Peer reference assistants in a small liberal arts college: case study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to create and sustain a successful mentoring program for reference student assistants in the liberal arts environment. The study delineates student training, program assessment and the impact on reference practice in a way that can be used at other institutions considering implementing a similar initiative. Design/methodology/approach This case study is written by professionals who have been deeply engaged in initiating, running and assessing the program. It presents the value of the program in an unbiased and objective manner by including the voices of the student mentees themselves reflecting on the experience. Findings The mentorship program has proven to be worthwhile and rewarding in equal measures to both the mentees and reference librarians working with our future successors. It serves an important role in inspiring and encouraging library student workers to become interested in academic librarianship as a career choice and it prepares them to be successful students in library and information science graduate programs. Originality/value Although the discussion of training reference student assistants per se is not rare in the library literature, this particular program is unique in several ways: its main intent is to mentor students who are interested in pursuing librarianship as a career goal; it occurs in the context of a liberal arts college rather than in a larger university setting, especially those offering degrees in information and library science; and it empowers students to provide in-depth independent reference services for their peers and faculty.

Introducing peer-to-peer reference services in a community college library

“…Given the scarcity of material relevant to community college libraries, the authors focused on college and university libraries’ programs. Authors from a small, liberal arts college suggest that students are more likely to approach other students at a service desk than they are library staff or librarians (Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016). One author concluded that “… student learning can be enhanced by the informality inherent in peer-to-peer interaction” (Bodemer, 2014).…”

“…The authors also noted that “PALS can also explain difficult concepts in ways that are easier for other students to understand, having recently learned the concepts themselves, and avoiding library jargon. They are familiar with the courses their fellow students are taking and understand the context of the questions they are asked in the library.” Further, the PALS will grow personally through their leadership roles, gain “greater awareness of the variety of information available in their disciplines and become better researchers who are more confident in their abilities” (Faix, 2010; Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016). Additionally, they will obtain experiences and skills that will aid them in finding employment after graduation.…”

“…The authors also wanted these positions to benefit the student employees themselves and included job responsibilities that would allow student employees to grow personally through their leadership roles (Peters, 2013). As part of the program, students gain greater awareness of the variety of information available in their disciplines and become better researchers who are more confident in their abilities (Faix, 2010; Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016). Additionally, projects taken on by these students would give them experiences that would aid them in finding employment after graduation (Faix, 2010).…”

Reimagining peer support and engagement

“…Coaching and mentoring between student workers with peers, librarians and paraprofessional staff have also shown to be beneficial to the retention, growth and performance of student assistants (Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016; Slagell and Langendorfer, 2003). Hands-on training providing research and reference support to patrons online and face-to-face, such as practicing scenarios, also help students develop communication skills and provide good customer service (Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016; Faix et al. , 2014).…”

A cascading approach to training discovery

“…Recommendations for training reference staff, whether students, paraprofessionals, or librarians, consistently endorse continued development, particularly for advances in available and widely used technology (Courtney and Courtney, 2015;Woodard, 2016). Training for student employees often involves shadowing librarians, as well as completing self-guided tutorials (Gonnerman and Johnson, 2016;Manley and Holley, 2014). Faix (2014) describes a more thorough training process, including ongoing weekly tutorials on the library catalog, subject-specific databases, and reference interview techniques.…”