This document summarizes veteran outreach efforts at three different universities. At Governors State University, the librarian has developed a Veterans Resource Collection and partners with the Veterans Resource Center on campus. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the librarian works closely with the Veteran Student Support Services and hosts annual veterans day exhibits. At College of DuPage, an IMLS grant previously facilitated outreach to veterans services, though no current librarian role focuses on veterans.
On National Teacher Day, meet the 2024-25 Kenan Fellows
Veteran Outreach Presentation at IACRL 2016
1.
2. Veteran Outreach at
Governors State University
Josh Sopiarz
Social Sciences and Government Information Librarian
jsopiarz@govst.edu
GSU
3. Institutional Profile (GSU)
• 5,500 FTE
• Approximately 450 student
veterans
• 1 library staff member currently
involved in outreach efforts (me)
• Informal relationship with the
Veterans Resource Center on
campus—working toward
formalizing the partnership
• 2015 U.S. Veterans Magazine “Best
of the Best” veteran-friendly
university
GSU
4. Partnership
• Veterans Resource Center (under
the auspices of the office of the
Dean of Students)
• Kevin Smith, Coordinator for
Veterans and Military Personnel
• Attend veterans events,
participate where possible,
collaborate/propose
• Meet with Kevin often to check
in and develop various initiatives
GSU
5. Veterans Resource Collection (VRC)
Back to Books Grant (2013)
• Personal Motivation
• Application
• Research
• Implementation
• Promotion
• Evolution
GSU
6. Veterans Day 2015—VRC on the Move
• Proposed idea to Kevin Smith
• Coordinated with Kevin, the UL
Dean, Technical Services, and
Circulation supervisors
• Relocated sizable percentage of
collection to the Hall of Governors
for a Veterans Day Fair event
• Checked out books on the spot
• Made connections with student
veterans
• Have been invited back for next
year’s event—which promises to be
even “bigger and better!”
GSU
8. Looking Ahead
• Increase participation in LOC
Veterans History Project
• Develop oral history project for GSU
veterans
• Advise veterans affairs on archival
practices, etc.
• Increase opportunities for student
involvement
• Remain active with veterans affairs
via committee work and (in)formal
partnerships
• Be open to pretty much anything
GSU
9. Collection Development
• Money???
• Investigating relocating items from Main Stacks
and interfiling Gov Docs
• GrantForward institutional account
• Supplemental
• PCA/ACA Noverr Grant for Collections Development
GSU
10. Opportunities
• Faculty Development and Advisory Council
• Planned workshop for faculty
• Graduate Student Veterans
• Park Forest Historical Society
• www.parkforesthistory.org
Challenges
• Funding
• Cooperation
• Space
GSU
11. Veteran Outreach at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign
JJ Pionke
Applied Health Sciences Librarian
pionke@Illinois.edu
UIUC
12. Institutional Profile (UIUC)
• 44,087 FTE
• ~350 veterans on campus
• 1 librarian (me!) out of 75 does
outreach to veterans as part of
their assigned job duties
• Work closely with the Vet Center
and with the Veteran Student
Support Services
UIUC
13. Partnership
• Chez Family Foundation Center for
Wounded Veterans in Higher
Education via the College of Applied
Health Sciences
• Veteran Student Support Services via
Student Affairs
• Work closely with Nick Osborne of the
Vet Center and Jason Sakowski of the
VSSS
• Attend social events at the Center as
part of outreach
• Meet with Nick and Jason often to
check in and develop various
initiatives
UIUC
14. Information Literacyand Training
• Extensive Veterans LibGuide: http://illinois.v1.libguides.com/veterans
• Provide after hours tours for veterans and others in need to get
comfortable with surroundings
• Disability training for staff now includes discussion of veterans
UIUC
15.
16. Veterans Day Exhibit
• November 2015
• Built on materials created by
another person who left the
University somewhat unexpectedly
• Worked closely with Nick to solicit
materials and stories from his
troopers
• Assembled exhibit together
• Exhibit garnered a lot of positive
feedback and was used for
promotional purposes by the Vet
Center
UIUC
17. Future Veterans Exhibit
• November 2016
• Oral History project involving
veterans and their tattoos
• Trying to get oral histories from
each war going back to WWII
• Posters will be of oral histories
• Display cases will contain books
and memorabilia
UIUC
18. Future Veterans Exhibit
• November 2017
• Uniforms
• General History of
• Oral histories of uniform pieces
from current vets with pieces to
be displayed alongside
narratives
UIUC
19. Collection Development
• Work with Nick and Jason to determine titles and topics that are of
interest
• Readjusted Gobi slip profile to include veterans
• Assess current state of the collection in this topic area (current)
• Purchase popular films and books that pertain to coming home and
readjustment
UIUC
20. Educate Myself
• Student Veterans group offered a “Vets 101” seminar which I
attended
• Casual conversations with Nick and Jason about needs of returning
veterans
• Reading library literature on veterans
• Reflecting on own experience with PTSD and comparing it to combat
PTSD to better understand point of view
UIUC
21. Veteran Outreach at
College of DuPage
Christine Kickels
Reference Librarian
Faculty Liaison for Business, Careers, and Philanthropy Collections
kickels@cod.edu
COD
22. Institutional Profile (COD)
• 16,130 FTE
• 600 veterans on campus
• No librarian does outreach to
veterans as part of their
assigned job duties
• ILMS Grant facilitated a
dedicated relationship with
Veterans Services office, 2013-
15
COD
23. IMLS Grant
“to increase veterans’
information literacy,
research skills and
awareness of
library resources”
VISA: Veterans Information Services
Assistance Grant
COD
29. Reading and discussion
Vacchi, David T. “Considering student veterans on the twenty-first
century college campus”, About Campus, May/Jun 2012.
We will soon be seeing more student veterans enrolling in institutions
of higher education than since WWII. David T. Vacchi provides guidance
on how to serve this important population of students
COD
30. Reading and discussion
Rumann, Corey, Rivera, Marisa, and Ignacio Hernandez. “Student
Veterans and Community Colleges”, New Directions for Community
Colleges, Fall 2011.
This chapter will identify ways in which community colleges are well
positioned to support student veterans, discuss the need for
heightened awareness concerning student veterans' experiences, and
make recommendations to assist staff, faculty, and administrators to
better serve student veterans at their institutions
31. Reading and discussion
Helton, Rae. “Diversity dispatch: Libraries- an important campus
partner for student veterans”, Kentucky Libraries, Summer 2010.
Suggestions to make library space and library services veteran-friendly
32. Discussion
• What projects are you planning or working on?
• What challenges are you facing?
• What kind of assessment has been done to indicate success with your
initiatives/projects?
• What kind of succession planning or cross training happens in your
library to provide continuity for the veterans?
• If given a million dollars tomorrow to support veterans on your
campus, how would you spend it?
• What advice would you offer to anyone looking to create or enhance
library services for student veterans?
