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Summary of Responses to Student Researchers Question



Title: Summary of Responses to Student Researchers Question

Dear List,

Earlier today I asked the list for experiences/opinions about allowing long-distance researchers to hire students as independent researchers.  Thanks very much to those who responded.

One institution:

1.      has a centralized student work and work-study program with a list of students available for "odd jobs".  This library is considering listing research as a skill on the applications so that qualified and available students can be located to work for long-distance researchers.
 
2.      engaged a history student from another area of the library to work with patron.

3.      refers students with knowledge of Special Collections/Archives (trained student assistants, volunteers, or history students) after checking with student first.
       
* A research "contract" is created between the patron and the student - the Department, Library, and University are not to be held liable for the student's work.
       
*It may also be a good idea to remind researchers that the student might do the work but not come up with what the researcher hoped to find.  This will hopefully prevent a researcher not wanting to pay for work that yielded zero.

4.      asks students already working in the department if they are available and interested. If so, give the researcher contact info for the student.  This archivist also asked a patron to pay $50.00 to the student up front which helped as it took a long time for the remainder to be paid.

5.      prefers to list "local adult independent researchers" as they "don't need everything explained to them and have a work ethic".  This archivist recommends asking for recommendations both academic and work-related before recommending the student to the researcher.

Two institutions:

6.      have a school of information studies next door so students are recommended from that pool.

My department is in the process of creating a policy for this type of service and all of the recommendations made are very appreciated.  I anticipate creating a policy to post on our web page.

Thanks so much, all!

Sincerely,
Jennifer
--
     Jennifer Gunter
        Coordinator, Special Collections
        Digital Library and Archives, University Libraries
      Virginia Tech
  PO BOX 90001
        Blacksburg, VA  24062-9001
     
        Telephone: (540) 231-9215
        http://spec.lib.vt.edu/