Start Date
4-1-2016 11:25 AM
End Date
4-1-2016 12:15 PM
Description of Proposal
In 2014, librarians at Washington University in St. Louis developed an annual research conference for advanced graduate students in the Humanities. This conference was inspired by the desire to connect to graduate students at the dissertation stage as librarians had observed a gap in librarian-graduate student interactions between the first years of graduate school and when students embark on their own dissertation research. Librarians discovered that graduate students often struggle in isolation with similar research questions as well as project management and dissertation writing; thus, we aptly entitled the conference “You’re in Good Company: A Mini-Conference for Advanced Graduate Students in the Humanities.” We will share the make-up of the conference, gathering input on session offerings, funding considerations, marketing, assessment, and administrative needs.
Our presentation will focus in part on the variety of sessions we have been able to offer and our collaborations with faculty and other campus partners. Sessions included not only advanced research skills but also hands-on workshops for technologies such as Zotero, Scrivener, and mobile apps. Faculty presented sessions about dissertation writing, time management strategies, tips for getting published and funded, as well as their own personal experiences.
The conference demonstrated the value of the library to the university community as You’re in Good Company will be in its third year and appears to be filling a void to further research skills, discovery of Humanities resources, and awareness of new technologies. We will also share our developing body of conference video and audio recordings. Finally, we will present recommendations to assist other librarians interested in developing a similar conference.
You’re in Good Company: Developing a Research Conference for Advanced Graduate Students in the Humanities
Room 460
In 2014, librarians at Washington University in St. Louis developed an annual research conference for advanced graduate students in the Humanities. This conference was inspired by the desire to connect to graduate students at the dissertation stage as librarians had observed a gap in librarian-graduate student interactions between the first years of graduate school and when students embark on their own dissertation research. Librarians discovered that graduate students often struggle in isolation with similar research questions as well as project management and dissertation writing; thus, we aptly entitled the conference “You’re in Good Company: A Mini-Conference for Advanced Graduate Students in the Humanities.” We will share the make-up of the conference, gathering input on session offerings, funding considerations, marketing, assessment, and administrative needs.
Our presentation will focus in part on the variety of sessions we have been able to offer and our collaborations with faculty and other campus partners. Sessions included not only advanced research skills but also hands-on workshops for technologies such as Zotero, Scrivener, and mobile apps. Faculty presented sessions about dissertation writing, time management strategies, tips for getting published and funded, as well as their own personal experiences.
The conference demonstrated the value of the library to the university community as You’re in Good Company will be in its third year and appears to be filling a void to further research skills, discovery of Humanities resources, and awareness of new technologies. We will also share our developing body of conference video and audio recordings. Finally, we will present recommendations to assist other librarians interested in developing a similar conference.
What takeaways will attendees learn from your session?
Conference website: You’re in Good Company: A Mini-Conference for Advanced Graduate Students in the Humanities