The UX Office, in collaboration with the C-MACS committee, held our first 2016-2017 Fondren Library Student Ambassador meeting on Friday, September 2nd. Norie Guthrie, Amanda Thomas, and Debra Kolah facilitated the meeting. The Library Ambassador program was started by the UX Office in 2014, but became a funded program by the Executive Committee in the Spring of 2016. We currently have 7 student representatives from: Lovett, Brown, Baker, Sid Rich, the GSA, Will Rice, and Jones College.
Current ambassadors are recruiting students from the remaining unrepresented colleges. Students can sign up at: https://library.rice.edu/news/we-are-looking-fondren-library-student-ambassadors and the Feedback owlcard has a small blurb about the program.
The 2016 Fall issue of News from Fondren will include a brief story on the program, and include a photograph of the students. The Ambassadors will:
- Promote library events, classes and programs
- Participate in Fondren Library social media
- Attend library events
- Serve as an advisory group to the UX Office and to the CMACS committee.
The kick-off meeting on Friday, September 2nd, included conversations about the new student conference room (Room 156) which will be open soon, Labor Day hours, safety and signage in the library, and upcoming events. Students will receive a weekly email that they will share with their colleges. All of the ambassadors also received a small bag of Fondren promotional items.
Additionally, Kathy Weimer gave a brief tour of the Kelley Center for Government Information, Data and Geospatial Services, and talked about the GIS/Data Center. She also informed the students of two upcoming events: Constitution Day, on September 16th, and the Digital Frontiers Conference https://digital-frontiers.org/ on September 22nd-24rd. She encouraged them to come to the two keynote talks at the conference, which are free to attend. The students will help promote these events at their colleges, and make other students aware of the range of programs, events and classes that Fondren offers.
Future meetings will include tours of other departments, and help the students gain a deep understanding of the role of an academic library in the University. They will share feedback on their experience of the library, and gather feedback from their colleges that will help improve and develop library services.
Kathy Weimer gives tour to the Ambassadors.
Marketing items from Fondren Library.