Birkenhauer, Laura
crosbylm
Recent Submissions
Item Success on the Small-Scale: Non-Traditional Tours Targeting Students in Transition
Birkenhauer, LauraA Student Success Librarian outlines an unconventional approach to an academic library tour. In this newly adopted student-focused model, small-scale tours serve as a setting to share study tips for every style and space, seek to demystify the Libraries’ hidden curriculum, and offer support for student belonging and basic needs.Item Designing A Student-Centered Diversity Audit
Birkenhauer, LauraA Student Success Librarian outlines the steps of a small-scale diversity audit designed to be completed independently in part by a student employee. Resources detailing each phase of the process will be provided to attendees for review following the short presentation. Findings from an initial, limited audit of the print collection will be shared.Item Integrating Librarians into Campus Systems for Student Success
Birkenhauer, LauraA student success librarian discusses the value of a move to integrate librarians into campus-wide systems for student success, including the University’s Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (IPASS) system. Following a successful campaign for librarian inclusion, student success librarians now work in collaboration with campus partners and outreach to at-risk students in new ways. This presentation describes librarian use of technology tools including Navigate and Maxient to promote student success, as well as outcomes of and next steps for engagement efforts.Item Building Your Network
Birkenhauer, LauraSocial mixers and elevator pitches may be where your mind goes when you think about networking, but there are many ways to connect with others in libraries that fall outside of the conventional wisdom. The NMRT Online Discussion Committee asked members where they have been able to find meaningful connections with others in the community, and for tips for those brand new to libraries and NMRT for networking. Members shared the value of volunteer work and social media for making networking connections.Item Connecting Commuter and Military-Affiliated Students to Campus and Community
Birkenhauer, LauraA student success librarian describes two successful programs implemented during the 2021-2022 academic year targeting commuter and military-affiliated students. Each program was implemented in close partnership with relevant campus collaborators, including the commuter center, student government, student success center and others. Programs were designed to communicate the Libraries’ mission and values, introduce students to resources vital to their success, and strengthen students’ connections to campus and their respective communities.Item RecrEational REading: Reflections on a Digital Leisure Reading Pilot
Birkenhauer, LauraAfter initiating a shift in leisure reading purchasing from leased print titles to E-book and E-audio titles in response to the events of 2020, librarians reflect on a year of the pilot project: How was the collection change communicated and marketed to the campus community? What sticking points arose within the new workflow? Which digital titles and formats were popular with patrons? How did use of the digital collection fare in comparison to use of the remaining print titles? What’s next for the leisure reading collection? Poster additionally details titles purchased for and use of the grant funded, DEI-focused popular E-book collection, housed within the larger leisure reading collection.Item Student Health and Wellness and the Library
Birkenhauer, LauraThe COVID-19 pandemic made clear that student health and wellness is a priority for every area of campus, including the library. As students continued to struggle with stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns after returning to campus, a student success librarian launched two initiatives to offer as a supplement to already existing campus wellness services. This presentation will share details of both initiatives and offer outcomes from a full semester of implementation.Item Putting a Place to a Name: Connecting Sophomores to Campus
Birkenhauer, LauraWith campus offices closed to visitors and students studying remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, some first-year students ended the 2020-21 academic year without having ever set foot in the physical locations for important campus resources such as the library, tutoring office, diversity and inclusion center, career services and much more. With the resumption of pre-pandemic life on campus in fall 2021, how are campus resource centers, programs and offices engaging sophomore students? An opportunity to discuss experiences and ideas with others involved in outreach to sophomore students post-pandemic.Item Pandemic Proof Partnerships
Birkenhauer, LauraAn academic librarian discusses campus partnerships that continued despite the unexpected changes that have characterized the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a new partnership established during this time. Presentation details the adaptations made to existing programs and outcomes of these engagement efforts. Session also presents a successful, newly envisioned event planned with pandemic restrictions in mind.Item Cutting Through COVID-19 Communications Overload: Which Emails Engaged Personal Librarian Students?
Birkenhauer, Laura; Floyd, NateWhen the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a move to remote learning for many in early 2020, those employed in higher education turned to email as a primary method for communicating and remaining virtually connected with college students, inadvertently clogging inboxes and potentially leading some recipients to simply move all of that carefully crafted messaging to Trash. But, what’s getting clicks despite the continued clutter? Coordinators of an established Personal Librarian program designed around the concept of connecting students with a librarian through frequent email messaging look back at their email marketing platform and ask: What attracted attention immediately following the shift to virtual learning? What has continued to draw notice as the pandemic and its effects on higher education endure? From replies to open rates to click counts, what trends have appeared? And, most importantly, how can what has been learned during this period be applied long-term to continue to cut through the noise and encourage student engagement with library email outreach efforts?Item Discussions at a Distance: Autonomy in Asynchronous Course Assignments
Birkenhauer, LauraAfter instructing a typically in-person, first-year experience course in an asynchronous, online format for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this instructor sought student feedback on both the modes of discussion utilized and the level of student autonomy in discussion assignments in the course. This poster session will highlight a variety of methods for encouraging virtual discussion and will present feedback solicited through an online survey sent to all students enrolled in the course section.Item Building Your Brand and Communicating for Collaboration in a Brand New Role
Birkenhauer, LauraNewly created roles in libraries are an exciting opportunity, but can also be confusing: for colleagues, your campus and community. The confusion is only compounded when a position breaks with tradition or is built on emerging ideas in the field. How can you cultivate collaboration when you and others struggle to define your new duties? A Student Success Librarian speaks to the process of personal branding, crafting a communication plan and networking with coworkers and campus units in a brand new, nontraditional role in an academic library.Item Future Focused Outreach with Campus and Community Collaborations
Birkenhauer, LauraIn changing times, outreach efforts play a major role in meaningfully connecting users to the academic library of the 21st century. Collaborations, both on- and off-campus, are vital to the success of such endeavors. This session showcases a pair of popular, late night outreach events debuted and hosted by an academic librarian during the fall 2017 semester in partnership with university student support divisions and off-campus entities. Presentation highlights benefits of community and cross-campus collaboration, replicable event details, initial outcomes and plans for the future for each of the discussed outreach initiatives.Item Digital Wellness: Strategies for Supporting Student Well-Being Online
Birkenhauer, LauraWith 24/7 device access and frequent social media use proving problematic to the success of our students, this poster presents an argument for digital wellness instruction in libraries, potential campus collaborators for digital wellness initiatives, as well as a lesson plan and materials for teaching a workshop on the topic.Item Advisors as Allies: Connecting Libraries and Academic Advising
Birkenhauer, LauraNearly every college student is assigned to and familiar with how to communicate with their academic advisor; unfortunately, the same cannot be said for most students and their liaison librarian. Though librarians and academic advisors typically perform markedly different duties, both connect students with valuable information and act as mentors and guides. How can librarians build on the commonalities we have with our advising colleagues in order to better connect with students? How might librarians and advisors mutually support one another? This poster details an academic librarian’s work to forge connections with campus academic advisors in an effort to improve advisor awareness of library services and the role of librarians, focusing specifically on the development of an online training module for advisors about the library. This poster also describes successful and potential librarian-advisor collaborations, including a workshop series targeting undecided students and librarian involvement in the campus organization for advising staff.Item The University Library and Student Success: What's the Connection?
Birkenhauer, LauraThe Miami University Libraries recently hired for a new role: Student Success Librarian. While the emphasis on student engagement and success is nothing new for the Libraries, a frequently asked question remains: “What exactly does the library have to do with student success?” As this presentation seeks to demystify the connection, learn how the Libraries are collaborating with units across and off campus to support and engage Miami students. Presentation details effective initiatives and in-progress programs, and welcomes audience ideas and proposals for further partnerships.