The OU Library recently carried out a piece of research looking into student membership of the SCONUL Access scheme and the impact it has on their studies… with some very exciting findings!
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, SCONUL is the Society of College, National and University Libraries, who are the professional association for academic and research libraries in the UK and Ireland. The Open University (OU) is part of the national SCONUL Access scheme, which allows eligible OU students and staff in the UK and the Republic of Ireland to visit participating university and research libraries for free, borrow books, and use them as study spaces.
Our research included two phases, focussing on students at the OU:
- An analysis of SCONUL Access membership and the correlation with attainment.
- An exploration into what aspects of the SCONUL Access scheme members use and the impact that the programme has on their studies.
In the data analysis, we found that a higher percentage of students who were members of SCONUL Access gained a Distinction (32%) in comparison to students who weren’t a member (22%). Additionally, just 7% of students who were members of the scheme obtained a Fail, compared to 16% for those who weren’t members (see chart below). Across the university, we do find that students who engage with Library Services and other OU support also get better results.
Stacked bar chart showing attainment results by SCONUL Access membership status. The X-axis shows the membership status (SCONUL member vs. non-SCONUL member) and the Y-axis shows percentage that achieved a Fail, a Pass, or Distinction. For SCONUL members, 32% got a Distinction, 61% passed and 7% failed. For non-members, 22% got a Distinction, 62% passed and 16% failed.
In the second phase of our research, students told us that being part of the scheme has a positive impact by supporting their studies and wellbeing – as illustrated below:
Bar chart showing response numbers to the question, ‘Has being part of the SCONUL Access scheme impacted your studies?’ The X-axis shows the response options and the Y-axis shows total numbers. 320 answered ‘It has had a positive impact’, 84 answered ‘Neutral – It has not had an impact’ and 6 answered ‘It has had a negative impact’. 106 said they ‘have not used the scheme yet, so cannot say’.
A few themes emerged in students’ comments about how participating in the scheme has impacted their studies and their lives. These include:
- Attributing access to the scheme to better academic achievement.
- Enhancing their experience as an OU student.
- Providing high quality study space and collections as a free benefit.
Here are some snippets of what students told us about being members of the scheme:
“As I do not live local to an OU campus, it is helpful to be in the university environment to motivate and facilitate my studies. Accessing other university libraries allows me to have the benefits of a brick uni while having the flexibility of distance learning.”
“Having a separate space after a hard day working has been great and great to be motivated by other students that you can see slogging hard. I passed my module with a distinction as a result. Thank you for this service.”
“The SCONUL Access scheme gave me the opportunity to find a welcoming, positive and quiet place in which to study. As a low income, distance learning student, I feel this has been instrumental in my successes so far as an OU student.”
As a distance learner, you may find it helpful to access a library closer to you. This could be because you want to use reading material that we do not have in our collections, or simply that you want a quiet, study-orientated space to visit where you can focus on your studies. For more information about the SCONUL Access scheme and how to become a member, visit the Using other libraries and SCONUL Access page, where you’ll also find details of international options for students and staff who are not based in the UK or Republic of Ireland.
Remember, you have 24/7 access to thousands of ebooks, online scholarly journals and newspapers, archival sources full of treasures, image databases and more through the online library. Browse our collection subject areas to see what is available to support your area of study.
The Library Services website is your gateway to a wide range of online information resources. You can use it to find out more about the Library, search our extensive online collection of Library resources (including eBooks, journals, databases and more), and explore our programme of live online training sessions that are available to all OU students and staff. Or indeed, come and speak with us at the Library Helpdesk: we look forward to it. And keep up to date with us by liking us on Facebook, following us on Bluesky, and subscribing to our YouTube channel.
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