This document summarizes strategies for libraries to integrate into university internationalization and intercultural outreach efforts. It recommends that libraries 1) integrate into existing campus cultural programs and events by attending, volunteering, and offering library services aligned with program objectives, 2) seek partners to co-host international programs by sharing responsibilities and designing mutually beneficial programs, and 3) offer independent library programs and collections like language learning software and workshops for international students to directly serve international communities on campus. The strategies aim to make libraries an essential part of the university's goal of preparing students to be ready for the world.

1. Cultivating Connections: Growing Internationalization in Your University
Allison Sharp, Nathalie Hristov, Manda Sexton
University of Tennessee Libraries
2018 Entrepreneurial Librarian Conference
Wake Downtown, Room 1616
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
October 12, 2018, 11:20-12:05
“Student engagement is a critical target at most institutions of higher learning in the 21st
century. Its centrality to the core educational enterprise provides natural in-roads for academic
libraries to align information literacy and other engagement factors with broader institutional
efforts to engage students and create an engaging environment.” (Schlak, 2018:133)
It is imperative that libraries align their engagement efforts with those of the larger academic
institution. At the University of Tennessee, one of the most prominent campus-wide initiatives
has been making the campus “Ready for the World.” We have used the following methods as
ways to make the library an essential component of this larger university goal.
Strategies for Library International/Intercultural Outreach
Integrate libraries into existing programs:
● Attend cultural programs and events on campus (ask library administration for
funding to attend paid events)
● Get to know the program organizers
● Volunteer library service and participation based on the program objectives
Seek partners to co-host international, cultural programs:
● Identify departments most likely to benefit from cultural programs
● Offer spaces, administrative support, and collections
● Share financial/grant-writing responsibilities for the program
● Design mutually beneficial programs to the Libraries and Co-Host
Offer independent library programs and collections to serve international faculty, students, and
initiatives:
● Offer language-learning software for foreign and domestic students
● Offer workshops for international students ( i.e., EndNote for Non-Native English
Speakers)
● Solicit input on library services and collections to targeted international
populations through focus groups
*For optimal results, offer free food and drink!

2. Suggested Reading
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The Internationalization of Higher Education: Motivations and
Realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11, 290-294), p.290-305.
doi:10.1177/1028315307303542
Atkins, D. P. (2010). Going global: examining issues and seeking collaboration for international
interlending, the view from the US.Interlending & Document Supply, 38(2), 72-75.
doi:10.1108/02641611011047132
Bordonaro, K. (2013). Internationalization and the North American university library: Lanham,
Maryland : The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Downey, K. (2013). Why Did We BuyThat? New Customers and Changing Directions in
Collection Development. Collection Management, 38(2), 90-103
doi:10.1080/01462679.2013.763741
Fischer, K., & Bauman, D. (2017). Many Colleges See a Drop in International Students, Chronicle
Survey Finds. Chronicle of Higher Education, 64(3), 9-9.
Koenigstein, D. (2012). Alleviating International Students' Culture Shock and Anxiety in
American Libraries: Welcome, Ahlan Wa Sahlan, Anyeong Hae Sae Yo, Bienvenidios,
Huan Ying, Sanu Da Zuwa, Shalom, Swaagat Hai. Library Philosophy and Practice, May.
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Jiao, Q. G. (1997). Academic library usage: a comparison of native and
non-native English-speaking students at two U.S. universities. Australian Library Journal,
46(3), 258-269. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.1997.10755807
Pilkington, A. (2013). Communicating Projects: An End-To-End Guide to Planning, Implementing
and Evaluating Effective Communication. In (pp. 194).
Quilantan, B. (2018). International Grad Students' Interest in American Higher Ed Marks First
Decline in 14 Year. Chronicle of Higher Education, 64(22), 1-1.
Schlak, T. (2018). Academic Libraries and Engagement: A Critical Contextualization of the Library
Discourse on Engagement. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 44(1), 133-139.
doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2017.09.005
Shapiro, S. D. (2016). Engaging a Wider Community: The Academic Library as a Center for
Creativity, Discovery, and Collaboration. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 22(1),
24-42. doi:10.1080/13614533.2015.1087412
University of Tennessee. Ready for the World. Retrieved from https://rftw.utk.edu/
University of Tennessee. (2016). Journey to the Top 25: Mission and Vision. Retrieved from
https://top25.utk.edu/mission-vision/
University of Tennessee Center for International Education. Center for International Education:
About. Retrieved from https://cie.utk.edu/about/
Ward, J. H. (2009). Acquisitions Globalized: The Foreign Language Acquisitions Experience in a
Research Library. Library Resources & Technical Services, 53(2), 86-93.
Witt, S. W., Kutner, L., & Cooper, L. (2015). Mapping Academic Library Contributions to Campus
Internationalization. College & Research Libraries, 76(5), 587-608.
doi:10.5860/crl.76.5.587
Yi, Z. (2007). International Student Perceptions of Information Needs and Use. The Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 33(6), 666-673.doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.09.003