IN DEPTH
Library inductions
First impressions count, and for libraries that means inductions are a great chance to create a good connection with users. Here Laura Williams, Subject Librarian, School of Arts & Humanities, at University of Huddersfield, shares her experience and tips on how to create a lasting impression.
AT LILAC 2023, I delivered a workshop on using creative methods to reimagine library inductions. This workshop shared creative methods such as drawing, which can be used in inductions to break the ice and demystify the library. In this article, I share ideas about how library inductions can play an important part in students’ transition to university and can help support student well-being during this period. I will outline my approach and discuss how this originated within an institution-wide project at the Uni- versity of Huddersfield called Flying Start.
Over the last eight years in my role at the University of Huddersfield, I have changed how I design and deliver library inductions. This change was first made possible through the Flying Start project and has developed as I have gained a better understanding of the experiences of my students. Instead of using inductions to disseminate information or introduce information literacy concepts, I have focused on library inductions that explore past experiences of libraries, expectations of uni- versity-level study, and concerns about starting university.
I have learned to stop presuming all students
are starting university with previous experience of using a library. Now I try to use the library
32 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
Laura Williams is a Subject Librarian, School of Arts & Humanities at University of Huddersfield.
induction to counter the stereotypes and myth- bust negative assumptions about the university library.
Overview of the library induction Library workers with experience in Higher Education libraries might be familiar with the traditional format for a library induction. The traditional way to deliver library inductions when I first started working in my subject librarian job in 2016 was a brief presentation in a lecture theatre. This was usually part of a busy programme featuring many different services from across the university. A health
June 2024
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