EU Business Students Hit the Books

The Elmhurst School of Business and the Elmhurst Business Club have questioned why teens are not going to the library as often anymore. Teen engagement has been very low within libraries, especially within the community, and they set out to see why.

The D.K. Hardin Center for Market Research partnered with Northlake Public Library District to gain insights into teen relationships with their local library.

With the help of four business students — Gabriela Bonilla, Connor Devries, Christian Gleba, and Jade Villalobos — over a six-month period, the School of Business and Denise Airdo, a local consumer-insights professional, were able to narrow down the reasons.

The study of students through open-ended questions helped to reveal the lack of awareness around libraries and what they have to offer, meaning that the library itself was not effectively promoting what they have to offer students, especially at that young of an age.

The test consisted of students aged 11-18, and aimed to not just see why students are not going to the library, but also how to help get them to travel to the library. The study consisted of in-depth conversations uncovering the perception of teens and barriers to the library. The study came out with 11 key takeaways and led to more than 25 recommendations.

One takeaway was that students did not feel the need to visit the library, but did not understand that the library had different amenities. However, the study did find that students tend to have more study areas at home that have hindered them from attending the library.

The parents of the teens also had the option to participate separately, to add any insight on what the cause of this may be.

“Gaby, Connor, Christian, and Jade coalesced into an efficient rock-solid team, delivering a recruitment plan, discussion guide, robust outline of findings, and a strategic list of opportunities and recommendations. They truly delivered on the original vision of David K. Hardin,” said Bob Vevang, an Elmhurst University professor and the director of the D.K. Hardin Center.

The research team presented their findings on April 24 at the Northlake Public Library where they explained their methodology and research process, as well as presenting their recommendations in a summary of 11 key takeaways. One of these takeaways included refreshing program opportunities to drive interest, another was that schools should do more to promote the library.

One of the research team members, Senior Jade Villalobos, said the library staff was thrilled with the results: “They found it helpful to see how they could drive teen engagement within the library.”