Happy new year colleagues!

I was asked to summarise for the list answers on 'How do you communicate
with students?'

We all seem to be pretty much in the same boat, relying on notice boards and
flyers with the occasional newsletter thrown in and using our VLEs and
Intranet news pages.  There is no definitive 'cure all' answer.  With the
exception of VLEs we tend to rely wholly on paper based notices, poster and
fliers.  

There was consensus that relying on lecturers and tutors to pass on messages
and information was a very unreliable. (tutor has to remember and student
has to turn up - pretty hit and miss combination) - with the exception of
one college that had a college wide daily newsletter that lecturers
highlighted in tutorials with students. 

We also rely fairly heavily on ways that require students to come to our
door, leaving the non-users out in the cold, so to speak.

I thought that a student college email address would be an, if not the,
answer; but it seems that firstly students have to know they've got one and
second they have to look at the contents.

There is original thought out there:
One librarian pondered on the supermarket tannoy announcement telling people
of this week's library specials ... 
And
Eduserv Chest are investigating developing SMS text messaging software for
colleges and universities

I like the idea of SMS text messaging but as mobile phones are required to
be switched off in our LRC, surely someone is bound to notice the hypocracy
of us communicating with students with the darned thing we ban in our
spaces!

The detailed bit:

How do we communicate with students:
Notice boards
*       inside/outside LRC
*       in and around college
*       in Refectory
Notice boards where messages for individual students can be left. (This
might work for some but not here - we have students who would enjoy this for
all the wrong reasons, oh, the chaos!)
Notices on said noticeboards, e.g.:
*       Database news
*       Workshops
*       Library changes (fines etc)
Newsletters:
*       College wide daily/weekly/monthly/termly
*       Library newsletters monthly/termly
Leaving news messages on the front page of the VLE/Intranet/OPAC
VLE/Intranet student mailboxes
Eye-level posters on doors
Bribery - e.g. fill in survey and be entered into a £50 prize draw
Student radio station announcements
Using scrolling news screens
Block individual students library records with a note of info (if your
system will let you)
Posting information
Phoning students (asking them for their mobile no. at registration)
Banners at the door

A link was also suggested (I am yet to visit it) 
There are lots of hints and tips on Marketing your Library and Outreach on
the ACRL web site:
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Public_Inf
ormation/Campaign_for_Americas_Libraries/Academic_and_Research_Library_Campa
ign/Academic_and_Research_Library_Campaign.htm
<http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/Public_In
formation/Campaign_for_Americas_Libraries/Academic_and_Research_Library_Camp
aign/Academic_and_Research_Library_Campaign.htm> 

Many thanks to all that replied, 
Gillian Rutherford
LRC Manager
North Tyenside College
0191 229 5106