First-generation students and the first-year transition: State of the literature and implications for library researchers

Few researchers have investigated the library needs of first-generation students in their first year of college or of the structurally disadvantaged groups who disproportionately comprise the first-generation student population. Without understanding how students' intersectional identities manifest in different library use, librarians cannot determine whether library services are helping, neglecting, or harming students. This article critiques the current state of the literature on first-year first-generation students, identifies critical areas for further study, and explains the utility of academic capital and library anxiety as theoretical frameworks to inform future research on first-generation students and first-year students, respectively.

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