Student veterans and academic libraries: A survey of outreach events

Since the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill was passed in 2008 and implemented in 2009, over 750,000 veterans have made use of the expanded benefits to earn a college degree. Many academic libraries have created programs and events to help these students along their journeys. Although several librarians have authored papers on these programs and their results, those have always focused on events at one institution. To better understand how libraries have supported student veterans and to learn what types of programs have had the most success, the author of this paper conducted a survey of every R1 and R2 institution in the United States. The survey encompasses outreach events, collections development and maintenance, collaborations with student groups and official campus veterans' centers, and specialized training for faculty and staff. The author hopes to use the results of this study in the creation of a comprehensive student veteran's outreach and engagement program at their institution, and to help other academic librarians who are interested in doing more targeted work to assist this underrepresented student group.