What's Past Is Possible: Opportunities and Perspectives for Library Alumni Resources

Presentation at the 2017 Charleston Conference. Also included are survey results that are referenced in the presentation and was conducted in October 2017. The survey asked business librarians about alumni resources and services from the library.When considering the theme "What's Past is Prologue," there might not be a better application than to think of former students at our colleges and universities. As they venture off into the role of campus alumni, their information needs become complicated when they lose access to the wealth of electronic resources that are available at most campuses. Having resources at hand while a student is wonderful, but the grim reality of having little available to them upon graduation can be a bit of a let down. A growing number of colleges and universities are offering alumni a suite of electronic resources that are either bundled as part of their existing package, negotiated or purchased separately. The value to the vendor may be as an additional revenue line or exposure to a larger population. This might be especially true in business where the need for information and news resources is ongoing. The value to the library may be as a connection to a mission of lifelong learning that can partner with other aspects of the school. Even in a time of tight resource budgets, this can be a good investment by the library. Kresge Library Services (Michigan) and ProQuest are no strangers to alumni resources. Kresge Library Services (of the Ross School of Business) has long been providing resources to alumni and is featured as an key lifelong learning element of the school. ProQuest has provided a number of alumni packages to libraries over the years as well. In this presentation, we will hear from a library and a vendor in how they approach alumni researchers, resources and what opportunities they provide to these organizations.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139015/1/What's Past is Possible Charleston2017_Handouts.pptxhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139015/2/What's Past is Possible Charleston2017_Handouts.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139015/3/Qualtrics_AlumniServicesSurvey.pdfDescription of What's Past is Possible Charleston2017_Handouts.pptx : PowerPoint Slides (pptx)Description of What's Past is Possible Charleston2017_Handouts.pdf : Handout (3 slides per page - pdf)Description of Qualtrics_AlumniServicesSurvey.pdf : Survey Results - October 2017 Survey of Business Librarians about Alumni Service