News & Media

The LOUIS Team Offers Training and Creates Lasting Relationships with Member Libraries through Site Visits

This summer the LOUIS team is spending time at several member libraries around the state to provide training and support for their staff as well as to get to know our members better. LOUIS team members have visited or will visit libraries at University of Holy Cross in New Orleans, LSU, LSUA, Southeastern, and Baton Rouge Community College.

One huge advantage to visiting a library in person is that the LOUIS Team can troubleshoot issues that staff may not think to mention in virtual settings. That’s why Mike Waugh, Library Services Platform Administrator, finds site visits so valuable: “When we are there in person, it's so easy to pursue a question or a problem that can be an off-hand comment, one that wouldn't necessarily make their way into a helpdesk ticket. Those in-between discussions are so valuable.”

One of the LOUIS Team’s goals in any interactions with our member libraries is to create real and effective relationships with our membership. Zehra “ZeeZee” Zamin, Resource Sharing and Library Services Platform Manager, finds that the personal interactions she gets to have with library staff on site visits are invaluable: “At times I learn something new from them to share with others. I find that people tend to be more amenable and willing to talk when meeting in person and establish lasting relationships with us.”

This summer’s site visits are the first since 2019, before the COVID pandemic. “I've always liked doing site visits because everybody's got a favorite lunch place I can try,” says Mike, “But seriously, it's even more special seeing everybody after the pandemic lockdown.”

The LOUIS Team is available for site visits to any of our member libraries on a rolling basis. For more information on these visits, please contact Rob Stephens, Member Services Manager with the LOUIS Team, at rob.stephens@laregents.edu.

LOUIS Site Visits this summer. Top: Mike Waugh and Laurie Blandino eating lunch during our visit to LSU. Bottom Left: Victor Sanchez talks about electronic resources at Southeastern. Bottom Right: Mike, Laurie, and Lisa Stigall pose in front of James C. Bolton Library at LSUA.