Atkins Fellow - Student Wellness | The University of North Carolina at Charlotte - Military Veterans

Position Number: STMP15 Department: Library (Adm) Employment Type: Temporary - Full-time Months Per Year: 3 Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Academic libraries are increasingly creating positions and offering services and resources that support the overall well-being of students. Recognizing that students have other aspects of their lives that impact their ability to succeed in their academic careers, academic libraries can play an important role in supporting them. This project will explore how academic libraries can support public health initiatives and/or harm reduction efforts by helping develop recommendations for a sustainable model for Atkins Library at UNC Charlotte. Some public health and harm reduction efforts include (but are not limited to) substance test kits, safer sex kits, free menstrual products in the library bathrooms, free COVID tests, food pantry, and stress reduction and health literacy programming. One harm reduction effort that is more common in public libraries involves training public-facing library employees to recognize the signs of an overdose, administer Narcan (Naloxone), and to make the medication freely available in the library. This fellowship offers an opportunity to learn about the ways that academic libraries can support these student wellness efforts. Employing a variety of research methods, the Fellow will collect information about different approaches to integrating public health initiatives and harm reduction practices in academic libraries, gather best practices from university and public libraries offering these services, and meet with campus units that can partner on these efforts. This project will help inform the approach that Atkins Library can use to further support student wellness on campus. The Fellow will gain experience collaborating with faculty and staff throughout campus who are dedicated to student well-being and health. They will work closely with the Student Success Librarian, gaining exposure to the different elements of this type of work in academic libraries. This position will appeal to MLIS students who are interested in the intersections of libraries and public health and harm reduction, community engagement, and research. Duties and Responsibilities: Research extant literature and other resources related to public health and harm reduction in academic libraries Identify public health and harm reduction opportunities for Atkins Library that would benefit the UNC Charlotte campus Outreach to campus and community partners Research possible grant or other funding sources Write a project proposal including a literature review Minimum Experience / Education: Bachelors Degree in Library and Information Science from an ALA -accredited program or Public Health. Applicants must have completed 24 credits (or two full semesters of work) toward a Master's in Library and Information Science from an ALA -accredited program Preferred Education Skills and Experience: * Completion of 24 credits (or two full semesters of work) toward a Master's in Library and Information Science from an ALA -accredited program Familiarity with harm reduction and public health Research skills to identify current literature and/or practices Desire to gain or strengthen experience with proposal writing Excellent written and oral communication skills Excellent time management skills Ability to work independently and as part of a team Comfortable doing outreach to campus and community