Academic Library Services to Graduate Students Interest Group

I'm developing a small business working with PhD students to help them with research/dissertations so they can get that degree sooner. Apparently, staff and campus services are stretched thin, budgets are tight and the students who struggle often drop out. Online and international students may have additional barriers.

I will be helping with research and literature review and any other support I can provide or refer.  I will be filling the gap for students and utilizing/referring library services whenever possible. I'm hoping to form a partnership vs. just an outsourced service. I could market directly to students, but think having faculty/staff/librarians on campus that can refer me would be another means. I plan on contacting the writing centers that support the grad students.

I'm working with a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counselor and she suggests contacting faculty directly, as they can identify struggling students.  I think cold-calling faculty might not get me far, even for an information interview.

Do librarians refer grad students to outside services?

I welcome any ideas or advice! 

 

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Marj Atkinson, MLS
Reference Librarian
Brookhaven College
also Ask Marj Research Support Services
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Interesting question, Marj.  When I work with graduate students, I usually find myself making these kinds of referrals:

• Back to the dissertation advisor for clarification or content-based knowledge.
• To subject librarians for help with discipline-specific research and techniques.
• To our data visualization specialist for questions about working with and presenting data.
• To the Writing Center for other types of writing support.

If I were trying to establish a clientele outside my university, I would try social media.  Either Twitter or academia.edu (or both).  That way, you could market directly to graduate students.  I feel like it might be tough to get on the radar of faculty or librarians.

Good luck!

Mark

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Mark Lenker
Teaching and Learning Librarian
University of Nevada Las Vegas
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