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Hi Anita et al,
For January, our topic will be Advisory Groups.
- Does your library use an Advisory Group of any sort?
- I've been involved in student advisory groups for the past 10 years at my library. Beginning about 5 years ago we combined our graduate and undergraduate councils into one. We recruit at the beginning of the semester and generally accept all who apply. We usually have 20-25 members, with many returning from previous years. We meet twice per semester and usually have 8-12 members attend. We feed them lunch/dinner. Though we met virtually the past 2 years during Covid.
- What has worked well / fallen flat?
- We ask Student Government and the Graduate Student Association to appoint a member of their cabinet. This has been effective because they are generally active in soliciting feedback from their constituents and communicating that to us. This year we wrote to about 20 student organizations on campus and asked them to send a member of their group (multicultural student association, interfaternity council, student veterans, etc) and we seem to have a more diverse group. We always highlight an area of the library for about 20 minutes of the 75 minute meeting (special collections, technology lounge, ask-a-librarian services, etc) with Q&A and then we talk about news from the library and open the floor for suggestions/questions. The students like learning about different areas and they always have questions/suggestions. This year we focused on library communications, DEI initiatives, printing. Sending out mutiple dates to see when the majority are availalbe works well to make sure we have a good turnout. We always have a set of questions prepared to get the conversation going. We have to be cognizant that their opinions are not necessarily representative of all students but it is good to hear their points of view.
- What do you see as the main benefits of having an Advisory Group?
- Great connection between administration and students. I attend every meeting and the Dean attends at least one. We just interviewed for a new dean and members of the council participated in interviews. They have also written letters in support of funding for library projects such as renovation of seating areas. They are good advocates for the library in their circles.
- If you do not use an Advisory Group, or have disbanded yours, what other ways do you get feedback from patrons?
Great to see others responses. We are always trying new things to improve the council.
Beki Gettys
Associate Dean for Public Services
University of South Carolina Libraries
she/her/hers
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Rebecca Gettys
Associate Dean
University of South Carolina
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Original Message:
Sent: Jan 09, 2023 10:58 AM
From: Anita Hall
Subject: January Discussion Topic: Advisory Groups
Hello! As one of your new co-conveners (along with Megan Hodge and Susanna Cowan), I'd like to welcome you to a new year with the Assessment Discussion Group. Starting this month, we will have a monthly discussion topic to try and keep the group a bit more active. This is not intended to limit conversation to the monthly topic - please continue to post/share any topics that come up organically as well!
For January, our topic will be Advisory Groups.
- Does your library use an Advisory Group of any sort? If so, can you share some details about your group?
- What has worked well / fallen flat?
- What do you see as the main benefits of having an Advisory Group?
- If you do not use an Advisory Group, or have disbanded yours, what other ways do you get feedback from patrons?
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Anita Hall
Assessment & Analytics Librarian
University of Louisville
She/Her/Hers
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