An exchange could do you good: Hosting informal meetings to foster academic librarians’ work at nearby institutions

Abstract

As academic librarians support students’ learning, they often neglect their own needs as learners due to time, cost, and resource constraints. However, the need to engage in learning opportunities, especially as instructional needs and technology options evolve, is critical to their success as professionals. Librarians may look for opportunities to learn by connecting with others at conferences, workshops, and webinars. While these formats provide meaningful opportunities for academic librarians to meet and learn from each other, they are often costly for both institutions and individuals, disconnected from work environments, and do not consider the contextual factors that influence librarians’ day-to-day jobs. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted both travel possibilities, and travel funding—in many cases, for the foreseeable future.