Small actions, big impact: Centering student voices and advocacy with a library student advisory board

Abstract

Library student advisory boards offer a way for academic libraries to understand student needs and concerns, form trusting relationships, and establish formal avenues for students to share input and enact change. Successful advisory boards bring students with different interests and experiences together to foster peer-to-peer learning and advocacy. In this article, we describe how the Rutgers University-Camden Library Student Advisory Board (LSAB) hosted a panel on open educational resources (OER) and textbook affordability, a small event with considerable impact. We share perspectives from the vantages of an LSAB organizer, a dedicated student activist, a librarian working on textbook affordability, and a student new to advocacy.