Paws the pressure: engaging with students at Victoria University Library [slides]

National Library and Information Technicians' Symposium, 13-15 November 2019 Melbourne: Discover, Diversify, Dive In
 
This presentation (PowerPoint slides) accompanied the session on the "De-Stress" journey at Victoria University (VU) - it's success, the challenges and the learnings for VU library, and the future of the Library's engagement with students. 
 
Session description: Back in 2016, Victoria University library developed and introduced a ground-breaking program to engage with and support students at the University. The program was called "Paws the Pressure"; three events across different campus libraries where therapy dogs visited the libraries to help students "de-stress" during the exam period. The events were very successful and gained national media attention. In 2017 funding was received to expand "Paws the Pressure" into a larger "DeStress Festival" that offered a broader range of activities to support students. In 2018 the Library worked with the Student Life team to hold the "De-Stress Fest". The "De-Stress Fest" is now managed by the Student Life team and the Library is looking for new ways to engage with students.