“Supporting Patrons’ College Planning Information Needs”

ALA Publishing WorkshopAugust 29, 2015

Today’s Presenter

Africa Hands, MLIS

Author: Successfully Serving the College Bound (ALA Edition, 2015)

Agenda •Why offer college planning programs?

•Who are your college bound patrons?

•Programs and services for college bound patrons

•Working with community partners

•Resources to promote at your library

Where do you work?

What is your role?

Why offer college planning programs?

•To meet the needs of low-income college bound patrons

•To promote materials in your collection•To support economic development in your

community•To support society at large

It’s in our library DNA

Who are your college bound patrons?

First-gen students

•Work 20+ hours in final year

of high school

•Finance is important to

college selection

•Tend to enroll closer to home

•Less likely to live on-campus

•Enter college with undeclared

majors

Nontraditional students

•Attend part-time

•Work full-time

•Financially

independent

•Do not have high-

school diploma

•Have dependents

Military-service members and veterans

•Attend

community

colleges

•Have family

obligations

•Drawn to online,

distance

education

programs

•Prefer flexible

degree programs

Students with disabilities

•Range of disabilities

•All ages

•Different

information needs

Question time

•Which of these subgroups do you see as a potential target population for your college planning programs?

•Who is missing?

Learn more

•Almanac of Higher Education

•Digest of Education Statistics

• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data

System

•State level higher education assistance

agencies

Programs and Services

Question time

What programs or services are currently offered at your library?

• Introduction to college resources @ your

library

•Back-to-school night for specific sub-groups

•College fairs – large or small scale

•Campus visit preview

•Financial planning workshop

•Computer access

•Printed materials

We can’t do it all

Question time

•Who are potential partners for the college-bound population you identified?

•Where can you find information about the potential partner?

Partnerships•Levels of partnership

▫Glance▫Date▫Engagement▫Marriage

•Staff members as partners▫Experience, skills, and interests inventory

Partnerships at work

Creating partnerships

•Listen and learn

•Find natural fits

•Take a test drive

•Share the load

Online Information Resources

Resources to promote

•College Navigator

•KnowHow2Go

•Federal Student Aid

•Think College

•Heath Resource Center

•Database of Accredited Programs

•Campus Pride Index

What we’ve covered

•Four subgroups of college bound patrons

•Sources for data about the college bound

population

•Programming ideas and services

•Partnerships

•Resources for your college bound patrons

Questions

Thank you!

Africa Hands, MLISAuthor of

Successfully Serving the College Bound Email: asheri@rocketmail.com

Twitter: @africahands

Additional resources• First-generation students:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/02/16/385470288/fitting-in-on-campus-challenges-for-first-generation-students

• America’s Promise Fact Sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/09/fact-sheet-white-house-unveils-america-s-college-promise-proposal-tuitio

• American Association of Community Colleges Fact Sheet: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Documents/Facts14_Data_R3.pdf

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid https://fafsa.ed.gov/ • Financial aid for military members and family members

https://studentaid.ed.gov/types/grants-scholarships/military• http://todaysmilitary.com/living/paying-for-college• https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/scholarships-for-

military.pdf• http://www.acenet.edu/higher-education/topics/Pages/Colleg

e-Credit-for-Military-Service.aspx

Additional resourcesLibrary examples: • College Depot at Phoenix Public Library• Free Library of Philadelpia• Calcasieu Parish Public Library• New Brunswick Free Public Library• Partnering with purpose: a guide to strategic partnership de

velopment for libraries and other organizations by Crowther and Trott

• Directory for Online Learning http://www.petersons.com/online-schools/

• LGBT-friendly campuses http://www.campusprideindex.org/• Homeschoolers

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/06/11/the-homeschoolers-guide-to-getting-into-college/

• http://www.homeschool.com/articles/College05/• http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/high-school-beyond/ho

meschool-to-college/

Images

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658134764/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisconnell/4074343848

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1971_Concrete_Bridge.jpg

https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/4248399523

https://www.flickr.com/photos/departmentofed/8617312588/