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The histories of our institutions, spaces, collections, and communities come to life through the stories we tell with exhibits. As a tried-and-true way to promote collections, facilitate collection development, and engage users, the best exhibits go far beyond strategic goals and informational value. Exhibits have the power to connect people.

As technology changes and our audiences evolve, exhibit strategies and impacts evolve, too. This session explores four recent case studies of exhibits, both physical and digital, pop-up and longer term, that support a range of outreach, deep collaboration, and collection development opportunities.

Projects from Ohio State, Iowa State, Illinois State, and Bowling Green State illustrate multiple ways that exhibits can engage. Capitalizing on significant university milestones and special collections, these case studies cover diverse approaches to exhibit formats, multi-year and short-term partnerships, and building sustainable practices. The projects include working across library departments to create digital exhibits; collaborations with faculty, alumni, and university departments on curation and promotion; development and enhancement of related digital and physical collection building; instruction, outreach, and extending the life of exhibits; and aspects of community building around exhibit work that center viewers and provide ample space for them to share their perspectives.

Specifically, panelists will discuss the development of their exhibits; tools and platforms used; collaboration, promotion, and engagement strategies that worked (or didn’t); the impact on using and generating collections; and takeaways for you to consider at your institution.

Speakers
Jaycie Vos, Iowa State University (Session Chair)
Jolie Braun, The Ohio State University
Rebecca Fitzsimmons, Illinois State University
Jennifer Long Morehart, Bowling Green State University

Academic archivists and librarians dedicate significant time, energy, and resources to outreach programming with the goal of encouraging students to visit, donate to, and use campus archives. A*CENSUS II reports that external outreach is a primary job duty for 17 percent of those working in archives. Yet, the literature consistently shows that student awareness of archives is low, which means that students are highly unlikely to engage with archives as researchers or donors. Because college and university students are at a point in their studies when they develop critical thinking skills through more intense research, academic archives are a prime entry point for students to familiarize themselves with the essential evidence of our societies and our cultures. So, what forms of outreach will not only catch the attention of our students, but also promote collaboration and foster a sense of belonging in the archives?

This IMLS-funded study aimed to fill a gap in the literature by developing a data-driven, cost-effective, best-practice model for student-centered outreach in academic archives. To achieve this goal, we conducted a series of focus groups in 2025 that brought together undergraduate and graduate students, academic library and archives practitioners, and faculty from across the country to discuss major themes of outreach, awareness, and engagement and make suggestions for improving existing outreach programming. We gained valuable insight into how students perceive the archives, how they could see themselves engaging as researchers or donors, and how practitioners and faculty members might best encourage meaningful student engagement with the archives. Our presentation will discuss highlights of our data, share our initial model for student-centered outreach, and offer insight into how the model can be implemented at a range of institutions with diverse populations, varying resources, and unique outreach goals.

Speakers
Bryan Whitledge, Central Michigan University (Session Chair)
Brittany Newberry, Georgia State University