All Zoomed Out: Engaging Students with Remote Outreach

This poster will describe how one academic library reset their engagement priorities and connected with students via the use of remote outreach programs. While more effort may go into implementing these events and activities, the opportunity to engage with new or wary users more than paid off in the quality of relationships built. Over the course of two academic years, library staff created, hosted, and assessed more than two dozen asynchronous remote outreach programs for students, including many who had never stepped foot on campus. What began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in conjunction with the campus’s move to remote instruction, became a valuable tool to reach patrons in a post-COVID world. Attendees will learn how to coordinate efforts within their organization and think outside the box for ways to promote their collections and resources for an online audience. Examples of successful, non-Zoom remote outreach programs (YouTube Livestreams, Literary Contests, Finals Week Pet Grams, and more) will be visually represented with photographs, screengrabs, and links. In addition, tips and tricks for tracking, assessing, and sharing results with library stakeholders will be described and discussed.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion, participants will be able to identify at least three unique remote programs for students
Upon completion, participants will be able to implement remote programs into their library’s outreach efforts
Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the value of quantitative and qualitative user engagement with remote outreach