16 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses Success Librarian develops and implements programs aimed at engaging students with the library and ensuring that the library is contributing to their academic success. Investigates challenges particular to students, especially first years and those in traditionally underserved populations. Follows students through their cycle from prospective student status through graduation, leading library outreach programs during Spring Insight, Graduate Student Orientation, and Week of Welcome, among other milestone events. The university clearly defines outreach as community engagement with external constituencies. Within the library we have such activities but many of our liaison librarians work with campus partners and have “outreach” in their titles or as part of portfolio. Definition of outreach for the library is somewhat murky. The University Libraries inspire learning, research, scholarly inquiry, and service in an environment dedicated to the open exchange of ideas and information. The University Libraries are engaged in scholarly, cultural, and artistic interactions with the university, and its regional and global communities. There are multiple units within the library that engage in promoting library services to different audiences and in different formats. Education and Outreach (E&O) focuses on promoting library services to campus constituents (e.g., students, faculty, departments) and to K-12 and other bridge groups. Special Collections and Archives engages in community programming, particularly around their community archives, while promoting library services and resources. Communications and Events focuses on events, exhibits, tours, open houses, and other programming for alumni and other external audiences (e.g., potential donors) while also overseeing social media, email campaigns, newsletters, and other communications. Design Services produces promotional materials, creates graphics for exhibits, manages digital displays, provides photography, etc. Additionally, the university librarian and director of development spend a great deal of time in outreach and engagement by marketing the libraries’ services/ resources and building relationships and engaging various donor and support groups, alumni groups, as well as community and government groups. There is not an official definition for our library. Answers to this survey will use the broad definition to campus and community-based communities. Though not explicitly stated, “outreach” is identified in the goals listed in our Strategic Plan 2016–2019. Under Goal One “Learning,” Objective 1, “outreach” is implicit in this goal: “Lead and partner in developing information literacy programming and transformational learning experiences....” An example of this is our Graduate Research Information Program (G.R.I.P), a workshop series that our faculty members develop and lead to reach graduate students and help them learn about and enhance their research skills. Additionally, Libraries faculty are often instructors of record or co-instructors of record in courses (undergraduate and graduate) across the many disciplines and subject areas taught at the university. Under Goal Three (“Engagement and Emerging Opportunities”), “outreach” is also included in the four objectives listed under this goal. We facilitate this outreach in various ways, including through teaching, hosting events, workshops, conducting research, and collaborating with other entities and departments at the university. We define outreach as proactive information sharing and advocacy for the Libraries. Our outreach efforts include both internal partners (within the library and with our campus constituents) and external partners (community, peer-institutions, consortia, professional organizations, etc.) We definite outreach fairly broadly: as a way to connect our services and resources with the institution’s staff, as well as the outside world. For staff, this includes trainings, open houses, flyers, etc. For the outside world, it includes social media, lectures, and tours. We also have an education department to help reach a growing K-12 audience. Outreach to staff is usually handled by library branches and individual staff, while outreach to the general public is coordinated by the Outreach Librarian.
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