Writing from the standpoint of a health professions campus
librarian, Harris points out that “—faculty, staff, and students are frequently
focused on their schools or programs rather than on the greater campus
community,” on her campus. Having personally attended a science and medical
school myself, I came across the same isolation from any sort of community that
existed because faculty and students were engrossed in academics – especially
as a Literature and Writing student ;) I stood out quite a bit.
Harris surmises, “It is not always clear who is ultimately
responsible for introducing and championing new technologies, supporting
relevant or topical campus or community cultural activities, or even providing
education in, and support for, scholarly communication activities that appeal
to the entire community. This kind of outreach can fall within the
philosophical, educational, and leadership mission of librarians.” I thought
this quote was especially important because the responsibility has yet to be
claimed by any agency, but there do exist specific clubs that welcome people
who belong, but for a commuter like me, I needed an environment that was
welcoming and convenient while I had the time to be on campus. So Harris came up
with a plan to reach out to students: take the time to plan, develop a
promotion plan, find partners, and have fun.
Sure, it seems pretty simple and like an easy recipe to
follow, but when the duty doesn’t fall on the library to create this, no one
will take the time to dedicate attention to the void that seems natural.
Harris, R., Mayo, A., Prince, J. D., & Joan, M. (2013).
Creating shared campus experiences: the library as culture club. Journal Of The Medical Library Association, 101(4), 254-256. doi:10.3163/1536
-5050.101.4.005
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