Engaging Graduate Students in Three Easy Steps: Failures and Successes From Back-to-Back Years

In Fall 2022, three librarians representing the outreach and engagement department and reference and instruction department at Loyola Marymount University’s William H. Hannon Library developed a threepart orientation experience to welcome new theological studies graduate students. The three parts consisted of a 10-minute welcome via Zoom by two outreach librarians; a “meet and greet” library orientation and VIP tour co-presented by an outreach librarian and the librarian for theological studies; and an in-depth instruction session led by the librarian for theological studies. With lessons learned and student feedback collected in Fall 2022, the librarians aimed to improve this three-point plan in Fall 2023. This article presents successes and failures from both years of orientation programs to inform academic librarians aiming to support graduate students at their respective institutions.