Partner Event | The PASCAL Voices Series: Strengthening Library Services through Student Staff Engagement and Development

The PASCAL Voices Series highlights practical, peer-led approaches that enhance library services and deepen connections with campus communities. This one-hour session brings together two complementary lightning talks focused on strengthening the student staff experience as a strategy for improving service quality, operational efficiency, and student success.

This webinar will feature two 20-minute lightning talks followed by discussion and Q&A, giving participants an opportunity to exchange ideas, ask questions, and explore how these approaches might be adapted at their own institutions. Participants will leave with actionable, scalable strategies for engaging student staff as partners in delivering high-quality, student-centered library services.
 

Lightning Talks:

Innovating the Student Staff Experience to Elevate Your Library

Providing high-quality service is imperative for libraries to meet the needs of their stakeholders, and Student Staff play an invaluable role in meeting this goal. In this session, learn simple strategies that you can implement to enhance Student Staff training, build community among Student Staff, and ultimately raise the level of service for your patrons. These strategies are currently used with our Student Staff in the Learning Commons at Clemson Libraries, and they can be scaled to meet the diverse needs of your library's Student Staff.

Some of the strategies that will be discussed include:

• Building community through food, job titles, celebrations, and check-ins
• Enhance training through field trips, coaching, projects, and feedback

Presenters: Jessica Kohout-Tailor, Undergraduate Experience Librarian & Learning Commons Director, and Tyler Commons, Learning Commons Manager, Clemson Libraries

Elevating the Student Experience: Optimizing Student Worker Management at the Access Services Hub

Operating the demanding Access Services Hub requires librarians and staff to balance core responsibilities with the vital task of supervising student workers. This lightning talk addresses the critical challenge of elevating the student experience—ensuring meaningful development and engagement—while maintaining operational excellence at a high-volume service point. We will explore practical strategies for optimizing student worker management to alleviate the workload pressures associated with managing diverse duties.

This includes innovative approaches for moving beyond simple transactions by focusing on cross-training, a scaffolded, competency-based model, and workflow design that empowers student staff ownership and develops essential workplace skills. Attendees will gain actionable insights on scheduling optimization for peak times, developing student leadership, and implementing effective performance assessment methods to strengthen both service quality and student learning outcomes.

Presenter: Faith Rankin, Circulation Services and Resource Sharing Librarian, Tri-County Technical College

More Information

This webinar is made available to you via Minitex's membership in the Professional Development Alliance of Consortia and will be hosted by Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries (PASCAL). Following your registration, you will receive further details regarding your attendance directly from PASCAL. For further information, please contact ejenkinson@pascalsc.org.