Book Review: Students Lead the Library: The Importance of Student Contributions to the Academic Library

Abstract

Academic libraries, often said to be the “heart of the university,” owe their existence and importance to the students they serve. Students are at the core of the library mission, driving decisions in collections, services, innovation, outreach, and research support. However, their direct role in institutional planning is minimal, and their primary role is most often that of library user. Given their importance to libraries, how can students actively participate in library success? Students Lead the Library offers several examples of student involvement in action, or, as editors Sara Arnold-Garza and Carissa Tomlinson state, “this book seeks to elevate the act of asking students what they need and want by not simply involving students, but instead putting them into a leadership role, where they will determine what gets improved and how” (vii).