Your Name and Title: Ronne Cox
Library, School, or Organization Name: Paul Meek Library University of Tennessee Martin
Co-Presenter Name(s):n/a
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Tennessee, United States
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience(s): Academic Libraries
Short Session Description (one line): Meeting them where they are.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
Libraries expand opportunities and drive learning but rarely do our patrons understand the full scope of what the library has to offer. Covid years really impacted the library and our services as individuals got comfortable with virtual options and not going out. The “Why” of library work hasn’t changed, for the future we must focus on the “How”. How can we convey the full scope of who we are as a resource to our faculty, staff, students, and community? At the University of TN at Martin we have made a consistent effort to be present but is that enough! We see academic libraries in the future as a learning hub that mixes academic and nonacademic interest to build a sense of belonging and connection to the library that is on a continual pendulum of change. Addressing disparities of students who haven’t had literacy instruction with programs that make navigating the library and resources in a stress-free atmosphere, helping students connect with campus resources to eliminate barriers such as laptop and arc programming, will allow us to stay relevant. The flip side of this is to make sure we are doing the same for our new librarians by encouraging peer mentors to share institutional knowledge and skills, help fill educational gaps not taught in library school, and potentially creating a post grad 2yr library position. To do this, libraries must stay attuned to generational influences and trends, connecting with patrons through both academic and non-academic programming, and build strong, collaborative relationships with campus and community partners is essential for expanding our reach and ensuring the longevity of Academic libraries being able to fulfil their “Why”.
Future Library through collaboration and commitment will:
- Invest in programming and resources that:
- fills in technology literacy
- basic library literacy
- active learning/exploration play via Nonacademic avenues.
- AI-generated text for comprehensive purposes
- Support Library Personnel:
- Peer Mentors for New Librarians
- Make Conference Space for programs for new librarians.
- Potentially a 2yr librarian position for new graduates
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