. 

Interest in the subject of student attri-
tion in the University of California and 
in California state colleges goes back 
at least to the summer of 1965 when it 
was discussed critically in a state legis-
lative committee. A special study1 was 
made at California State Polytechnic 
College to learn the extent of the prob-
lem and how it might be attacked. The 
report, prepared by a collegewide com-
mittee of faculty and staff, stimulated 
a great deal of interest, of which this 
study is one expression. 

1 S t u d e n t P e r s i s t e n c e C o m m i t t e e , Report ( P o m o n a : 
T h e C o m m i t t e e , C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e P o l y t e c h n i c C o l l e g e , 
K e l l o g g - V o o r h i s C a m p u s , 1 9 6 6 ) . 

Mr. Kramer is Chief, Reader Services 
Division, College Library, California State 
Polytechnic College, Pomona. 

Barkey's study2 had already indicated 
that there is a correlation between grade 
point average and use of a college li-
brary. It seemed likely that the attrition 
rate might also show some relation to 
library use. 

The study is based on a 50 per cent 
sample of the entering freshman class of 
1963/64. Of the 742 first-time freshmen, 
most were male (71 per cent), and most 
lived off campus (68.6 per cent); nearly 
all were unmarried (95.5 per cent). 
There were 251 students in engineering, 
83 in agriculture, 92 in the sciences, and 
316 in the arts. 

The library loan records were studied 
for the winter quarter 1964 (by which 
time all freshmen had been issued their 
borrowers cards). From the registrar's 
office, name, sex, major, marital status, 
residence, return or non-return to school 
in fall 1964, and grade point average 
were obtained. The number of occasions 
when books were borrowed, and total 
number of books borrowed, were re-
corded. 

There were a number of interesting 
findings. Students who borrowed no 
books during the quarter earned an av-

2 P a t r i c k B a r k e y , " P a t t e r n s o f S t u d e n t U s e o f a 
C o l l e g e L i b r a r y , " CRL, X X V I ( M a r c h 1 9 6 5 ) , 1 1 5 - 1 8 . 

310/ 



The College Library and the Drop-Out / 3 1 1 

TABLE 1 

Sex: 
All freshmen . 
On campus 
Off campus 
Borrowers 
Non-borrowers 

Residence: 
All freshmen . 
Men 
Women 
Borrowers 
Non-borrowers 

Library Use: 
All freshmen 
Men 
Women 
On campus 
Off campus 

P E R S I S T I N G N O N - P E R S I S T I N G P E R S I S T I N G N O N - P E R S I S T I N G 

Per Cent of Men Per Cent of W o m e n 

6 4 . 7 3 5 . 3 5 8 4 2 
7 0 . 7 2 9 . 3 7 4 2 6 
6 2 3 8 5 1 4 9 
7 6 . 4 2 3 . 6 6 9 3 1 
5 9 . 5 4 0 . 5 4 9 . 3 5 0 . 7 

Per Cent On Campus Per Cent Off Campus 

7 1 . 6 2 8 . 4 5 9 4 1 
7 0 . 4 2 9 . 3 6 2 3 8 
7 4 2 6 5 1 4 9 
8 1 . 6 1 8 . 4 6 9 3 1 
6 4 . 8 3 5 . 2 5 4 4 6 

Per Cent Borrowers Per Cent Non-Borrowers 

7 3 . 7 2 6 . 3 5 7 4 3 
7 6 . 4 2 3 . 6 5 9 . 5 4 0 . 5 
6 9 3 1 4 9 . 3 5 0 . 7 
8 1 . 6 1 8 . 4 6 4 . 8 3 5 . 2 
6 9 3 1 5 4 4 6 

erage GPA of 2.00 (on a 4.0 scale). Li-
brary users earned 2.22. This apparent 
advantage was tested for significance. 
The data yielded a t-value of 4.26, more 
than sufficient, in this population, to 
validate the significance of the data. 

These results, however, varied marked-
ly among majors. No significant GPA 
advantage accrued to engineering or sci-
ence majors who used the library. 
Among arts majors the advantage was 
2.37 GPA for library users, against 2.10 
for non-users. Among agriculture majors 
the advantage was 2.13 GPA (users), 
against 1.70 GPA (non-users). 

Figure 1, showing the extent of library 
use among students of different grade-
point average is of interest. In this chart 
only the arts and agriculture majors are 
considered (the curricular areas where 
library use was found to be significant 
for grades). Following Barkey3 a grade 
of "A" was defined as 3.5 to 4.0, "B" 
as 2.5 to 3.0, "C" as 1.5 to 2.0, and "D" 
as .5 to 1.0. These four grade groups 
were plotted on the chart to show the 
percentage of each group making use of 
the library. The chart shows, for exam-

3 Ibid. 

pie, that of those freshmen doing "A" 
work, 80 per cent used the library. 

Tabulation of data for persistence, 
library use, sex, and residence are given 
in Table 1. 

The data revealed a strong indication 
that on-campus residence might corre-
late positively with student persistence. 
Of the on-campus students, 71.6 per 
cent persisted. Of the off-campus stu-
dents, only 59 per cent persisted. How-
ever, a Chi Square test yielded a figure 

10 20 30. 40 
PERCENTAGE BOKHOWINC: 

i r DO 70 

Fig. 1—Library use and grades (percentage 
of each group borrowing at least one book 
during the quarter) 



312 / College b- Research Libraries • March 1968 

too high to insure the significance of 
these data. 

Only 63 per cent of the class returned 
the following fall. But of those students 
who used the library, 73.7 per cent re-
turned. By contrast, the fate of those 
freshmen who never used the library 
was that only 57 per cent returned.4 

This study seems to show a strong 
and statistically significant correlation 
between library use and student per-

sistence. The fact that 65 per cent of 
the freshman class borrowed no library 
books during the quarter studied sug-
gests that counseling and orientation in 
this area might be productive of better 
academic success and persistence. 

4 These results proved to be significant. A Chi 
Square test g a v e a value of 4 . 2 2 . In a Chi Square 
table, with one degree of freedom, this value yielded 
4 per cent, or well within the 5 per cent level of 
acceptability.