Student-faculty research team collaboration in the liberal arts: Lessons learned from the GLCA-Library of Congress program

This Community Idea Exchange Session reports on lessons learned from the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA)-Library of Congress Faculty-Student Research Program held in Washington DC in July 2019. The Program offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students and faculty mentors in the humanities to receive support at the Library of Congress in Washington DC for scholarly research from designated Library of Congress librarians. This Community Idea Exchange is led by American University of Paris professor David Tresilian and librarian Michael Stoepel, selected to take part in the Program through a competitive process.

The Community Idea Exchange reports on lessons learned on site at the Library of Congress in the context of faculty-librarian-student research collaboration. These will be of considerable interest to research and collaboration in the liberal arts in the context of institutions of similar size and among AMICAL members. They suggest ways forward in the management of faculty-student research initiatives within or between institutions. The Idea Exchange engages faculty and library expertise and traditional and digital research tools and resources. The format allows lessons learned to be covered in detail, with appropriate examples given by the two presenters and perspectives from both a faculty member and a librarian.