The Relationship Between Academic Success and University Libraries: An Analysis of the Loans at a Brazilian University

This research aims to analyze the relationship between academic success and university libraries investigating whether the use of libraries and, particularly, of their loan services have concrete effects on the level of success in academic careers. We resorted to a case study by Central Library from Caixias do Sul University, making use of the testimonies of nine former students with outstanding academic performance between 2005 and 2012, along with data provided by the Library management system related to their book loans and that of their class colleagues. Our conclusions highlight that students attribute a highly relevant role to the Library in their learning and success in studies. It can also be perceived that there is a relationship between their average academic performance and the number of loans. The results we obtained suggest that the university library contributes to academic success.