Since the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2009, colleges and universities have seen an increase in enrollment of veterans and service members from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In order to help meet the needs of this very distinct population, these institutions have developed and implemented a variety of programs to provide support to military students and their families as they make the oftentimes difficult transition into higher education. But academic libraries have been slow to join these efforts, and as a result, veterans and service members may not see the library as a welcoming or inclusive space.
My guest, Dr. Sarah LeMire, has devoted much of her professional career to addressing this issue. In addition to her role as First Year Programs Coordinator for the Texas A&M Libraries, Sarah is the co-author with Kristen J. Mulvihill of Serving Those Who Served: A Librarian's Guide to Working with Veteran and Military Communities, published in 2017 by ABC-CLIO.
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