The Distinctive Populations reboot team was tasked with evaluating current and potential instructional opportunities with student populations such as first-generation college students, adult learners and veterans, change of campus and transfer students, international students, and multicultural students. We chose to use the term “distinctive populations” to describe diverse groups of students because it is the term used in the Association of Research Libraries’ 2018 Research Library Impact Framework.

Because we already have strong relationships with many relevant groups on campus, we created a document mapping our existing partnerships, activities, and contacts with the groups we identified. We collected a variety of institutional data on these populations, and benchmarked with other institutions by exploring the published research related to the role of the library in reaching these students groups. Findings from our benchmarking research are outlined in our literature review document.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, our research led us to identify veterans as a target population for our reboot work. Our team also identified the Comprehensive Studies Program hosted by the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) and the Equity Scholars Program as potential partners. Students in all three of these groups take a specific course on transitioning to college life, providing the Libraries a natural opportunity for integration.

We contacted key stakeholders within the identified groups to begin conversations about what form library integration with these programs could take, and collected syllabi for the required courses for each group. To facilitate future discussions, we developed a document outlining our instructional activities, such as library escape rooms, that can be used with classes and groups that don’t have a specific research assignment.

Based on our research and conversations with stakeholders, we compiled a list of recommendations for future initiatives with the identified groups.

• Participate in Military Appreciation activities, which most often occur in November, by seeking representation on the planning committee, working with the Office of Veterans Programs on veterans-focused library displays, and/or developing and/or hosting a veterans-focused program.
• Convert one group study room within Pattee and Paterno Libraries into a veteran-designated group study space.
• Pilot the development of a Personal Librarian program to both the Veterans First-Year Seminar and the First Year Veterans Special Living Options.
• Build a veterans-focused collection for the new Veterans Resource Center at University Park (through the Leisure Reading program), and locate the materials within the new center.
• In Fall 2019 pilot some form of library involvement in the required courses for veterans, the Comprehensive Studies Program, and the Equity Scholars program. Options include an escape room or scavenger hunt activity, a customized interactive workshop designed to introduce students to library services and resources, a personal librarian program, or collaborating with the instructor on the development of a research assignment.
• Customize activities for these groups (and other distinctive population groups) to highlight the Libraries’ multicultural resources as a way to reflect the cultural background of the students.
• Conduct an assessment of new instructional initiatives with distinctive populations piloted in Fall 2019.

Questions and comments on our team’s work are welcome and can be sent to Dawn Amsberry at dua4@psu.edu.

The Distinctive Populations team has begun delving into research on several key student populations on campus. We have collected a variety of institutional data on these populations, and begun benchmarking with other institutions by exploring the published research related to the role of the library in supporting these students groups.

Because student veterans are a priority for both the university and the Libraries, we have identified veterans as a target population for our reboot work. According to a January 2019 article in Penn State News, Penn State has joined 30 other higher education institutions in a commitment to graduating more military veterans as a part of the American Talent Initiative (ATI). Penn State has also begun planning a new 6,300-square-foot Student Veteran Center on the University Park campus. In the Libraries, creating welcoming spaces for veterans is a recommendation in the STEM Visioning 2018 report, a document that outlines plans’ to “explore opportunities to collaborate and shape forward-looking services” within STEM libraries.

Through our research into student veterans at Penn State, we discovered that first-year undergraduates with veteran status may enroll in a Veteran’s First Year seminar course, and are eligible for a special living option that helps them transition to college with others sharing a similar experience. Our reboot team is exploring ways to connect the Libraries with these programs for student veterans.

Our team has also identified other potential partners for future collaboration, including the Comprehensive Studies Program hosted by the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) and the Equity Scholars Program. Both these programs help students who are Pennsylvania residents and who may be first-generation college goers successfully navigate the college experience.

Our next steps are to begin conversations with key partners within the groups we’ve identified and to develop ideas for what our involvement with the programs will look like, with the goal of piloting a workshop or other form of engagement with at least one program in Fall 2019.

Many thanks to team members Megan, Hailley, Anne and Amy for all their work so far.

One of the strategic areas for the Library Learning Services instruction reboot is assessing opportunities for working with distinctive populations. The team charged with this task has begun work on evaluating our current landscape for instructional initiatives with these student populations. Team members are Dawn Amsberry, Anne Behler, Hailley Fargo, Megan Gilpin, and Amy White.

Our goals for the semester include:

• Examine our current instructional landscape and identify existing partnerships and activities with distinctive populations.
• Identify and contact new potential instructional partnerships.
• Prioritize existing and potential instructional activities.
• Develop plans for an integration into a program or class for one or more distinctive population groups by Fall 2019.

Our first step was to identify specific target populations, including first-generation college students, adult learners and veterans, change of campus and transfer students, international students, and multicultural students. To accomplish our first goal, we’ve begun work on mapping our existing partnerships, activities, and contacts with these groups. We already have strong relationships with many relevant groups on campus, and will be looking at the potential for expanding those partnerships into more formalized instructional activities.

We’ve also begun to delve into the research on distinctive populations in libraries and higher education. The existing research will inform our work as we move forward, and give us insight into best practices for working with the student populations we have identified.

Questions and comments about our group’s work are welcome and can be sent to Dawn Amsberry at dua4@psu.edu.