2026 ALISE Annual Conference

An exploratory study is proposed to investigate the perceptions and experiences of student assistants who work at the reference desk in an academic library in responding to other students’ social services-related needs.  Four focus groups, of six to eight participants each, will be conducted with student assistants at a Research 1 academic library.  The findings will provide insight into an understudied phenomenon and will have implications for how academic librarians are educated to provide appropriate training and supervision for students assistants.