“I could be totally myself and I felt listened to and understood”: nurturing genuine partnership to promote belonging and agency amongst the Library Student Team and wider student community at University of Worcester

Madalene George, Student Engagement Coordinator at the University of Worcester

Abstract

In 2016, University of Worcester was one of the first UK universities to develop a dedicated library-based Student Engagement team working in partnership with students to develop library services that work for all. More recently, Library Services’ engagement work has expanded to include a paid Library Student Team alongside an established work placement offer and a Study Happy student wellbeing programme, delivered in partnership with Worcestershire Libraries. With an evolving student demographic, changing higher education landscape and complex global context, it is now more important than ever to understand students’ need for a sense of belonging and to recognise the value that comes from empowering students to be active agents of change.

This session will outline the aims and outcomes of Worcester’s student engagement initiatives and explore how we measure and communicate the positive impacts that nurturing genuine staff- student partnership has on not only the students involved but the service as a whole and the wider university community.

Biography

Madalene George is a Student Engagement Coordinator at University of Worcester Library Services. Based at The Hive, Europe’s first fully integrated university and public library, Madalene supports the service’s Library Student Team, student work placement offer and Study Happy programme. She has a particular interest in working in partnership with students to create an innovative and inclusive service.

Summer Conference 2025: Stop! Collaborate and Listen: Partnerships in Libraries

UHMLG’s 2025 Summer Conference brings together a range of fantastic speakers to look at partnerships within libraries. The conference is taking place in person at the Hive in Worcester and spans two half days (13-14 June, 2025). Our core audience is UK / Republic of Ireland health and medical librarians from the Higher Education and NHS / health sectors, but we welcome delegates from any area of librarianship, and from anywhere in the world.

More information / Book your place

For full information about the conference, and to book your place, please visit our Summer Conference 2025 page.