Alumni Outreach by University Libraries

Download or read book Alumni Outreach by University Libraries written by Richard W. Meyer and published by Association of Research Libr. This book was released on 2001 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report describes the University Library Alumni Outreach Research Project. The goals of the project were twofold: to describe and analyze alumni outreach initiatives currently offered by university libraries belonging to the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as well as the alumni programs and services offered by the universities themselves through traditional organizations such as university alumni associations; and to identify possible future initiatives that might be meaningful to university alumni along with noteworthy examples of technological or programmatic innovation. Phase One comprised a comprehensive survey of the World Wide Web sites of the 112 ARL academic library members to identify pertinent links for alumni outreach and to canvass library development efforts. This phase also included an examination of parent university home pages to identify alumni outreach initiatives stemming from university development organizations such as alumni associations. Results were used to identify issues regarding the actual importance, value, and context of alumni outreach initiatives within each university and to construct an interview instrument to address these issues. The goal of Phase Two was to identify and describe, through phone interviews with university librarians, deans, and directors, the general state of library-sponsored alumni outreach within each of the universities, any planned alumni programs and services, areas of potential future innovation, and general perceptions regarding the current and future role of alumni in the life and vigor of the university library. (Contains 18 references.) (MES)