Spectral Tales: Lessons Learned from Being Ghosted by Faculty

Abstract

Imagine building a great online module or LibGuide only to have the collaborating faculty vanish after it is finished. Or designing an awesome student or faculty workshop as part of a campus-wide series only to have an empty classroom. Faculty who are gone with the wind after the tutorial is created make assessment and feedback nearly impossible. Furthermore, how can meaningful data be gathered from a workshop with just one participant?

Libraries need to have supportive cultures and assessment plans in place for the times when labor-intensive projects fail due to outside variables. Designing thoughtful and engaging curriculum should not be dismissed merely because students did not show up. Unsuccessful instruction attempts, whether current experiences or attempts by predecessors, should not keep librarians from seeking best practices, implementing an action plan, and continuing to provide quality library interactions with faculty and students on campus.

Since the original 2017 Brick & Click presentation on the hard lessons learned after being ghosted, the presenting librarians have implemented new workflow policies, procedures and assessment methods to protect their limited time and resources while ensuring they remain student-focused organizations. They will pass on the smart steps taken to keep relationships strong in the library and across campus.