F11: Creating Community at 2am: Lessons Learned from a Long Night
Session Description
Generously Sponsored By: Simon Fraser University Library
In organizing our first Long Night against Procrastination with campus partners, the TRU Library was attempting to hold an unorthodox event that not only created a sense of campus community, but one that supported students’ academic success. We were not expecting a huge turnout; instead we saw 200 students working on research essays and group projects at midnight. This success was seen again when the event was repeated, giving us overwhelming evidence that students were needing a supportive, collaborative environment in which to work on research assignments outside of regular service hours.
In this session, we will discuss our goals for creating a supportive community of writers, and the logistics of running the event, including creative staffing solutions, budgets, and marketing. Librarian perspectives will be heard, as will those of our partners from Student Services and the campus Writing Centre. We will share what our event looked like, from the workshop content to the snacks and wellness events, and explore how such an event could be scalable for institutions looking to hold a similarly student-centric event with fewer resources.
We will share results from participant surveys and open the floor for discussion. It appears that we created a “new” space for our students simply by opening our existing library spaces up in an unexpected way, and are curious about similar experiences other institutions may have encountered.
Speakers
Elizabeth Rennie, Thompson Rivers University
Biography
Elizabeth Rennie has been the Instruction & Outreach Librarian at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops since 2009; from 2002-09 she was the TRU Williams Lake Campus Librarian. She holds a MLS from Syracuse University. She coordinates library instruction, does liaison work with University Preparation, Biology, Natural Resource Sciences, and ESAL, and gets to oversee the library’s outreach initiatives, which she views as “the fun stuff.”
Kathy Gaynor, Thompson Rivers University
Biography
Kathy Gaynor, Scholarly Communications Librarian, joined Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in 1999. Prior to TRU, Ms. Gaynor served a Campus Librarian at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Ms. Gaynor holds a B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan and a MLIS from McGill University (’96). Ms. Gaynor has held many positions at TRU, serving as Access Services Librarian, Information Services Librarian, and Interim University Library Director.
Sara Wolfe, Thompson Rivers University
Biography
Sara Wolfe, Manager of Student Services, joined Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in 2011 as an English as a Second/ Additional Language instructor and worked as the Writing Centre Coordinator from 2012-2015. Prior to TRU, Ms. Wolfe lived and taught in China for 12 years at a British Columbia Offshore Secondary School in Dalian, Liaoning. Sara holds a BA, BEd, and MEd from the University of British Columbia and a TESL Certificate from TRU. In Ms. Wolfe’s new role as Manager of Student Services, she is able to follow her passion for academic supports and peer mentor programs.