Planning Library Orientations

The number of international students studying in the United States continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing (“Open Doors 2016 Executive Summary,” n.d.). American universities, including academic libraries, are striving to better serve this population and paving the way for innovative partnerships and outreach programs. Although located in the United Arab Emirates, New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Library is no different, with a vast majority of students coming from countries around the world. To better orient these diverse students to the academic library, the NYUAD Library created an innovative, evidence-based orientation program focused on campus collaboration, staff training, assessment, cultural awareness, and library instruction. Our goal, like many libraries, is to better orient our students to the academic library