It is easy to get wrapped up in life within the library and forget about the rest of campus.
That is why joining in on groups and committees in our academic community is so important.
That can be difficult when your schedule is packed or you are more of an introvert or you simply dread being stuck in another meeting. A recent meeting of CAST (Campus Administrative Support Team) turned out to be the perfect place to meet representatives from other departments.
This will go far trying in forming partnerships with other schools in our university.
Forming these relationships makes the entire campus better. It creates a cohesive environment and fosters friendships and a willingness to help others out. That is something that can be lost if we only ever stay in our building.
Alyssa Campbell, a MSc Candidate at The London School of Economics and Political Science, believes that "in-person, informal and unstructured interactions can be one of the most powerful means to forge connections, solidify relationships, and build trust...Informal interactions allow for impromptu conversations that, when added together, can lead to large-scale changes and insights."
These insights are important as professionals in most fields are becoming more and more specialized in their areas. Northwestern University's Benjamin Jones, a strategy professor at the Kellogg School, says, “There’s more and more to know in the world, and you can only have so much in your head... So the share of stuff you know as an individual is declining in any field.” This means collaboration is growing in importance in today's work places.
This also creates a need for collarorative spaces -- like libraries. Makerspaces have become collaborative spaces within collaborative spaces. (A little meta, I know.) The truth is, though, college students need encouragement and space to collaborate.
It is easy for science majors to only visit science buildings and English or art majors to only stay in humanities. The library is one of the few places on campus where they all join together. Focusing on that when we bring in student creative work to display and exhibit helps create a more cohesive school and a sense of community for our students, enhancing their college experience.
And sometimes it is just nice to have someone show off your work to.
#librarylife #academiclibrary #university #displays #communityengagement #communityawareness #studentlife #librarydisplays #exhibits
References
Campbell, Alyssa. (19 November 2015). Four Lessons on Relationships, Trust and Shared Learning in Cohorts. Living Cities. Retrieved from https://www.livingcities.org/blog/994-four-lessons-on-relationships-trust-and-shared-learning-in-cohorts.
Jones, Benjamin. (6 September 2017). The Science Behind the Growing Importance of Collaboration. Kellogg Insight. Retrieved from https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/the-science-behind-the-growing-importance-of-collaboration.
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