14 · Survey Results: Executive Summary
writing center the fourth reported that it’s sole part-
nership is with the office of research for grant writing.
Eight respondents report that their sole partnership is
with campus computing. The other 19 have partner-
ships with campus computing and at least two other
campus units 16 maintain partnerships with four or
more campus units. In addition to the six categories
of partners included in the survey, respondents men-
tioned other partners, including the Provost, Study
Partners tutoring service, Intercollegiate Athletics, the
Art Department, the Office of Campus-Community
Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities,
Career Services, and campus food services.
Overwhelmingly, these partnerships are informal,
without contracts or Memorandums of Understanding
(MOUs). Most formal agreements are made with cam-
pus computing, where eight institutions document
some arrangements and two institutions document
all arrangements. One institution noted that an MOU
is in place with the Learning Technologies office for
some shared classrooms, and another reported that
some arrangements with the writing center are docu-
mented. No written agreements were reported with
Faculty Development offices, Graduate Studies, and
the Offices of Research. Several institutions com-
mented that they have a partnership with the campus
writing center, but that no services are provided spe-
cifically for faculty and/or graduate students.
Service Point Staffing
Ten institutions reported on staff working at service
points specifically designated for graduate students
and/or faculty. Overall, the results show that present-
ly very few staff members are dedicated to providing
services for faculty and graduate students. The lowest
staffing level reported was one individual and the
highest was 60, with an average staffing complement
of 13.5. Seven of the respondents reported between
one and eight individuals (for an average of 4.9). The
respondent that reported roughly 16 staff provides
services in renovated space, the Digital Social Science
Center, within a branch library. The respondent that
reported 25 staff provides services in the Faculty
Commons within the main library. The library that
reported the highest number of staff (60) explained,
“A planned renovation of the first two floors of the
main library will be referred to as the Knowledge
Commons. The new Knowledge Commons will in-
clude a new Center for Faculty Excellence.”
Nine institutions identified a director or coordina-
tor position specifically responsible for overseeing
spaces and/or services for graduate students and/or
faculty. Of the position titles supplied, only one ap-
pears to be a position exclusively dedicated to these
researchers (Head of Graduate Services). All other
position titles seem to indicate a broader responsibil-
ity, including faculty and grad services with other
more general services.
In all but a few cases, libraries and their partners
used a combination of strategies to fill staff positions.
Seven of 11 libraries redefined job descriptions of
existing staff, four of which were reassigned. Four
of the seven also created new positions, as did two
libraries’ partners. In another case, the library and
its partner both reassigned staff. In yet another, the
partner alone redefined and reassigned staff. In only
two cases did the library and/or its partner simply
create a new position.
Marketing/Outreach
The majority of respondents (33 of 41 respondents or
80%) indicated that they do not have a formal market-
ing plan in place to promote spaces and services for
faculty and graduate students. Several mentioned
that these services are included in their overall mar-
keting strategy and others indicated that promotion
for these services is in the planning stages.
Word of mouth is the most frequently reported
method of promoting these spaces and services (used
by 93% of respondents), but most institutions do not
rely on this strategy alone. Only one institution said:
“… we purposefully depend only on word of mouth
and do not market their availability. There is always
a waiting list for these spaces.” An equal number
of institutions (28 or 68%) use the library Web site,
printed literature, such as brochures and bookmarks,
and faculty and graduate student orientation sessions
as ways of reaching these groups. Visits to faculty
Previous Page Next Page