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Last week, as part of my responsibilities as an Instruction and Outreach Librarian at ZSR, I was planning a variety of outreach events for Spring 2015. As I planned these events, I realized that many of these events happen away from ZSR or after hours, and I thought it might be worthwhile to take a minute and post about some of my favorite events! Most everyone at ZSR knows about events like “Capture the Flag” and “Humans v Zombies,” but you may not know about many of the other programs. For example, we do a brief session with the new students and transfer students who are starting at WFU mid-year. Just yesterday I met with seven new students, introducing them to ZSR, the Library website, and personal research sessions, making sure they were aware of the services at ZSR designed to help them succeed! We also work with local students in the International Baccalaureate (along with Bobbie Collins and Meghan Webb, shout out to them both for leading this charge!) Each semester I schedule session a session with the LGBTQ Center on campus to host one of their Thursday afternoon “Coffee Hours” (thanks to Angela Mazaris and Rob Powell) and talk about research resources. I do the same with the Office of Multicultural Affairs (thanks to Wesley Harris, Celina Alexander, and Darlene Starnes) and attend one of their weekly “Friday Morning Breakfasts” reminding students that the ZSR Library is there to help with research assistance and other services. Additionally, I team up with Faculty Fellows in the Residence Halls and attend “Drop-in Research Sessions” in some of the first-year residence halls! I’ll also be participating in a Wake Alternative Break over Spring Break 2015, traveling with a group of students and working the DC Central Kitchen (the model for the Campus Kitchen.) This trip is along the same lines as the South Course from a few years ago where our own Susan Smith and Lynn Sutton were embedded librarians.

As you can see from these examples, at ZSR we all do outreach everyday, it’s just the nature of librarianship in an academic library, so if you have any outreach ideas, please pass them along! I’m always open to new ideas and happy to collaborate! Some of the best outreach ideas have come from my fellow librarians! (Wanda Brown connected me with OMA several years ago to start that outreach event!) It was our former student assistant, John Walsh, who came to ZSR with the idea for “Humans v Zombies” as an outreach event!

Onward! (And thanks!)