2020 Poster Sessions
Students at the Forefront:
Integrating a Student Staffed Reference Desk into an Academic Library’s Learning Commons

 

 

Intended Audience

Academic Libraries, Media Center/School Libraries, Library Leadership
 

Poster Summary and Objectives

Beginning in 2014, an academic research library has formed relationships with campus partners to advance the University’s goals for teaching, learning and research. By bringing these partners into one place, the library created a new information ecosystem in which students can explore and thrive, utilizing resources to become self-directed, lifelong learners. These new relationships expanded into a Learning Commons located in the university’s main Library, integrating key strategic services central to student academic success.

Technology, expert help and collaborative spaces underpin this new ecosystem, allowing peer-to-peer learning to take root and grow. One of the key programs in the Learning Commons is a peer-to-peer research consultation service. The Peer Research Consultant program modernizes and replaces the traditional reference desk model with one where Peer Research Consultants (PRCs) help students with basic research needs. The Peer Research Consultant team is comprised of seven undergraduate and graduate students from wide-ranging majors, including biochemistry, philosophy, business and environmental policy. Though the PRC’s do not have the same depth of disciplinary knowledge as a subject librarian, they are familiar faces who have taken many of the same classes as students who are seeking research assistance, allowing them to be leaders and guides in the research process.

This poster will illustrate the logistics of implementing the PRC program in the Learning Commons as well as describe the training and assessment processes PRCs go through to provide effective research assistance to students. The poster will also describe the role of the librarian supervising the program, the process of designing and managing the PRCs, and the process of mentoring Peer Research Consultants as they progress through their academic careers.


Presenter

Lauren Fralinger- University of Miami Libraries

  • As the manager of the Peer Research Consultant program, I have been responsible for the creation, implementation and ongoing supervision of the Peer Research Consultant program at an academic university’s Learning Commons since the beginning of the program in 2016. I am also a member of the library’s Learning Commons Partners Group, which oversees the functionality and efficacy of the library’s Learning Commons.