STEM Outreach Activities in Academic Libraries

Planning Strategies, COVID’s Impact, and Future Considerations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21900/j.jloe.v3.1188

Keywords:

Academic Libraries, STEM, Library Outreach, Outreach Planning, Campus Engagement

Abstract

Outreach in academic libraries is an important aspect of their mission to support campus communities, but the nature of these activities, and the steps taken to plan them, is not fully understood at the profession-wide level. This study aimed to start the process of gathering data on outreach, especially among those who serve STEM-related constituents, and to begin recording the effects of COVID on library programming and events. Surveys sent to representative librarians from Association of Academic Universities (AAU) members asked about their current outreach offerings and whether they utilized a formal outreach document to help plan and evaluate their efforts. Though all reported engaging in some sort of outreach, most shared that they had an informal approach to outreach planning. A majority reported that COVID required a shift in outreach, with staffing continuing to be a concern. Full results from the survey are offered, along with a discussion of the findings, and thoughts on the next steps towards a clearer understanding of the effects outreach has, and its role in, academic libraries post COVID.

Author Biographies

  • Cori Biddle, Penn State University Libraries

    Student Engagement and Outreach Librarian, Penn State Altoona Eiche Library

  • Elise Gowen, Smith College

    Science Librarian, Smith College Libraries

References

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Published

2023-09-07

Issue

Vol. 3 (2023): Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement

Section

Peer-reviewed Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Cori Biddle, Elise Gowen

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.