Creating a Culture of Gratitude with Library Student Employees

Abstract

Creating a Culture of Gratitude with Library Student Employees - Katy Webb, Yale University. Student employees’ work efforts constitute a valid, meaningful contribution to the academic library. When working in a collaborative environment, all people want to be recognized and valued for their contributions. By creating and fostering a culture of gratitude toward student employees, students feel a greater satisfaction with their jobs. This shift in outlook centers student employees as valued members of the team completing meaningful work. Full-time employees may be able to assign them more challenging tasks. Libraries retain student employees for longer periods of time, reducing the amount of time devoted to hiring and retraining. In this poster, methods for establishing a culture of gratitude will be shared from the presenter’s experience at two academic libraries. Examples of these methods include but are not limited to creating a bookplate honoring graduating students, providing study spaces only for student employees during exams, and using affirming language for student employees.