ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


720 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2001

C o l l e g e  & R e s e a r c h  L i b r a r i e s  news

Are we overlooking 
our most vital resource?

Building librarian/student partnerships

by Carol A nne Germain

S ome college librarians view students as passive, needy, and sometimes even a 
bother! I have heard colleagues say, “This 
w ould be a great place to w ork if there 
w eren’t any students.” Yes, but . . . ! I know 
that students’ opinions of librarians are often 
as generous. However, I believe that we need 
to step back and take a new  look at students 
and our relationships with them. Students can 
b e excellent informers, educators, and part­
ners, and nurturing relationships with students 
can make librarians better informers, educa­
tors, and partners.

Partnership, in the English language dates 
back to 1576. The definition of this term in 
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate D ic tio n a ¡γ

1. the state of being a partner: PAR­
TICIPATION

2. a relationship resembling a legal part­
nership and usu. involving close co­
o p e ra tio n  b e tw e e n  p arties h av in g  
specified and joint rights and respon­
sibilities.1

Students provide great opportunities for 
developing rewarding partnerships. Librar­
ians interact w ith the student population on

a regular basis: in the classroom, w ithin the 
library, and on campus in day-to-day ex­
changes.

Too often it is easy to overlook that stu­
dents are educational assets. We n eed  to ac­
knowledge, and tap into, their knowledge, 
insights, and experiences. This includes not 
only talented students but also those less 
gifted. Surprisingly, you may learn more from 
the latter group. W hen librarians and stu­
dents w ork and participate in com m on ven­
tures, they can create an invaluable experi­
ence.

Whether you’re a bibliographer, an instruc­
tor of information literacy or a cataloger, stu­
dent input can help make your job easier. 
W hen w e develop close relationships with 
students, w e get a different perspective about 
our reference interview styles, how  w e d e­
velop library Web pages, and why and what 
influences our library acquisitions.

As librarians, w e become immersed in our 
library worlds and overlook some of the de­
tails that may not be so obvious to our stu­
dents. For many of us, it may have been years 
since w e w ere students, but working with 
student partners will help bring us closer to 
what students are doing and how  we can aid 
them.

A b o u t th e  a u th o r

Carol Anne Germain is the networked resources education librarian at the University o f Albany, SUNY, e-mail: 
cg219@csc.albany.edu

mailto:cg219@csc.albany.edu


C&RL News ■  July/August 2001 / 721

Partnerships com e in a variety o f flavors. 
The most com mon are one-on-one: intern­
ships, assistantships, work study, and inde­
pendent study students. These tend to be 
more personal and a good starting point. 
Conducting a credit course can also provide 
partnership opportunities. At the University 
at Albany, students take a class where they 
learn about electronic library resources then 
work as consultants in our online access 
areas. Small groups, such as peer mentoring 
or study groups, also provide partnership 
opportunities.

How do you set up partnerships?
First, begin with a plan. This will include a 
list o f doable projects with realistic timelines, 
a strategy for recruiting students, and a re­
ward system. Choose what is most comfort­
able for you. There’s no need to start big—  
better to have a little success than a large 
flop.

Start a folder, electronic or print, with a 
variety o f projects. For each, write an outline 
of the project, what you expect o f the stu­
dent, a time budget, and a list o f required 
materials. Setting up a similar “project packet” 
for the student will help provide direction. If 
this is an ongoing project (i.e., working at 
the information desk), you may want to de­
velop a student handbook with procedures, 
policies, etc. Review this material and make 
sure you are providing clear instructions for 
the project. Ask a colleague to review and 
evaluate your materials.

Once the relationship has begun, try to 
keep an open line o f communication. Ask 
the student for feedback and questions. Meet­
ings may add to the experience or arrange 
informal check-ins. Praise or provide con­
structive comments; like us, students need to 
know where they are in the process. If there 
are time issues, deadlines may be helpful. At 
completion, ask them to evaluate their expe­
rience. This may be a short questionnaire or 
an essay.

All students welcom e
Recruiting students may seem difficult, espe­
cially if your campus doesn’t have a library 
school, but there are many opportunities for 
soliciting students. Students do not have to 
be library school graduate students to be ef­
fective partners. Often, undergraduates will

bring a refreshing perspective to this experi­
ence.

There are many ways to connect with stu­
dents. These include contacting student or­
ganizations on campus; many sororities and 
fraternities have community service require­
ments. Try to coordinate efforts with the 
institution’s academic support/learning re­
source center. You may find opportunities at 
your institution to becom e a faculty mentor. 
Set up an independent study with one o f the 
academic departments. Again, this does not 
need to be the library school, a business stu­
dent may be an excellent candidate for re­
viewing your purchase policy for the jour­
nal collection. If there is a nearby library 
school or graduate education program, look 
into getting an intern. Organize a library peer 
group; this could include peer tutoring that 
focuses on computer use. Set up a course for 
student consultants in your online access ar­
eas.

W h at a stu d e n t partner can do

• Review a newly written tutorial.
• Evaluate a database subscription.
• Co-create an exhibit.
• Coordinate focus groups.
• Create promotional materials for an 

upcoming event.
• Critique the library’s Web page.
• Provide renovation suggestions.
• Observe a BI or information literacy 

class.
•Serve on the new OPAC committee.
• Contribute questions to a user survey.
•Code a Web page.
• Write articles for the student news 

paper (good avenue with paper re­
porter).

• Recruit a student(s) to be on an infor­
mation literacy advisory committee.

•Try out library finding aids.
• Search the Web for information.
•Assist with a signage project.
• Plan public relations efforts.
• Design the layout o f a book.
• Collaborate in a research initiative.
• Create graphics and other innovative 

Web resources.



722 / C&RL News ■ July/August 2001

Of course, the most obvious are those stu­
dents working in the library. Reach out to 
circulation and other library departments to 
provide projects in between the mundane 
reshelving, check-in/check-out, and other 
blah, blah, blah duties.

There are .many ways to recruit student 
partners, but be thoughtful about your in­
tended project. Asking a computer neophyte 
to manipulate graphics for a Web page is 
probably not a good idea. As well, a doctoral 
candidate may not take kindly to placing la­
bels on a mailing. Creating an application or 
requesting a résumé will let you see student’s 
strengths and weaknesses. Depending on the 
assignment, you may want this to be a com­
petitive position. No matter what, you’ll want 
a good fit for you and the student to have a 
good partnership experience.

Involving students in projects, such as 
outreach efforts, can be extremely enlighten­
ing. Since we want to reach their commu-

Student feedback

One of the benefits partnering provides is 
student feedback, and they are often quite 
frank! Listen— their suggestions are usu­
ally right on target. Responses from the 
tasks they’ve encountered may include:

•That Web site is too busy.
• What is a classification system?
• Do you know about cascading style 

sheets?
• Students from my dorm don’t come to 

the library because . . .
• Patrons in die online access area find 

the desktop icons confusing.
•I don’t get the example: Procol Harem?
• The Self-guided Tour should include fine 

information,
•Would you come talk to my organiza­

tion about your Dialog services?
• It takes too long to get to the full record. 
•Why isn’t the financial aid handout in

the Financial Aid Office?
• Rage Against the Machine does a lot with 

die censorship issue— why not use them 
as the example?

• Do you need?. . . I can do anything!

nity, they may be the best link. They know 
what other students read, listen, and pay at­
tention to.

Partnerships can be very rewarding but 
they are not always easy. There is a fair 
amount of overhead involved. Thinking that 
you’re getting a student to ease your workload 
isn’t a good idea. This commitment will take 
an investment of time, thought, and energy.

If you are teaching a full course or spon­
soring internships or independent studies, this 
is especially true. Make sure you know all 
the rules set up by your institution regarding 
grading, attendance, and requirements. Some 
students may be so good that you’ll find your­
self spending lots of time setting up projects 
to do.

Show  yo u r appreciation
Another important component of the part­
nership process is to make sure you keep up 
with them. P artake, praise, a n ă  p rov id e plum s 
(not just the fruit, though!):

• Take them out to lunch.
• Have small parties.
• E-mail messages of thanks.
• Give them an appreciation plaque at 

the end of their assignment.
• Snail mail a card.
• Homemade baked goods really work.
• Offer a letter of recommendation.
• Ask them about their academic life and 

make suggestions about grants, scholarships, 
graduate schools.

• Offer research assistance.
• Review their résumé.
• Set up an award program.
Students are not the only ones who re­

ceive something from partnerships. For me, 
student partners have provided insight into 
how they view the library, my teaching, and 
the instruction tools I’ve developed. They’ve 
made working on a project more fun— their 
energy is often delightful and captivating. I’ve 
been rewarded with small gifts and thank you 
notes, but most importantly when I look into 
their eyes, I see respect and understanding 
and know that I’ve played a meaningful part 
in their educational and personal process.

Note
1. M erriam -W ebster’s C olleg iate D ictio- 

naiy, 10th ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam- 
Webster, 1993). ■