Chapter 12 - Building Partnerships for Better Library Orientations

Abstract

In 2014, librarians at University of California, San Diego teamed up with the fledgling First-Year Experience (FYE) Program to reenvision the traditional library orientation offered to new students. The orientation module designed for the FYE Program did not include database instruction because there was no research assignment included in the courses; therefore, a more general learning objective was identified: introducing students to library resources, services, and locations. The module included a brief in-class presentation about library resources given during the lecture and an interactive mobile library scavenger hunt. Each segment of the module was designed to both introduce students to and increase their comfort with the library in a fun and engaging way. This chapter discusses the three-year evolution of the partnership between the Library and the FYE Program and offers best practices for librarians who might wish to develop a similar partnership and/or orientation module on their campus.