It’s clear the constantly changing role of STEM librarians demands more active outreach to faculty and students. As the leading producer of video resources for scientific research and education, we have a vested interest in assisting librarians in their overall mission of sharing relevant content. We are especially excited when it comes to helping librarians in their outreach to their various audiences. In fact, we recently published a blog about what faculty interaction methods work best.
With our Librarian Travel Award, we’re excited to bring librarians together virtually (and in person) to share successful professional strategies. This fall, we are sending four global award-winners to attend the Charleston Library Conference, held in Charleston, South Carolina.
The entrants submitted essays describing their own successful strategies for collaboration with STEM faculty and students. We congratulate the winners, who are as follows:
- Lucie Tryoen, Electronic Resources Librarian, University of Evry-Val d'Essonne (France)
- Dorit Van-Moppes, Librarian of Natural and Engineering Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev (Israel)
- Jen Park, Assistant Librarian for Access and Outreach Services, Mount Saint Mary College (U.S.)
- Bertha Chang, Acting Associate Head of Collections & Research Strategy, North Carolina State University (U.S.)
We don’t want to keep all their interesting stories to ourselves, however. So, while at the conference, our winners will present their experiences and suggestions in this session:
“Library Outreach: International Perspectives on Successful Strategies”
Thursday, November 8
11:30 A.M. - 12:10 P.M.
How Winners View Outreach
Participants from 12 countries submitted high-quality applications, which were judged by members of the JoVE Library Advisory Board. The contest winners shared their enthusiasm about the upcoming outreach and collaboration with colleagues.
“Attending the Charleston Conference is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and points of view with people from all around the world on what it means to be a librarian in the 21st century,” states award-winner Lucie Tryoen. “In my opinion, university librarians should focus on outreach because a library without a public is pointless. We don't work for ourselves but for the university community we must serve.”
“As an academic librarian, I fully appreciate how difficult it can be to successfully implement ideas and initiatives on a college campus,” states another winner, Jen Park. “Sharing ideas, strategies (successful or otherwise), and concerns with librarians across the globe supports the librarianship profession holistically, as well as provides assistance to librarians individually.”
According to Dorit Van-Moppes: “The libraries of today are undergoing rapid professional and organizational changes. For me personally, the conference provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn about the new trends and innovations that are taking place in the current evolution of libraries around the world.”