Reaching Out: Rethinking Outreach When No One Can Hear You (Scream)

OBJECTIVE Meeting faculty and students where they are is a challenge for libraries on any given day. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, library outreach took a drastic hit as campuses closed and users went remote. Traditional outreach often relies on serendipitous in-person interactions as users ask for assistance with resources and research. Revising systems to meet users at a distance during a time of upheaval is a challenge and an opportunity for librarians to rethink information sharing and instruction methods. METHODS All five locations of the South College Library closed in March 2020. While the Knoxville locations reopened within weeks with restricted access for students with technology needs, the Asheville, Nashville, and Atlanta locations were closed for months. Librarians working remotely and at restricted access campuses were required to rethink library outreach and instruction formats. Librarians began offering Zoom-based faculty training and created online orientation modules for each campus and academic program. In addition, the library increased use of a blog, new faculty welcome emails, and quarterly faculty and student newsletters to highlight resources and services accessible remotely. RESULTS Annual survey data indicates that new outreach methods helped to maintain faculty and student knowledge about library resources and services, while also indicating where improvements can be made. Zoom-based faculty offerings showed a marked increase in attendance over in-person sessions. Online orientation modules’ surveys indicate a higher rate of student participation than traditional in-person instruction. CONCLUSIONS Changing formats for library outreach and instruction was instrumental in allowing the South College Library to meet users’ needs in a suddenly fully remote environment. Even after most faculty and ground courses returned to all campuses, librarians continued to offer orientations and faculty in-services using web-based platforms due to increased participation by both user groups