Community Outreach and Engagement in a Time of Crisis: The Peer Research Consultants Program

The Peer Research Consultants (PRC) program at the University of Miami Libraries (UML), was formed in 2016 as part of the Learning Commons initiative to collocate and centralize academic services at Richter Library. Although the program had a virtual component in the form of chat and phone services when founded, it was primarily a physical setup where library student workers assisted researchers using a peer-to-peer system. In this paper, we highlight the historical trajectory of the peer research consultant (PRC) program in academic libraries using Richter Library as a case study. We argue that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 provided an opportunity to redefine the program when it shifted entirely to a virtual modality. The shift to online services gave PRC’s the opportunity to collaborate in-depth with library faculty and staff to support new outreach programs and community initiatives. In this paper, we highlight several examples whereby PRC’s collaborative efforts resulted in research guides that offered links to families during lockdown, provided resources on racial justice initiatives, and combatted misinformation. In so doing, we conclude that the PRC program has strengthened the Libraries’ visibility and ties to the university community, incorporated emerging trends in diversity, equity and inclusion, and provided trustworthy information during a time of crisis. We then offer future directions where library programs such as the PRC, can be leveraged for campus and community engagement