PROMIG Snapshots of Success
This online event features lightning talks highlighting PROMIG member success stories in programming, outreach, and marketing.
Schedule
1:00 – 1:02 PM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:02 – 1:09 PM
Bringing Geology and Early Science Literacy to Preschool Classrooms with Storytime and Show & Tell
Kristen Adams and Gordon Adams
7-minute lightning talk
1:11 – 1:18 PM
Rooting for You: Nurturing Student Wellness One Plant at a Time
Katie Maxfield
7-minute lightning talk
1:20 – 1:27 PM
Student Showcases: Demonstrating Success by Centering Students
Miriam Intrator
7-minute lightning talk
1:29 – 1:44 PM
Revamp and Reignite: Transforming Our Library's Curriculum and Juvenile Books Collection
Diane Kolosionek, Mandi Goodsett, and Hanna Bernstein
15-minute lightning talk
1:46 – 1:53 PM
Stories That Resonate: Shining a Light on the Community through Programming
Gerald Natal
7-minute lightning talk
1:55 – 2:10 PM
Banned Books Week: A Model for Successful Outreach
Jennifer Casteen
15-minute lightning talk
2:12 – 2:19 PM
Games at the Library!: Turning a Pastime into a Successful Event That Is Fun for Both Students and Library Staff
Cara Calabrese
7-minute lightning talk
2:19 – 2:30 PM
Q&A and Closing Remarks
Session Information
Bringing Geology and Early Science Literacy to Preschool Classrooms with Storytime and Show & Tell: A Collaboration Between a Librarian and a Geologist
Kristen Adams (Science & Engineering Librarian, Miami University Libraries) and Gordon Adams (Education Coordinator, Oxford Presbyterian Church)
A two-person team, a STEM librarian with a background in geology, and a freelance geologist, share a long history of doing geology outreach events for the public, including at a natural history museum and the public library. With time comes experience in discovering what works and what doesn’t for drop-in events or table sessions with the public, including very young audiences. However, visiting a school classroom was new; recently the team visited two preschools, one in the local school district and in a church, with students aged 3–6. All sessions had a story about rocks followed by a show and tell of rock, mineral and fossil specimens. The kids and teachers absolutely loved it, and have either already made a repeat visit, or have plans to. This is success in many ways. First, it fosters lifelong learning and curiosity, as it introduces rocks and fossils they might see in a museum, and not all kids have the opportunity to go to museums. In these visits, they get hands-on experiences and much of the show and tell is driven by their questions or observations. Second, it builds goodwill in the community to have the university library visit a very young audience, and is valuable especially to smaller preschools who don’t have the opportunity to bring in special guests. For the outreach team, it’s beneficial to stretch communication skills, and to talk about concepts and things to a general audience, and to kids.
Rooting for You: Nurturing Student Wellness One Plant at a Time
Katie Maxfield (Digital Initiatives Librarian, Wittenberg University)
What happens when a library full of thriving plants meets a campus-wide call for student engagement? At Wittenberg University’s Thomas Library, the result was “Rooting for You”—a wildly popular “adopt-a-plant” wellness event now heading into its third year. Designed to foster a sense of belonging during the crucial first six weeks of the semester, this event invites students to adopt a propagated or donated plant, pick up easy plant care instructions, and connect with campus wellness resources. With generous contributions from faculty and staff, collaborations with campus partners like Tiger Counseling and Weaver Chapel, and a spotlight on our circulating wellness collection, “Rooting for You” has grown far beyond our early expectations. What started as a creative way to manage our overgrown plants has blossomed into a signature event that students look forward to each fall. This lightning talk will highlight how we cultivated this program with minimal cost, meaningful partnerships, and a lot of enthusiasm. You’ll leave with tips for how you can plant the seeds of a similar event at your campus – and see how a little greenery can go a long way toward helping students feel rooted in their campus community.
Student Showcases: Demonstrating Success by Centering Students
Miriam Intrator (Head of Archives & Special Collections and Rare Book Librarian, Ohio University)
This past academic year, Ohio University’s Archives & Special Collections and Digital Initiatives had success experimenting with a new type of event—holding a Student Showcase during both the fall and spring semesters. Each was timed to coincide with student-curated exhibit openings as well as with important moments in the university’s calendar (the start of a new academic year and Founders’ Day, respectively). In this lightning talk I will briefly describe and share photos from both events, review what we learned during fall semester to improve during spring, as well as what led us to decide to move forward with an annual Spring Student Showcase. I will cover the various interactive elements of the event, discuss student engagement and response, and explain how such an event could be relevant to any department or unit that employs or works with students.
Revamp and Reignite: Transforming Our Library's Curriculum and Juvenile Books Collection
Diane Kolosionek (Head, Research & Liaison Services, Cleveland State University), Mandi Goodsett (Performing Arts & Humanities Librarian; OER & Copyright Advisor, Cleveland State University), and Hanna Bernstein (Student Intern, Kent State University)
Curriculum materials and juvenile books are essential in an academic library for teacher education students as they provide future educators with diverse and comprehensive resources to develop effective teaching strategies and to create stimulating learning environments for their classrooms. Sadly, our library’s once vibrant curriculum and juvenile books collection has become dusty and underutilized in recent years. Due to budget cuts, we could not purchase new items for the collection, which unsurprisingly led to declining usage of increasingly outdated books and other materials. The area on the library’s third floor where the collection resides is no longer staffed because library services have been consolidated on the first floor. The Education Librarian was seriously considering dismantling the collection and moving items to the stacks. However, she changed her mind this spring semester when two library interns unexpectedly exhibited infectious energy and enthusiasm for refreshing the languishing collection, giving her the inspiration she needed. In this lightning talk, learn how two librarians and two library interns successfully collaborated on this revitalization project. Hear about our plans and the progress we have made so far to reinvigorate the collection, including conducting a review of existing curriculum materials and juvenile books; gathering feedback from teacher education students and faculty to understand their needs and preferences; and conducting outreach to promote the collection and increase engagement with the materials.
Banned Books Week: A Model for Successful Outreach
Jennifer Casteen (Reference and Instruction Librarian, Columbus State Community College)
Our Banned Books Week outreach regularly attracts 100+ students. Our approach to the event could be used as a template for events at other institutions on a variety of topics. In addition to info about the event itself, I’ll share details about promotion and gathering feedback.
Stories That Resonate: Shining a Light on the Community through Programming
Gerald Natal (Health and Human Services Librarian, The University of Toledo)
Academic libraries often invite the broader public to attend lectures, exhibits, and events designed primarily for campus audiences. But what happens when the community becomes the source, not just the guest? This lightning talk explores how one university library harnesses the power of local storytelling and artistic expression to build meaningful connections between the academic and surrounding communities—creating shared spaces for learning, dialogue, and discovery.
Games at the Library!: Turning a Pastime into a Successful Event That Is Fun for Both Students and Library Staff
Cara Calabrese (Acquisitions & Access Librarian, Miami University Libraries)
Library Game Nights have become one of the most successful event series at our library, sometimes attracting up to 200 attendees. What began with passionate staff has grown through strategic partnerships, enticing incentives like food and prizes, creative branding, and student-centered planning. We have created logos, used punch cards to reward consistent attendance, and partnered with various university offices to keep the momentum going. This presentation will cover our development process, lessons learned, and how others can adapt similar ideas for their campus.
