Communication Center Journal 75 - Volume 4:1 - 2018 - Stronger Together: Nonsummativity and the Grand Valley State University Knowledge Market

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

Communication Center Journal 75, Volume 4:1 (2018) explores the history, purpose, and services of the Grand Valley State University Knowledge Market. The model connects faculty and staff directors leading specialized student-consultant groups, coordinating research, writing, speaking, and visual-aid development. It positions collaboration between the Knowledge Market and the university library as synergistic, replicable, and suitable for campuses seeking stronger communication-center and library partnerships. The article also frames libraries and communication centers as spaces that support inquiry, information literacy, and student success.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of the Knowledge Market Model

History, purpose, and services

Relationship with the university library

Collaboration as an Academic Foundation

Libraries and communication centers as learning spaces

Evidence linking support services to student outcomes

The GV Knowledge Market (GVKM)

Collaborative structure across centers

Services, clients, and course/project overlap

Introducing the GV Knowledge Market

Institutional background and motivation

Communication Center Journal 75 Volume 4:1, 2018 Stronger Together: Nonsummativity and the Grand Valley State University Knowledge Market Carl J. Brown Grand Valley State University Jeannine Lane Grand Valley State University Jennifer Torreano Grand Valley State University Skye Gregory-Hatch Grand Valley State University This article discusses the history, purpose, and services that make up the Grand Valley State University Knowledge Market. The Knowledge Market is made up of faculty and staff directors leading four unique groups of specialized student-consultants who collaborate with their peers. While each service has a unique specialty, The Knowledge Market unites to guide students through the collective academic processes of researching, writing, speaking, and developing visual aids. The Knowledge Market is partnered with the university library in mission, service, and location. It provides a unique and replicable model that can be applied at a variety of campuses who have a need and desire for the communication center to synergize with the similar campus services and the bedrock of campus communities—the university library. Keywords: communication centers, university libraries, collaboration The library is the intellectual and locational hub of many campuses. These revered spaces function as a community space for inquiry and the free exchange of ideas allowing for the transcendence of the physical and disciplinary boundaries that divide departments, faculty, and staff. Academic libraries strive to provide access to space and resources in the pursuit of learning, teaching, and supplying information literacy skills that are crucial in college and for citizens in a participatory democracy (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015) . From research centers and technology providers to group meeting spaces and exam-cram havens, students value libraries. Clearly, libraries are critical and central to campus environments. Meanwhile, the communication center is, as Dr. Kathleen Turner noted during her 2014 keynote address to members of the National Association of Communication Centers,“centered on our campuses”(p. 2) . This statement is interpreted as the communication center is the communication-center of our campuses. Communication is necessary, ubiquitous and, therefore, inescapable (Bebee, Bebee,& Ivy, 2010) . Therefore, communication centers can assist students to be more effective communicators now, in the future, and in all aspects of their lives. Use of the center is associated with improved retention rates (Yook, 2012), critical thinking (AtkinsSayre, 2012), empowerment (Brown & Leek, 2016; Pensoneau-Conway & Romerhausen, 2012), and communication anxiety management abilities (Dwyer, 2015) . It can be said with confidence that communication centers are valuable assets to campus communities and the students who comprise them. We know that both libraries and communication centers are spaces that aid students in multiple and various ways, not the least of which is collaborative learning. Communication Center Journal 76 Volume 4:1, 2018 Whether in the form of libraries providing group study and learning locations or consulting centers housing peer-to-peer learning opportunities, collaboration makes these spaces unique. In fact, the American Library Association’s Democracy Statement (2012) and the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education (2015) state that communication and collaboration via conversation are cornerstones of academic inquiry. Given the multiple and various potentials for cooperation inside of these both sets of hallowed halls, it makes sense that organizations that share similar collaborative goals unite in the library and capitalize on the synergistic opportunities that exist. One collaborative endeavor at Grand Valley State Univeristy (GVSU) that brings consulting services together with the university librar

FAQs

What is the Grand Valley State University Knowledge Market (GVKM)?

The GVKM is both a space within the library’s common area and an intangible collaboration created by the Writing Center, Research Center, Data Center, and the university’s communication center. It unites specialized student-consultant groups to guide students through academic tasks such as researching, writing, speaking, and creating visual aids.

How does the article connect communication centers and university libraries?

It argues both are central campus spaces that support inquiry, information literacy, and collaborative learning. The Knowledge Market is described as partnering with the university library in mission, service, and location, leveraging shared collaboration goals to create synergy.

What kinds of outcomes does the article associate with communication center use?

It cites associations with improved retention rates, critical thinking, empowerment, and communication anxiety management abilities. The overall claim is that communication centers provide valuable assets to campus communities and students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore