Peer Research Consultant Program Begins!

Today’s guest post was written by Karlene Clark, Peer Research Consultant Librarian. Many thanks to Karlene for leading the charge to bring new services to our students!

This semester, we’re happy to introduce our new Peer Research Consultant (PRC) reference service in the library, Monday through Friday during a variety of daytime hours. PRCs are undergraduate students assisting their peers in navigating the research process. Students may receive assistance from a PRC either by stopping by the library or by making a 30-minute appointment through Starfish. This service may be used for a variety of research projects such as asking general research questions, narrowing their topics, finding appropriate databases for searching, and identifying effective search terms to find credible and quality resources. Our PRCs work closely with our reference librarians and receive in-depth training, including knowing when to make appropriate referrals to the subject librarians.

The PRC program is available now, and we’re excited to promote this high impact practice of peer-to-peer mentoring. Be sure to encourage your students to use this service! Students who use library services are more likely to complete their courses successfully.

PRCs learn the valuable career skills of leadership, communication, critical thinking skills, research, and teamwork, while assisting their peers in developing their own critical thinking and research skills. If you have any questions about the PRC program, please contact Karlene Clark, Peer Research Consultant Librarian.