Library Art Exhibits as an Engagement Tool Teresa

Library Art Exhibits as an Engagement Tool Teresa Nesbitt, Allison Galloup, and Rebecca Rose, University of North Georgia Libraries Overview The Cumming campus library has hosted art exhibits as part of our student engagement efforts since the fall of 2018. In 2019, three librarians applied for a Presidential Incentive Award to increase the show’s potential to boost engagement with the library. Background The Cumming library has few books and lacks typical visual cues that would advertise the space as a library. The art show fits the library’s goals of increasing student awareness/use of library services. However, until 2019, we lacked definite goals and instruments to measure the show’s impact in these areas. Presidential Incentive Award Funding granted by the Presidential Incentive Award allowed us to increase available art display space in the library by purchasing movable display grids. The award also funded conference presentations to disseminate our findings. Relevance Scant literature exists that uses quantitative data to evaluate the impact of library-hosted art shows on attendee perceptions of the library. Timeline January/ February 2019 • • Review data from 2018 art show Draft proposal for Lilly-Asheville Conference March 2019 • Partner with Forsyth County Schools Fine Arts Specialist to recruit submissions from local high schools May - July 2019 • • • Recruit jurists Prepare promotional materials Complete/update CITI certification August 2019 • • Present at Lilly-Asheville Finalize survey instrument Submit IRB Submit paper proposal to The New Review of Academic Librarianship September 2019 • • Distribute call for submissions Plan show reception Market show & reception Present on show at Arkansas Library Association/Southeastern Library Association Conference Goals 1 Measure event impact Project leads adapted a published survey – originally used to evaluate library program impact – to be specific to UNG and include questions about attendee knowledge and perceptions of library services. • Jurists vet submissions, choose ‘best in category’ Communicate with accepted artists November 2019 • • Set up and host show & reception Archive digitized art files in NOIR December 2019 - present • • Review & analyze survey responses Monitor artist participation in scholarship Survey Results A sampling of survey responses from art show participants & attendees: Digital surveys were distributed to artists before and after the show and were available in paper form to attendees throughout the duration of the show. 2 Increase student involvement in scholarly activities Show organizers included additional scholarly venues to present and publish art in communication with accepted artists; artists were encouraged to submit their work to ARC, GURC, Papers & Publications, and the Chestatee Review. Student Scholarly Involvement Trackable bit. ly links were used to track artist use of these links to submit their work. Future Plans October 2019 • Results 3 Teach digital/information literacy skills Artists submitted their artworks through the Nighthawks Open Institutional Repository (NOIR), which required them to create metadata to make their work discoverable. This exercise required critical thinking and introduced the idea of metadata to artists. Pandemic required a shift in approach: • 2020 art show is completely virtual • Opened to include Blue Ridge students • Limit participation to UNG students/faculty/staff Survey adjusted to match fully-virtual format and lack of external community involvement Continue to promote the library’s services and scholarship opportunities in communication with artists