INDISPENSABLE: a library’s one stone strategy to improve graduate student research skills, meet faculty research demands and contribute to graduate student retention
At Pace University and other master and doctoral universities and colleges, Graduate Students are not usually among the systematically targeted. In the fall of 2016, I undertook to specifically target Graduate Assistants (GA’s) working for faculty in research assistantships. Securing an academic assistantship is a coveted and competitive endeavor, but if the GA does not have the required research skills they can be out after only one semester. While being aware of university retention goals and the gap between GA research skills and faculty research demands, I started a pilot project of creating GA research workshops based on the specific needs of an academic department. My presentation will focus on the variety, number and content of GA research workshops taught, tips for partnering with academic assistant deans, staff and faculty and systems for creating measurable outcomes that make the role of the library indispensable in the minds of graduate students and faculty. This is just one example of a controlled targeted program to support graduate students AND faculty. Time permitting, this session could include a pair and share activity for participants to talk about the likelihood of instituting a similar program in their libraries and what they imagine the pitfalls or progress to be
