Reflections on identity and service: Creating a Veteran library outreach program

Abstract: This program profile details the creation and implementation of a veteran library outreach program by two faculty librarians who are also military veterans at a regional R1 commuter campus. The Veteran Library Outreach Program (VLOP), which ran from Spring 2022 to Spring 2025, consisted of three phases: roving reference services in the campus Veterans Center, a credit-bearing independent study for a student veteran, and the creation of a Student Veteran Research Assistant position. Informed by principles from Participatory Design and Veteran Critical Theory, the program utilized a "By Veterans, For Veterans" approach that explicitly named the authors' veteran identities and recognized the diverse nature of the veteran population. This article includes a timeline of the program, discussion on the influencing theories, and the authors’ reflections on challenges of maintaining dual professional and veteran identities when engaging student veterans in outreach.

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