Dear BMCC Community,

My name is Jean Amaral, and I'm your new Outreach Librarian, here to share a few thoughts about libraries, learning, and life.

Libraries are at the epicenter of technological change in higher education. And while we used to be about collections, we're now about connections. And that's what an outreach librarian does: Connect--with students and faculty and staff.

And those connections are often about how the library can partner with you, your students, the BMCC community.

Many of you already partner with the Library through information literacy classes for your students or through our embedded librarian program. And we partner with many of you in Faculty Interest Groups, event displays and tabling.

But that's just the beginning. We'd like to think outside of that box to new, bolder ways of collaborating.

And that includes the Library being a partner in research and scholarship.

Need to find a publishing venue? Concerned about predatory publishers? Want to know if you have the rights to deposit your work in the BMCC institutional repository? We're here to partner in this work and more.

One of the most important ways for partners to connect is through listening. I'll be out and about on campus in the coming months to listen to you, our students, and our community about your passions, your frustrations, your dreams, your plans. And you should feel free to find me in the Library and share your ideas, as well.

My first few months at BMCC have been fabulous. Our students and faculty are inspiring, and it's great to be along for the ride on your learning journeys.

I look forward to connecting and partnering with many many more of you in the years ahead.

all best,

jean

yr friendly outreach librarian