The University of Tennessee Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of two new faculty members. Ingrid Ruffin (pictured, left) is Student Success Librarian for First-Year Programs. Anna Sandelli (right) is Student Success Librarian for Undergraduate User Experience.

What do Student Success Librarians do? Basically, they help students learn the tools of scholarship while adjusting to college life. Two keys to undergraduate success are finding a sense of place at the university and gaining the information literacy skills students will need in every class they take. Success at those vital steps boosts first-to-second-year retention rates and six-year graduation rates—both top priorities for the university. Our Student Success Librarians will implement and expand instruction and academic engagement programs to improve the user experience for undergraduates at UT.

Ingrid Ruffin has experience developing pre-college and first-year programs at UT; for the past two years she served as a diversity librarian resident in the UT Libraries. She is an Air Force veteran and currently serves on the Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans.

Anna Sandelli comes to UT from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she worked with the User Experience team to deliver information literacy and technology instruction to undergraduates. She has a background in corporate communications with an international company for which she provided outreach and marketing services.