2016 Charleston Library Conference

Are new students coming to your university ready to succeed or are they being overwhelmed by the college experience? Do faculty complain that they spend more time, with increasing frustration, providing basic research instruction to new students? Is your institution being challenged to increase 1st and 2nd year retention rates? In this "Out of the Box" session, two librarians from Arkansas State University (A-State) and Credo's Chief Content Officer will discuss their innovative collaboration in which A-State and Credo are working together to bring information literacy resources and instruction to local high schools in support of college readiness.

This session will cover a number of issues, including how the library engaged and garnered administration support, the challenge in establishing meaningful partnerships with local high schools, and developing and tracking the right metrics to validate progress. Topics of discussion will include ways in which the library can do more to enhance its strategic importance relative to administration goals; an overview of the established goals and how success will be tracked in areas including college preparedness, retention, graduation rates, GPA, and recruiting; and why this matters to the A-State Library. Participants of the session who have in place, or are trying to develop, similar programs will be encouraged to share their experiences and everyone is welcomed to provide feedback on the established goals.
Participants will gain new ideas on how to deepen faculty, administration, and community engagement while preparing students for college success, even before they arrive on a college campus.