Beyond the tour: Designing graduate library orientations that build research confidence and belonging

Megan YorkFollow

Start Date

3-17-2026 12:00 PM

End Date

3-17-2026 12:30 PM

Author(s) Bio

Megan York is the Education Librarian at the University of Arkansas, where she serves as liaison to the College of Education and Health Professions, Indigenous Studies, Social Work, Public Policy, and K-12 partnerships. In this role, she provides embedded support for graduate students. Her work emphasizes evidence synthesis and whole-person approaches to graduate student success. A tenure-track faculty member, Megan is also active in professional service, research, and curriculum development, and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Adult and Lifelong Learning and a graduate certificate in Native American Studies.

Keywords

graduate orientation, doctoral students, systematic reviews, student engagement, research confidence

Description of Proposal

Graduate student orientations often lean heavily on logistics: where to find resources, how to log in, and which services the library offers. While this information is important, it rarely addresses the deeper needs of graduate learners. Many of the students I work with arrive on campus already balancing careers, families, and demanding academic programs. At the University of Arkansas, graduate orientations in the College of Education and Health Professions frequently take place on weekends, serving students who travel from out of state and receive an overwhelming amount of information in a short time. For them, orientation is not simply a tour of the library, it may be their only reach chance to pause, connect, and start to see themselves as scholars.

Most of my orientations are with doctoral students in education reform, educational leadership (two cohorts), curriculum and instruction (special grant cohort), and adult and lifelong learning. These programs expect students to engage with systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and evidence-based practices early in their coursework. With that in mind, I design orientations that are laid-back, responsive, and intentionally student-centered. Rather than lecture, I create space for conversation, humor, and curiosity. Activities are interactive, but low-stakes, giving students a chance to practice searching or ask questions without feeling pressured. I also weave in advanced research supports, such as evidence synthesis services, citation management tools, and scholarly publishing guidance, in ways that directly connect to their interests and immediate needs.

This approach helps orientations serve as a foundation for long-term relationships. Students often return for one-on-one consultations, embedded workshops, or collaborations on scoping reviews because their first experience showed them that the library is approachable and invested in their success. What begins as a weekend sessions becomes the start of an ongoing partnership throughout their doctoral journey.

In this presentation, I will share strategies I use to transform orientations into meaningful, student-driven experiences. I will also discuss assessment practices, including student feedback and follow-up interactions, that illustrate the impact of this model on graduate student research confidence and library engagement.

Attendees will leave with adaptable ideas for building orientations that go beyond logistics. By reframing orientation as a chance to build confidence, belonging, and authentic connection, librarians can position themselves not only as resource providers but as trusted partners in graduate education.

What takeaways will attendees learn from your session?

1. Identify strategies for designing graduate orientations that move beyond logistics and foster student belonging, confidence, and early research engagement.

2. Adapt orientation activities to the realities of non-traditional graduate formats, such as weekend intensives or cohort-based doctoral programs.

3. Apply relational and interest-driven approaches to orientation in order to build long-term partnerships between graduate students and librarians.

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Mar 17th, 12:00 PM Mar 17th, 12:30 PM

Beyond the tour: Designing graduate library orientations that build research confidence and belonging

Graduate student orientations often lean heavily on logistics: where to find resources, how to log in, and which services the library offers. While this information is important, it rarely addresses the deeper needs of graduate learners. Many of the students I work with arrive on campus already balancing careers, families, and demanding academic programs. At the University of Arkansas, graduate orientations in the College of Education and Health Professions frequently take place on weekends, serving students who travel from out of state and receive an overwhelming amount of information in a short time. For them, orientation is not simply a tour of the library, it may be their only reach chance to pause, connect, and start to see themselves as scholars.

Most of my orientations are with doctoral students in education reform, educational leadership (two cohorts), curriculum and instruction (special grant cohort), and adult and lifelong learning. These programs expect students to engage with systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and evidence-based practices early in their coursework. With that in mind, I design orientations that are laid-back, responsive, and intentionally student-centered. Rather than lecture, I create space for conversation, humor, and curiosity. Activities are interactive, but low-stakes, giving students a chance to practice searching or ask questions without feeling pressured. I also weave in advanced research supports, such as evidence synthesis services, citation management tools, and scholarly publishing guidance, in ways that directly connect to their interests and immediate needs.

This approach helps orientations serve as a foundation for long-term relationships. Students often return for one-on-one consultations, embedded workshops, or collaborations on scoping reviews because their first experience showed them that the library is approachable and invested in their success. What begins as a weekend sessions becomes the start of an ongoing partnership throughout their doctoral journey.

In this presentation, I will share strategies I use to transform orientations into meaningful, student-driven experiences. I will also discuss assessment practices, including student feedback and follow-up interactions, that illustrate the impact of this model on graduate student research confidence and library engagement.

Attendees will leave with adaptable ideas for building orientations that go beyond logistics. By reframing orientation as a chance to build confidence, belonging, and authentic connection, librarians can position themselves not only as resource providers but as trusted partners in graduate education.