Transforming student “library work” to “real world” learning experiences

The COVID pandemic turned our world upside down. Graduating high school seniors and early-career college students lost as many as two years of normalcy and are still trying to catch up. Key social and professional skills must be intentionally mentored to ensure career readiness after four short years at the undergraduate level. The University of Rochester’s libraries are investing in experiential learning opportunities to be sure that our students have solid work experience behind them and can clearly and professionally communicate what they offer future employers. We aim to make them post-COVID career ready.

Presenters will share two models of experiential learning opportunities - one that leverages a student worker experience to enhance library services (e.g., peer-to-peer library orientation services, space redesign) and another that relies on students’ academic skills (e.g., digital media, data analysis, art curation) to move library projects forward. In both scenarios, librarians guide students through research-based project work; the first model leans heavily into qualitative research methodologies and project management training, and the second focuses on professional mentoring in collaboration with our career and alumni offices. Issues discussed include leadership vs management, diversity in the workplace, organizational workplace culture, stakeholder engagement, professional networking, and resume and cover letter preparation/customization.

Through activity-based reflection, session participants will consider the current state of student employment at their libraries and envision how they can move students from transactional jobs to transformational experiences.

Presenters include the programs’ manager, an Experiential Librarian whose position was created for these strategic efforts, and students representing the two different programs.