Welcome back to Kanopy’s Library Spotlight, a space where we highlight libraries and librarians that have found success using the Kanopy platform and offer unique perspective regarding their approach to curation and management.  

We recently interviewed the librarians of Hedberg Library at Carthage College about the importance of embracing technology, social media, impactful initiatives, and more. Here’s what they had to say: 

 Can you share one method you employ to assist users who may be hesitant to embrace technology in utilizing your library’s online resources effectively?

Hedberg Library at Carthage has an active liaison system.  Four of our six librarians serve as liaisons to the various campus departments, presenting our resources to students in the classroom.  Once students and their instructors see how easy it is to find sources relevant to their research assignments, they are much more likely to use them.  Students who need more help can easily set up a reference appointment with a librarian.  We also provide how-to documents and videos on our FAQ site.

What aspect of being a librarian do you find most fulfilling?

Connecting students and faculty with the right resources at the right time is satisfying for the patron and the library.  At one end, it is pre-planning with faculty before the semester starts to help them find resources for their course, and on the other end it is helping students who may have procrastinated just a little bit on starting their project.

In your opinion, what is the primary responsibility of the library at your institution?

Hedberg Library is a teaching library.  As one of our former CIOs would say “We are first and foremost educators.”  Our primary responsibility is to connect our users with the resources we have and educate them to use them effectively to transform information into knowledge.  Teaching our patrons to critically identify reliable sources and differentiate them from sources that represent disinformation or bias.

Reflecting on your actions, what initiative do you believe has had the most significant impact on usage at your college?

The times we live in, from the COVID pandemic to the recent political landscape, have bolstered our usage more than any initiative we could have imagined.  Instructors who always wanted to show DVDs in the classroom suddenly clamored for streaming content. People who resisted eBooks in favor of print suddenly embraced eBooks.  People who hadn’t thought much about disinformation or bias realized the importance of teaching students how to evaluate sources for credibility, balance, and rigor. 

Could you describe how you are optimizing your library budget amidst uncertain economic conditions?

At Carthage, we have always been very frugal in our spending.  The current budget constraints have been a bit steeper, but we have had processes in place for many years to optimize our cost-to-value equation.  Annually, we analyze usage statistics of our resources and either promote or discontinue resources whose usage is dropping.  We work with the WiLS consortium and actively negotiate with vendors to get the best pricing available.  Multi-year and capped agreements, when available, help us make our expenditures more predictable. 

What role does social media play in your interactions with patrons? 

Hedberg Library utilizes Facebook and Instagram to connect with our students, faculty, and staff. We post upcoming events, highlight our resources, and post news and announcements. It is one of the best ways to get information to everyone and allows us to be creative in our delivery. 

At a time when the right of colleges and universities to educate their communities on diversity, equity, and inclusion is being challenged, it has become an even more important part of Carthage’s mission.  Kanopy provides excellent eye-opening and thought-provoking resources to help students and others learn about and act on these important concepts. 

Interested in promoting Kanopy at your library? 

Here are some free resources to start using today: 

Reach faculty, staff, students—everyone on campus with social using our new 15-second video featuring documentaries. It invites the viewer to explore the vast streaming catalog your library unlocks. Download Now. 

Looking for more assets? We have even more promotional assets in our Resource Center.