Supporting Student Retention and Success: Including Family Areas in an Academic Library

Many universities and colleges focus on student retention and completion as a measure of their success. Publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education carry an increasing number of articles dealing with student retention, success, and completion. Academic libraries support this goal through a wide variety of services, teaching, resources, and spaces. Often, attention centers on the students who have been typical at universities for generations: 18- to 22-year-olds who are single and live on campus. As campuses change in demographics, libraries are adjusting services, teaching, resources, and spaces to accommodate a wider range of students. The J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City created a unique space for students with children as one way to contribute to the goals of student retention, success, and completion.