Belonging From the Start: Flexible Library Induction for Students Learning Beyond Campus

Abstract

This paper will explore the theme of student experience regarding developing a sense of belonging when accessing the Library services. The Library Induction Group is developing a new online Induction module to address reduced attendance at live sessions. Nearly half of the University’s students commute to campus, meaning attendance of in-person library sessions is not always possible as students often need to balance numerous and varied time commitments. This shift reflects a wider trend across the Higher Education sector, where commuter students are increasingly applying cost-benefit analysis to on-campus activities (Hill et al., 2024). We identified that our offer needed to be more flexible, moving beyond traditional Induction formats to better engage students. The new online module will enable students to access key, foundational information about library resources and support at a time and pace that suits them. This will help to build students’ confidence levels and sense of belonging throughout their academic journey. The paper will first share findings from evaluative student feedback collected after live induction sessions during the first semester of the academic year 25/26, where students were asked what aspect of the Library services, they found the most useful. It will then discuss how this feedback has informed the structure and content of the new online module. Finally, the paper will outline the next stages of the project, including its launch and integration into the University’s cross-institutional Welcome Framework. This paper will particularly benefit attendees who are aiming to develop asynchronous resources to support hybrid learning.