‘Going the Extra Miles’: Providing Itinerant Library Support to Graduate Distance Learners
Session Format
In-person Presentation
Conference Tracks
Outreach, Services, and Programs
Short Description
Take embedded librarianship the distance! This is the story of one online librarian’s journey to meet the information needs of a postgraduate foundation course with a once a trimester face-to-face immersion. This presentation will focus on the origin, evolution, and subsequent impact of ‘itinerant library support’, and how it has positively affected library literacy, faculty outreach, and student engagement.
Long Description
Entering post-professional graduate students at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences must take courses in interprofessional studies, regardless of program affiliation. Each of these interprofessional courses has an optional face-to-face immersion session toward the end of the trimester. Here students, faculty, and academic support staff converge on one of the university’s five campuses for a weekend of collaborative learning. Sessions include research presentations, peer-to-peer learning, group projects, and academic advisement. However, librarians identified one glaring omission – effective in-person library support.
This presentation will show how librarians can use on-campus activities, such as immersion sessions or residencies, as opportunities to fill gaps in library literacy and improve outreach and engagement among distance learners and faculty. The presenter will incorporate personal reflection and student survey data to illustrate how ‘going the extra mile’ really impacts faculty collaboration and student success.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will walk away with insight into how distance librarians can significantly contribute and improve student outcomes
- Attendees will take away strategies to overcome the barriers of faculty buy-in and collaboration
- Attendees will leave the session with useful programming ideas to meet the needs of post-professional graduate students in the health sciences
‘Going the Extra Miles’: Providing Itinerant Library Support to Graduate Distance Learners
Entering post-professional graduate students at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences must take courses in interprofessional studies, regardless of program affiliation. Each of these interprofessional courses has an optional face-to-face immersion session toward the end of the trimester. Here students, faculty, and academic support staff converge on one of the university’s five campuses for a weekend of collaborative learning. Sessions include research presentations, peer-to-peer learning, group projects, and academic advisement. However, librarians identified one glaring omission – effective in-person library support.
This presentation will show how librarians can use on-campus activities, such as immersion sessions or residencies, as opportunities to fill gaps in library literacy and improve outreach and engagement among distance learners and faculty. The presenter will incorporate personal reflection and student survey data to illustrate how ‘going the extra mile’ really impacts faculty collaboration and student success.
Comments
Thank you for this great opportunity.
-Ryan