Serving Those Who Served: Enhancing the Student Veteran Experience in Academic Libraries

Abstract

With an increasing number of Veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill, the role of academic libraries in supporting student Veterans is now more important than ever. Student Veterans make up a significant portion of a college's non-traditional student population, yet there is very little literature or research on the interactions between the student Veterans and academic libraries. Our university is labeled as a military-friendly school, and this commitment to service members inspired our library to enhance the user experience of student Veterans. , , In this presentation, we will discuss student Veteran populations and highlight the initiatives our library has implemented to better serve student Veterans. We made changes in three major areas: facilities, circulation services, and outreach/service commitments. We will also share our feedback from the changes we implemented and discuss our future goals. Finally, we will advise other libraries on changes they can make to create a more Veteran-friendly space.