Library services for alumni are difficult to navigate, but they are necessary for the ongoing relationships between alumni and their schools. Theological academic libraries are no different in the struggle to navigate, as their alumni can be cut off from necessary resources and research assistance by any number of means. In expanding an existing document-delivery service to alumni, one library is seeking to keep the vocational alumni of two colleges connected to both their schools and the resources that helped shape their vocation and ecclesial identities. Through a survey, the needs of the alumni were assessed, and the resulting pilot project shows great hypothetical promise in improving alumni services.

This case study discusses the importance of building initial trust in the relationship between researcher and academic library. Primary coverage serves the experience of two small humanities-based colleges serving approximately 125 faculty members within a larger university campus by providing the personal document delivery service of InfoExpress. The trust built through this initial research support service creates avenues for further support from the library and the wider university library system. As every relationship has challenges, the ones occurring here are opportunities to improve the relationship in favour of the researcher and library. If the researcher is unaware of what support the library provides, establishing a personal relationship will immediately provide productive research time and create an opportunity for future support through additional personalized services. The researcher, their research, and their library benefit by this trusted partnership.

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