Library and Information Science Commons^™

William & Mary Faculty Listening Tour Executive Summary, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In fall 2019, William & Mary Libraries embarked on a concerted effort to learn more about course materials adopted on its campus. In order to perform an environmental scan, staff from the libraries participated in several activities: administering a student survey, conducting a series of faculty focus groups and running a cross-campus task force on textbook affordability. This document explains the faculty focus group activity known as the “textbook listening tour.”

The listening tour was structured largely based on an earlier effort that took place at Temple University Libraries. Bell & Johnson (2019) used the tour as an opportunity to …

William & Mary Student Textbook Survey, Marian Taliaferro, Asia Randolph, Jessica Ramey

W&M Libraries Publications

In Fall, 2019 W&M libraries disseminated a survey to all W&M students in order to understand their textbook spending practices so that the campus administrators would have information useful for programs designed to increase course materials affordability. The objectives of the survey were as follows.

Objective 1: Understand current costs of textbooks for W&M students.

Objective 2: Understand methods W&M students take to lower textbook costs.

Objective 3: Understand potential impact of implementing cost saving measures.

Objective 4: Understand options that W&M students might consider to lower the cost of textbooks.

Faculty Writing Retreats In The Library: Creative Approaches To Relationship Building, Lisa T. Nickel, Tami Back

W&M Libraries Publications

Have you ever thought, “If I had some uninterrupted time to write, I could get so much done!”?

At William & Mary Libraries, we often feel this way, and we hear from our teaching faculty colleagues that they feel the same. But can this common challenge present a unique opportunity? Can we, as a library, fill this need, and in turn, accomplish our goals of building relationships and connections with faculty? We determined that we can. As we consider time-intensive library events, partnerships, and outreach, we have learned that focusing on high-impact relationship-building opportunities is the best way …