Working together: library and writing center collaboration

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to survey the means through which libraries and writing centers are collaborating to determine best practices and applications.

Design/methodology/approach

Examples of collaboration between libraries and writing centers were examined and grouped into similar examples to highlight themes within the literature.

Findings

Many librarians are training writing center staff and tutors in library services and information literacy skills. Reference librarians are sharing space or holding joint office hours with writing centers to help create a one‐stop shop for students. Joint classes and workshops are helping to reinforce the connected nature of research and writing. It is important to survey the environment; some types of collaboration work better at some institutions than others.

Research limitations/implications

This is a review of the literature concerning collaboration and cannot contain every example of library and writing center collaboration.

Practical implications

Using this article, librarians can compile a list of possible ways to collaborate with their writing center.

Originality/value

This article is of value to librarians and writing center staff looking for ways to foster collaboration and ways that they can begin to collaborate.

Citation

Ferer, E. (2012), "Working together: library and writing center collaboration", Reference Services Review, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 543-557. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907321211277350