The three libraries near central Grounds — Clemons Library, Edgar Shannon Library and Charles L. Brown Science and Engineering Library — feature a variety of groups aimed to support students, including the Library Council. A student-led organization, this Council helps make decisions on how to utilize library resources to enhance each student’s experience.
The Library Council is not an official Contracted Independent Organization — a label the majority of independent, student-run clubs hold. Instead, the group serves as an advisory board supervised by University librarians. Undergraduate University students lead the group’s three predominant objectives — career opportunities, collaboration with other student organizations and student-directed social events.
Aiming to make resources more accessible and to promote the libraries to the broader University community, the Council has, in the past, worked on projects focused on textbook affordability, social media outreach, and social and career opportunities for members.
Haley Gillilan, an undergraduate student success librarian, whose job is to guide students and support them with available resources, also supervises the Library Council. According to Gillilan, the organization has evolved from just an advisory board to a social group geared towards students who are interested in the literary field.
“That's a really unique thing that we got to add back in,” Gillilan said. “[Now], we are also a professional development group, and … I am able to, every so often, bring in … librarians that have unique jobs that maybe my students don't know existed as something they could do for a career.”
According to third year student Brighton Lieu, when members have an idea for a social event, they usually come to the library staff and an additional advisory meeting is hosted in order to plan them. Last year, these events included study cafes during finals and opportunities to meet other students, while spreading the word about their Council.
The career events have been an opportunity for students like Lieu who are interested in working in libraries. To support these students, the Library Council invites professionals to speak about entering this specific workforce — a field which Lieu learned about and became interested in when she joined the Council.
“[Libraries are] such a diverse [field] that have a lot of roles that aren't exactly what you think of. Your preconceived notions of libraries are very different from how they actually function,” Lieu said. “[Library Council is] actually a really tangible way that students can improve the library space in small, meaningful ways.”
The Council now has been focusing more on the newest objective of the organization. This includes the collaboration with student literary organizations such as the Virginia Literary Review, during which the two organizations hosted an open mic night with poetry readings and a book swap.
“That was really interesting, just because it was our first truly collaborative event with a student organization,” Lieu said. “We were able to help the Virginia Literary Review distribute more copies of their book, and by their joint efforts, we were able to print it in the space that felt lively.”
Along with these new events, the next school year presents another change for the Library Council. The Dean of Libraries John M. Unsworth is retiring, and leaving the space open for a new Dean of Libraries.
Mandy Rizki, a reference librarian at Shannon Library, is optimistic that this change will be a positive one. While they are unsure of what the central focus of the next administration will be, they plan to keep supporting the Library Council and look towards the future.
“We're all really excited to see who that person will be and what kind of energy they'll bring,” Rizki said.
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