KCC's library director contributes to academic book

Tracy Conner, director of the Miner Memorial Library at Kankakee Community College, has contributed a chapter to The Small to Mid-Size Academic Library: Collaborations and Outreach. Edited by Camille Abdeljawad and Danielle Theiss, the book was released by the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association in December of 2024.

Conner co-authored the chapter “Fostering Student Connection to the Library: Personal Librarians and First-Year Experience” with Loren Mixon. Mixon, a former librarian at KCC, is now the Academic Engagement and Outreach Librarian at Costal Carolina University. The chapter explores how KCC made the personal librarian program part of its First Year Student Success classes.

“Connecting with students as freshmen helps them understand library resources and meet our librarians,” said Conner. “We want to make sure students feel supported and a part of the campus community. The personal librarian program’s success has sparked collaborations to expand integration of other services.”

A copy of the book is available in KCC’s library, and more details can be found on the American Library Association’s ALAstore. The chapter from Conner and Mixon, along with an abstract are on the Coastal Carolina University Digital Commons.