Are you heavily involved with the first-year student experience, whether it be through teaching library instruction in the classroom or through assisting them with reference questions at the library itself? Are you looking to build long-term relationships with students over the course of their college careers, to ensure that the library will be an integral part of their academic success? Do you want the latest advice on collaborating with other departments on campus to increase the role that the library plays in shaping the overall college experience? Consider attending the second annual Personal Librarian & First Year Experience Library Conference. This year’s conference will take place from Thursday, May 12, to Friday, May 13, at Case Western Reserve University’s Kevin Smith Library in Cleveland, Ohio. The two-day event will consist of several keynote speakers or panel discussions, along with a number of concurrent sessions in various tracks. Registration, including meals, is $200. Last year’s conference was attended by more than 150 people, from 71 institutions in the U.S. and Canada.
The deadline for proposals has been extended to midnight on Sunday, February 7. Presentations may take the form of a 45-minute concurrent session, a 90-minute panel discussion, or a poster. Topics may focus on any part of the first-year experience or building relationships with students, from reaching out to underserved populations and building bonds with parents, to devising a marketing plan and collecting student testimonials.
For more information on the conference, including instructions for submitting a proposal, go here. Note that online registration should open later this month.