Academic libraries—especially small ones—often operate in conditions that are far from ideal. Staffing is tight. Budgets stretch thin. Responsibilities keep expanding while teams shrink. Many librarians know this reality intimately.
Our library knows it especially well: we operate with a team composed entirely of student workers. There are no layers of full-time staff to distribute responsibilities across. Every program, every project, every innovation depends on our students. What could easily be seen as a limitation has instead become the foundation of a student-centered ecosystem shaped by mentorship, shared leadership, and purpose.
This is where critical hope becomes more than a philosophy. It becomes a practice.
Critical hope is the belief that even when circumstances are challenging, we can still build environments where people thrive. And when paired with relentless incrementalism—small steps taken consistently, deliberately, and collaboratively—it becomes a powerful driver of culture.
This is the story of how a library built on student workers created a community that students now seek out, talk about, and want to be part of.
Relentless Incrementalism: Leadership Built One Step at a Time
In most libraries, sweeping changes take time, and large-scale initiatives compete with day-to-day realities. But culture doesn’t grow through massive shifts. It grows through small moments of trust, shared work, and opportunities extended at the right time.
This is the heart of relentless incrementalism: making one small improvement, then another, and letting these steps accumulate into meaningful change. Even with limited capacity, we can still:
- mentor one more student
- create one more opportunity
- document one more piece of progress
Over time, these moments layer into a culture where students understand that they are not just workers—they are collaborators, leaders, and contributors to something bigger.
One Student at a Time: How Culture Begins
Our culture didn’t start with a strategic directive. It started with one student.
The earliest example was a student worker who transitioned into an intern, then a collaborator, and eventually a co-presenter and co-author. Through that experience, it became clear that when a student is given meaningful responsibilities—publishing, teaching, presenting—they rise to the occasion. More importantly, they reshape the environment around them.
That first experience became the model: when you invest deeply in one student, you open the door for a culture that can scale.
Peer Leadership as Cultural Momentum
Years later, a new generation of student workers continued that tradition, most visibly through a student leader whose enthusiasm for growth was contagious. She didn’t just want to publish and present; she wanted her peers to have those same opportunities. Her leadership turned ambition into community, and that sense of shared accomplishment shifted the culture again.
Soon, new student workers were arriving and saying things like:
“I’ve heard this is where you grow.”
“I want the same experience my friend had.”
That’s when we knew: relentless incrementalism had become culture. The library’s story traveled faster than any job posting.
Why a Student-Worker-Only Model Works
Operating solely with student workers forces clarity. You cannot rely on hierarchy or job descriptions—only on mentorship, belonging, and shared purpose.
It works because:
- Students rise to expectations when they know their work matters.
- They bring creativity and lived experiences that energize the library.
- They support one another in ways that strengthen community.
- They take pride in being part of something meaningful and visible.
When students are trusted with real responsibilities, they do more than complete tasks—they help shape the future of the library.
Building Structural Sustainability
As the culture grew, it became clear that passion alone wasn’t enough. For the work to last, we needed structure that protected and supported the student-centered model.
To make the culture sustainable, we began formalizing roles that ensure continuity without expanding permanent staffing.
Student Roles Focused on Communications and Engagement
By establishing dedicated roles for digital communications, outreach, or blogging, libraries can create consistent storytelling that centers student voices. Structured roles turn creative, episodic efforts into reliable community engagement pipelines.
Graduate Assistants Supporting Assessment and Learning Analytics
Graduate assistants can anchor long-term projects—tracking outcomes, documenting innovative teaching practices, supporting accreditation, and helping translate student work into measurable impact. Their consistency strengthens a library’s ability to advocate for its value.
Emerging Roles in AI Literacy and Digital Fluency
Looking forward, many libraries could benefit from dedicated roles in AI literacy or digital scholarship—even if grant-funded at first. These roles ensure that students, who are already leading so much of this work, receive structured support in navigating emerging technologies ethically and equitably.
In each case, the roles serve the same purpose: ensuring that the culture built by students can be sustained, strengthened, and expanded over time.
Culture as Critical Hope in Action
Critical hope takes hold when we refuse to see scarcity as a stopping point. Instead, we ask:
“What can we build with what we have?”
With only student workers, we built:
- a culture of belonging
- a system of mentorship
- a community of peer-led leadership
- a publishing and presenting pipeline
- a sustainable model for student empowerment
Students do not just participate—they co-create.
This is critical hope: believing in people, investing in them, and trusting that small steps can reshape the environment.
Practical Takeaways for Library Leaders
Any library—regardless of size or staffing—can apply these principles.
1. Start with the people you have.
Student workers, part-time staff, or colleagues can all become partners in culture-building.
2. Invest in one student or colleague at a time.
You don’t need a cohort to begin. You need one person who’s ready.
3. Document small wins.
Data, stories, and examples create momentum and institutional support.
4. Create structured roles that elevate student or staff work.
Clear expectations and responsibilities help make success repeatable.
5. Encourage peer leadership.
Students and employees learn as much from each other as they do from us.
6. Let culture become your recruitment tool.
A strong culture attracts people who want to grow within it.
Conclusion: Small Steps, Big Culture
A culture of critical hope does not come from perfect conditions. It emerges from consistent, relational work built one student, one opportunity, and one incremental step at a time. In libraries—especially those with limited staffing—relentless incrementalism becomes a form of care, leadership, and community-building.
Even when circumstances aren’t ideal, we can still build something extraordinary.
One person at a time.
One moment at a time.
One sustained act of hope at a time.
👉Inclusive Knowledge Solutions partners with academic libraries to build reflective, equity-driven, high-trust cultures. From leadership coaching to DEI strategy to learning design, we help librarians do their most courageous, collaborative work. Let’s connect.
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