Navigating Higher Education: Insights from the College Fluency Initiatives at Sinclair Community College
The first case study from this research initiative examines Sinclair Community College in Ohio, a pioneer in developing college fluency with faculty and staff. At Sinclair, librarians and library staff collaborate with academic and student affairs departments on campus to provide students with access to the full suite of resources available throughout the institution. Further, their Student Success Librarian serves as a link across different departments, ensuring that faculty and staff members are well-prepared to assist students with non-curricular needs. Most importantly this librarian collaborates with multiple departments to improve awareness of student services, along with facilitating the incorporation of library resources into the work of various faculty and staff members. This librarian takes proactive steps to stay updated on campus developments and emerging student needs, serving as a primary point of contact and a reliable resource for students, staff, and faculty seeking guidance or information regarding non-curricular resources.
Key Takeaways
- Dedicate a staff member, such as a student success librarian, to forge and leverage personal relationships between staff in different departments, developing and enhancing college fluency initiatives and supporting student navigation of college services and programs.
- Establish a consistent presence in student spaces to increase staff visibility, build trust, and surface students’ non-curricular needs. Informal conversations with students in these settings initiated by library faculty and staff play an important role in facilitating connections and providing necessary support.
- Provide continuous training to equip faculty and staff with knowledge about available resources in order to create a campus environment that supports student success and encourages connections across departments.
- Foster collective responsibility among college faculty and staff guided by administrative leadership to drive a cultural shift supporting students’ college fluency.
- Continue hybrid library programming and services, developed initially in response to COVID-19, to sustain efforts in fostering college fluency.
