Transcript Document

Cutting the Red Tape
Direct Engagement with the
University and College Campus
Student Body for Outreach and
Programming Needs
Rachael Muszkiewicz
Jonathan Bull
Valparaiso University
Agenda
• Valparaiso University’s (Valpo)
previous marketing and outreach
efforts
• Direct Student Engagement as a form
of Marketing and Outreach (Library
Media Outreach)
• Valpo’s previous programming efforts
with other campus units
• Direct Student Engagement as a form
of Programming (iStudent Workshops)
• Results and Lessons of working with
Students in this way
About Valparaiso University
• Comprehensive, private university in
Northwest Indiana (1 hr. from
Chicago)
• 3767 students (FTE)
• Valparaiso University is a teaching
institution, so the focus of faculty
members has always been on the
student experience
About the Christopher Center
• Dept within
• Amount of personnel
• No specified librarian for outreach
About IMC
• Integrated Marketing and
Communications Department (a.k.a.
“IMC”)
• Formed 2008
• Formed with the specific mission to
consolidate and manage the
marketing, public relations, and
merchandising of the university
Previous Marketing/Outreach
Efforts
• In the past, we have worked with other
campus units and departments (such as
IMC) to facilitate marketing and
outreach needs
• Depending on other departments can
significantly alter your intended time
table and can delude your content.
Valparaiso campus and academics
Christopher Center Library (IMC version)
Analysis
• Both done by IMC
• No professional staff input
• Student perspective on expected resources, through IMC,
not what the students think on their own.
• 1st video and creation of IMC is the culmination of a
statistical study, conducted in 1997 – hence the
administrative turnaround can be long and the final product
can be incomplete (without professional or staff feedback).
Library’s Needs
• Current marketing was brief and
incomplete, not covering the vast
majority of our services.
• We wanted to emphasize services not
covered in previous marketing
attempts, but still wanted to keep the
student perspective with high quality.
Library Emphasis
• Information literacy programming
• Librarians as personalized service
• Website overview (website is the
library)
• Various collections (not just books,
but databases, archival material,
e-books)
• We are one of the few departments
that have to see our own services.
But how?
• IMC wasn’t an option: it has a vast
array of responsibilities to the entire
university, so if we wanted any control
over our marketing, we had to do it
ourselves.
• Also, if we wanted it on a faster
timetable.
• The problem was, we had all of these
great ideas, but little time to do it.
But how?
• So we asked ourselves where we
could find motivated videographers,
who also can bring a student
perspective, while also remaining
affordable.
• The students! They need experience
for their resume tapes, they use the
library, would obviously emphasize
the student experience and would be
affordable.
Which students?
• We targeted communication and
digital media students and VUTV.
• Other units to consider targeting:
business, film, English, campus radio,
campus newspaper, etc.
• If you do have a budget and can pay
the student that might incentivize the
project even more.
Successes and
Not So Successes:
• Communications classes so far have
been a bust ELABORATE
• Successes are working with Jasmine,
Powell, VUTV!
The result?
Results
• Volunteers and faculty supported;
under $100 total production
• VUTV “filler” between programs:
long format commercials
• This is programming they don’t have
to worry about
• Library uses it on the YouTube page
and on the MessageNet system.
Results
Librarian
Student
• Minimized time
involvement
• Great product for
promotional purposes
• Inexpensive
• Increased ability to
multitask
• Professional experience
with a client
• Paid contract
• Media for demo tape
• Reference/recommendation
• Increased library services
knowledge
New Challenges
• What happens if people start listening to
us?
• We’ve been preaching and promoting our
services
– Now we have those who want to use
them!
• There is potential for those departments to
dilute our message.
• Timetable: “That’s a great idea…we’ll
talk about it next semester.”
• How do we engage the students with our
“new” set of services, if we still have to
go through administrative departments?
Previous Programming Efforts
• ????
Student Affinity Groups
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Athletics
Greek Life
Residential Life
Distance Students
International Students
Minority Students
Why Student Affinity Groups?
• Academic related programming needs
• Academic GPA needs
• Professional needs; projects for
resumes, future references
How do we hook them?
• In addition to this increased promotion
on our part, the university also
adopted the ACRL Information
Literacy standards into their strategic
plan.
• We sell them the idea that they can
take a leadership position on this
project and adopt it before anyone else
(including the faculty).
• It lets them be proactive.
iStudent Workshops
• Information Literacy education
outside the curriculum.
• If the university’s end product is a
well-rounded, well-educated citizen
then it only makes sense to have
instruction in and outside the
curriculum
– Especially in the Information Age
when information is being consumed
at all times and “everything is on the
Internet”.
iStudent Workshops
• Marketing to specific student affinity
groups
• Taking the idea of the workshops
directly to students, not bothering to
ask the administrative bodies
• Specifically designed to have content
that was not found in the classroom,
either outside of class curriculum or
due to time constraints
iGreek Workshops
• Proposed the idea to Greek Life
• Advisor liked the idea, but got out of
the process
– “it will just complicate things”
• after the Greek Governing bodies
(Inter Fraternal Council (IFC) and Pan
Hellenic (PH)) put the proposal on
their agenda
iGreek Workshops
• How did we get Greek Life to play
along?
– Each chapter has an academic
programming need.
– GPAs had been on a downward trend.
• GPAs must be at least 2.25 to stay
academically eligible for Greek Life.
– Looking for leadership activities.
– The promise of each workshop being
no longer than 40 minutes, tops.
iGreek Workshops
• Topics covered:
– Time Management (ACRL Standard __)
– Quick and Easy Research Tips &
– The Look of Writing
– Assessing Learning Styles
– Internet Security (Standard 6)
iGreek Workshops
Results?
• 208 unique attendees over three
sessions
• New members and students on
academic probation were required to
come or face a fine
• IFC and PH put required attendance to
these into their bylaws and permanent
schedule.
iGreek Workshops
Results!
• The Greek Governing bodies (IFC &
PH), run by students, view us as the
body they can outsource this kind of
programming to!
• LibGuide website created for
workshops; 158 page visits within 3
weeks (non-indexed URL).
iResident
• Program not as successful
• A case of great feedback or no
feedback
• Certainly no action, even though the
Residential Assistants have
educational programming needs.
– RA’s at Valpo are required to provide
educational programming to their
floors 2 times a semester.
iResident
• Continued sending requests
Residential Life through “official”
administrative channels
• No responses
• Conducted a pilot program after
conducting an RA directly
iResident
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•
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18 attendees
Repackaged Research Tips session
Majority of feedback was positive
RLC (Residential Life staff member)
loved the idea, but was suspicious if it
could be done through Residential
Life
– “We have too much on our plate”
– But we were taking things off their
plate!
iResident
• Continuing engagement of RAs
and RLCs
• Aiming for a critical mass for
campus-wide programming with
RLCs
What We Learned:
• In going directly to students, students
are more likely to give their real
opinions and feedback
• Time table is significantly shorter
– This forces us to work quicker to keep
up with student demand (which we
want!)
• They see us as a person to go to –
makes us accessible
What We Learned:
• Gets student word-of-mouth going
• We are able to spot emerging trends
quicker (smartphone example)
• Students see it as an experiencebuilding opportunity (resumes,
references)
• Gets us out of the building – and starts
to showcase 21st century librarianship
to students (library services vs. the
library building)
What We Learned:
• Other librarians have started their own
outreach initiatives to other student
units on campus
• Other campus units want to get
involved (IT, ASC, Writing Center)
Downsides to doing
marketing, programming and
outreach this way:
• Academic responsibilities sometimes
conflict (and rightly so)
• Timelines are sometimes different
(less organized and usually
significantly shorter)
• Quality could lack
• Professionalism could lack
Downsides:
• Enthusiasm for the project could lack
• They don’t like you, you aren’t
entertaining
• Possible conflict with other
departments on campus
• Victims of our own success
Future Plans:
• iGreek – expansion, make the
programs more interactive
• iAthlete – starting Fall 2012
• iResident – starting Fall 2013
• Workshop specifically for
international students
• “Cardigan Moment” – Spring 2012
• Instructional videos with our students
helping
Future Plans:
• Promotional videos with VUTV and
Communications classes
• Film festival funded by the
Communication Department and
Library, showcasing student work
– Similar to Library Award for
Undergraduate Research and National
Day on Writing
– A way to emphasize media literacy
across all subjects
Final Thoughts
• It’s not just instructors doing the
teaching, we can learn from students
too!
• In going directly to students, librarians
provide opportunities, support and
professional knowledge.
• You don’t have to have previous
campus connections, use this as a way
to make them!
Questions
and
Discussion
Questions to Consider
• What
marketing/outreach/programming
needs do you have that you haven’t
been able to address yet?
• Which campus student group could
you approach directly?
• How might you work with a student
on a project like this?