USU Library launches new Meet with a Librarian webpage
The Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library has recently remodeled their Meet with a Librarian webpage.
The idea behind the website is to allow any university student struggling with research to get in contact with a librarian. There are librarians for every subject and discipline that work to help students use the resources available to them.
Britt Fagerheim, the interim associate dean of public service, said the website remodel is primarily to make it more accessible for students.
“If you want to meet with someone you can just send in a request form,” she said, “and we’ll get you connected with the right person.”
The interim head of collection development and subject librarian for political science and economics Robert Heaton said the website is very simple to use.
“You can type in economics and it pulls up the librarian for economics,” he said, “We’re all happy to help students with whatever they need.”
Fagerheim said it’s possible to set up meetings not only in person, but online, using email or video chatting.
“Email is good for quick things,” Heaton said, “but if it’s more in-depth, meeting face-to-face can be more helpful.”
Dylan Burns, the digital scholarship librarian and subject librarian for language, philosophy, and communications, said chat is the most commonly used form of communication.
“We always have someone at the desk downstairs,” Burns said, “you can even call us on the phone.”
The Meet with a Librarian program has been in place since the summer 2014 and has slowly developed since then. It was originally called Book a Librarian.
The program was created in order to help students find the librarians who can help them with specific subjects. It’s a simple way for students to get to the resources they need when it fits into their schedule.
“I’m the newest person here. I’ve only been here for about six or seven months,” Burns said. “USU was really appealing to me because I came from a library that prided itself on number of books opposed to number of students helped, so it was a really good fit for that. I was really excited to come here. I love Utah State.”
Both Fagerheim and Heaton completed their Master’s Degrees at Utah State.
“I started working here shortly after finishing my Master’s,” Heaton said, “and have found that the institution is the right size for us in the library to be involved with so many different things as well as the students.”
Every librarian in the Merrill Cazier Library is responsible for many different jobs. The most important focus for all of them, however, is helping the students at USU with whatever they may need.
“It’s nice when we can be there right when students need to get their research projects done,” Heaton said.
The library has been working hard to get more things online as well. They have even recently created a Tumblr account for the library.
“I’m a rare book person working in the digital realm,” said Burns “and my favorite part of my job is to take these treasures from special collections and tell their story through our digital exhibits and archives.”
Fagerheim said that the online facet of the program is pointed mostly toward online and regional campus students.
“We help all our resources be available to students everywhere,” she said, “The library is really committed to not only the students in Logan, but the distant students as well.”
There are more than 20 librarians involved in the program who are available to help students with research.
“I think that’s something really special about Utah State,” Burns said, “the fact that there is a librarian for every topic. There’s always a librarian to help. The more we can connect with our students, the better.”
Fagerheim said one of her favorite parts of being a librarian here is the connections she makes with the students.
“I’ll go to the grocery store and the students working there will be like ‘oh I know you. You taught my class.” she said.
As much as she teaches the students, she feels like she receives back.
“I learn about cool things from them,” she said, “like that app where you take a picture of two people and you can morph their faces. It’s so great!”
Heaton said the moments he enjoys the most are simply when he can really help a student find the research he or she needs.
“I live for those moments,” he said, “when a student says ‘this is exactly what I needed.’”
Another way the library is trying to help students is through use of the Overdrive app. This app gives USU students access to popular reading in the form of audiobooks and ebooks.
“We want to support our students being literate and having fun books to read,” said Heaton, “We don’t always just send them to a boring textbook.”
— savannah.lund@aggiemail.usu.edu
@savannah_lund