The University of East London (UEL) libraries provide a convergence of digital and physical services, like most of today’s academic libraries. Ebooks, ejournals, AI-powered search tools, self-paced learning for skills development, chat for virtual support, and more are accessible in modern buildings open 24/7, housing books, technology, and a choice of study spaces. When buildings were closed during the COVID19 lockdown, the UEL library services pivoted seamlessly online.
The foundations for the shift to digital within university libraries had been laid before the pandemic. Library staff members had embarked on a targeted training programme to enhance their digital skills and enable them to better support students navigating emerging educational technologies. The library collection development and management policy had been digital first, digital only (barring special educational needs) for several years. Borrowing of physical books was on the decline. Library team members were engaging with sector suppliers about tools that would optimise the discovery of online resources. COVID19 accelerated the need for digital transformation, and the UEL library team was keen to develop and deliver digital services that would enhance learning opportunities for our students and prepare them for the unknown careers of the future. However, in our eagerness to drive forward digital services, are we leaving some students behind by not bridging the digital experience between secondary/further education and higher education?
Helping students navigate the digital evolution
According to the JISC Student Digital Experience Insights Survey 2024/25, students value the flexibility of online learning, provided they are supported in using the learning platforms. However, students from Asian, Black African, and Black Caribbean backgrounds reportedly cited challenges around access to suitable devices. This insight is particularly relevant at UEL, where nearly 70% of students identify as Black, Asian, and/or Global Ethnic Majority (GEM). About a third of the students surveyed cited library/learning resources staff members as sources of help for digital skills. The JISC report also highlighted the importance of inductions on university platforms, including library e-resources.
The JISC report tells us about the experiences of students once they are within the university walls, but intelligence about students’ prior learning experiences can help us personalise our inductions and programmes to meet their needs better. Dr. Michelle Morgan, Dean of Students at the University of East London and transition specialist has been undertaking pre-arrival questionnaires for numerous years and has been gathering pre-arrival and post-arrival (four weeks into term) insights from incoming undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students at UEL since 2021. In her 2020 Advance HE report An Exceptional Transition to Higher Education: Induction of New and Returning Students During the ‘New Normal’ Year, Dr Morgan articulates how poor arrival and induction experiences can lead to early withdrawal of some students.
Dr Morgan recently collaborated with Advance HE and JISC to gather pre-arrival information from 5545 undergraduate and 2257 postgraduate taught students across 15 universities in a national pilot funded by the Office for Students (OfS). (Read the report.)
Unsurprising to the library teams, incoming undergraduates accessed information in their previous studies in a largely ‘traditional’ way. At UEL, 67% of UG students and 62% of UG students at the comparator institutions used a course textbook (presumably physical) in their prior learning, with 73% of UEL students and 80% of students at comparator institutions using handwritten notes. Only 17% of UEL students and 14% of students at comparator institutions used electronic information in their prior learning.
These insights are consistent with those gathered over the years from UEL pre-arrival questionnaires. Furthermore, when asked about learning material preference, both UG and PG students, particularly international students, cited a preference for physical books, similar to their prior learning experience. These are useful insights not just for UEL but the sector.
The challenge for university libraries
Whereas some physical copies of texts can be made available to augment e-textbooks, it is neither physically possible nor affordable to provide physical books for every student for every module. So, what can be done to move students from traditional to more digitally focused materials?
At UEL, we have been working hard to address this. Our Keytext scheme provides an e-textbook for all UG and PGCE students for every module they take. PG students, generally, should not be reliant on a single text but should use a range of resources, including primary such as archival materials. And learning resources for all students increasingly include 3D simulation tools, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools.
At UEL, our Library teams use the pre-arrival information to plan welcome events, inductions, and re-inductions (refresher sessions). They provide in-person, online, and self-paced learning sessions on information, digital, and critical thinking skills sessions, as well as practical and ethical use of AI. Student assistants provide drop-in and scheduled peer support sessions on how to navigate such technologies as the virtual learning environment (VLE) Moodle, Teams and the MS and Adobe suite of applications, for example. As indicated in the national pre-arrival questionnaire (PAQ) survey, UEL students tend to be 19 and over, so events must consider this slightly more mature population (e.g., academic rather than social focus). So, the library team provides students with a choice of activities to support their learning to mitigate leaving any student behind the digital evolution.
Other Insights of Interest to Libraries
As UEL libraries are open 24/7, the insights into student commute times are of interest. Although the insights indicate that most UEL students live within 30 minutes of the campuses, 17% of UEL students compared to 7% of students at comparator institutions live up to 90 minutes away. This distance is significant in terms of travel cost and well-being if students have early classes on consecutive days. The extended library opening we have at UEL allows students, many of whom have jobs and/or caring responsibilities, a choice of when they access library service. However, our library, student services, and security staff monitor library spaces overnight to ensure that any students found sleeping have accommodation and are aware of the importance of getting adequate sleep.
Finally, 21% UEL UG international and 18% of home students indicated that they did not visit any of the campuses prior to enrolling but viewed them online or via social media. Again, technology enables students to have virtual tours of campuses, and ‘word of mouth’ in the cybersphere can be a double-edged sword. In my co-edited work Privileged Spaces: Academic Libraries in University Estates Strategy, I discuss the role of academic libraries in ‘selling’ the institution. I explain that although students are unlikely to apply to a university because of the library, they are likely to leave if they cannot get access to the resources they need for study. So, it is important that the library services available to potential students are clearly articulated in institutional promotional materials.
Recognition for use of insights
The UEL library team makes good use of the insights from the pre-arrival questionnaires which contributes to national recognitions. In 2026, the UEL team received a national commendation for Best Use of Customer Insights at the Assessment Services Awards Ceremony for its approach to using customer insights for measurable service improvements.
Regina Everitt is ACOO & Director of Library and Learning Services at the University of East London Read more about Regina here.