Welcome to the Macdonald Campus Library! Adapting a library onboarding program for the local environment
McGill University is a large, research-intensive academic institution with two campuses, served by the McGill University Library system, made up of several branch libraries. Recently, a revised library onboarding program was developed, focusing on three areas: 1- Position responsibilities, 2- Academic tenure-track contributions and expectations, and 3- Helping new librarians feel like part of the community. Given the differences in individual branch libraries, local adaptations are necessary for an effective onboarding experience. The Macdonald Campus Library, a branch of the McGill University Library system, is the only branch library at the Macdonald Campus (approximately 35 km from the downtown campus). This distance causes challenges requiring unique adaptations to the onboarding program, such as integrating new librarians into the greater McGill Library community. Additionally, with a small staff, mentorship and networking opportunities are more limited, with exposure to fewer colleagues on a daily basis. This poster will describe efforts made, and strategies used, to tailor the onboarding program at the local level, accounting for distance from the main campus, and small team size.