Too big for the library: Scaling down popular library outreach to ensure lasting sustainability in an academic environment

Rogerson, Terra; Ruane Rogers, Monica

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113414 Copy

Description

Title

Too big for the library: Scaling down popular library outreach to ensure lasting sustainability in an academic environment

Author(s)

• Rogerson, Terra
• Ruane Rogers, Monica

Issue Date

2021-09-13

Keyword(s)

• outreach
• faculty collaboration
• college clubs
• academic libraries
• student engagement

Abstract

Outreach is necessary to further the visions and missions of many university libraries, including Manderino Library at California University of Pennsylvania. Organizing events has been used to firmly cement the library’s place in the campus community. However, in the library’s efforts to be part of the larger campus, it has collaborated with other academic departments to create and hold large, well-attended events that require a lot of manpower and hours. After analyzing chat, reference, gate counts, and database usage, librarians found that large and successful events do not increase usage for other library services. This article explores whether the cost is equal to the gain for taking on events that eventually leave the library once they become popular. Results seem to indicate the library might better utilize time and efforts to hold small, focused events, even if attendance is low. Since the bump to actual library services is negligible, the library may want to look at other ways to increase funding instead of continuing to seek out collaborations to offset the cost of attractive events for students. Additionally, we found that while the relationships librarians forge with fellow academic departments are extremely valuable, larger events and collaborations generally relegate librarians to organizer roles that do little for the library’s bottom line.

Series/Report Name or Number

Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement, vol. 1, issue 2

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113414

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jloe.v1i2.466

Copyright and License Information

• Copyright 2021 Terra Rogerson, Monica Ruane Rogers
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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