| By Gale Staff |
From new technologies to budget constraints, community colleges face constantly evolving academic landscapes. How can you maximize your library’s impact in the face of ongoing challenges? Implement practical strategies to stay adaptable and resourceful.
In our latest American Libraries live webinar, three experts shared their personal experiences adapting, transforming, and maximizing their community college library. Discover how you can implement their tips for enhancing library services, collaborating with faculty, and making informed financial decisions.
Meet the Panelists:
- Brady Cross, Associate Librarian for Collections, Resource Sharing, and Technical Services at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, South Carolina
- Alisha Webb, Instructional Librarian at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Luke Mosher, Faculty Librarian in Reference, Instruction, and Acquisitions at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota
“In community colleges, we wear many hats. The key is finding ways to work smarter, not harder.” — Brady Cross, Tri-County Technical College
1. Leverage Technology to Improve Access & Discovery
The first step in maximizing your library’s impact is ensuring that students and faculty are finding and using your resources. Leverage digital tools, including those with new AI features, to improve discovery, simplify research, and enhance student experiences.
For example, Luke Mosher uses tools like Niche Academy to share database tutorial videos directly on his institution’s website and LibKey Nomad to help students quickly access full-text articles.
When it comes to AI, Brady Cross discussed the importance of vetting new technology before rolling it out to students. Ensure sure your team has experience using the platforms and incorporating them into the classroom to help students and faculty use them effectively.
User-friendly resources like Gale Research Complete help provide seamless research experiences backed by AI-powered discovery tools. These features allow students and faculty to search across extensive academic content covering nearly every research area and discipline in just one platform to find the information they need.
2. Strengthen Faculty Relationships & Collaboration
Making positive impacts across campus requires understanding the varied needs of students and faculty. By serving as an instructional partner rather than simply a resource provider, you can deliver resources that serve your institution’s goals and more accurately track which tools are most impactful.
Alisha Webb emphasized that collaboration with faculty starts with listening to their concerns and finding solutions to challenges together. “Before suggesting resources, I ask faculty: ‘What’s frustrating you about student research?’ That opens the door to meaningful collaboration,” she recommends.
Working directly with students can also give you key insights into the impacts of your library’s resources. Start by customizing library instruction sessions to specific assignments to improve student engagement and research outcomes. For example, with the Gale Research Complete cross-search, you can easily show students how to find a wide range of content types, including journals, magazines, news, eBooks, primary sources, and more, in a single set of search results to complete their assignments.
3. Implement Affordable Learning Initiatives Like OER
Maximize your budget and help minimize student expenses by leveraging cost-effective resources. Encourage faculty to incorporate more online materials, like eBooks, which offer unlimited user rights and access for a fraction of the cost of printed texts.
Normandale Community College Library helps reduce textbook costs by offering Z-Degree programs. Instead of requiring printed textbooks, instructors choose library-licensed eBooks as low-cost and no-cost alternatives. “Z-Degrees change the game,” says Luke Mosher, “Students complete degrees without spending a dime on textbooks.”
If you’re looking for cost-effective learning solutions, try Gale eBooks. Each title on Gale eBooks is a onetime purchase, allowing you to provide lifetime access to digital textbooks that students can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Plus, Gale eBooks offers unlimited, simultaneous access to titles, eliminating the need for checkouts and holds.
4. Demonstrate Your Library’s Value by Measuring Impact
How does your library currently assess the value of your services and resources? Ensure you have established strategies to measure your impact across campus. These assessments can range from quantitative usage analyses to qualitative feedback from students and faculty.
For example, when measuring research instruction effectiveness, our panelists take different approaches. While Alisha Webb has informal check-ins with faculty members to get feedback about library sessions, Luke Mosher analyzes pass rates in classes with library instruction versus those without.
Usage reporting can help provide a clear picture of the value of your library’s resources. Measuring usage data is particularly easy with interactive usage reporting for Gale’s digital tools.
5. Stretch Your Budget with Strategic Resource Investments
One of the biggest hurdles community college libraries face is limited budgets. Overcome financial constraints by choosing resources that offer the most value and flexibility while meeting student and faculty needs.
Panelists highlighted multiple tips to invest strategically. First, align purchases with curriculum needs by focusing on student and faculty priorities. Request ongoing feedback to ensure every dollar spent directly enhances learning outcomes.
Next, invest in comprehensive digital resources that offer unlimited user access, such as Gale Research Complete. This cost-effective, all-in-one solution helps you provide cross-disciplinary digital resources to support research, learning, and instruction campus-wide while maximizing your budget.
Lastly, maintain strong relationships with vendors and sales reps to stay informed about special offers, bundles, and discounts.
Ready to Maximize Your Library’s Impact?
Transforming the impact of your community college library starts with implementing strategic initiatives to leverage technology, faculty partnerships, affordable learning solutions, value assessments, and budget-friendly resources.
If you’re looking for accessible digital solutions to expand your library’s impact, explore Gale resources for community colleges. For tailored resource recommendations to fit your library’s challenges, connect with your Gale representative.
