Students Helping Students: Creating and Evaluating a Collaborative Service Model in the Library

Abstract

This study identifies the successes and challenges associated with the addition of a nonlibrary service desk in a university library’s learning commons. The authors wanted to know whether a training and service collaboration with an outside unit could reliably and efficiently connect students to the librarians, academic support services, and other resources that they need; and if advanced skills (including information literacy) training could be successfully built into the existing infrastructure of academic support departments. The authors identified strategies to address barriers when maintaining and improving a collaborative relationship and a dual-desk service model.