Abstract
Officially opening in January of 2018, the Learning Commons in the University of Miami Libraries Richter Library was a new venture, a common space where students in different disciplines could reach their academic goals through collaboration with peers and guidance from experts. By bringing campus partners such as the Writing Center, Math Lab, Digital Scholarship, and the Camner Center for Academic Resources into one place, the UM Libraries created a new information ecosystem in which students could explore and thrive, utilizing a concentration of resources to better become self-directed, lifelong learners. Co-locating services allows students—the most important stakeholders on campus—to access resources and assistance more easily and in a more approachable manner. Technology, expert help, and collaborative spaces underpin this new ecosystem and allow peer-to-peer learning to take root and grow. Part of that expert help comes from students of the University of Miami themselves in the form of the UM Libraries peer research consultants. Training Guides Providing hands-on research support to their peers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, peer research consultants are trained to provide quality reference interactions by the library's Learning and Research Services department. This training allows peer research consultants to deepen their research skills and develop the advanced research, interpersonal, and presentation skills needed to support their fellow students. The peer research consultants program taps into the instinct of undergraduates to rely on their peers for academic guidance while also providing personalized, one-on-one service. While a group training day is a new addition, the training program for the peer research consultants began as a series of checklists and guides which still underpin the program. This initial training is organized to begin with concrete expectations before moving into more the more abstract and artful form of providing empathetic research support. Basic knowledge, such as referrals, logins, and opening and closing procedures, is reflected in comprehensive training checklists that librarians and the peer research consultant supervisor guide peer research consultants through before moving on to more advanced training. After this basic orientation, either during a training day or more individualized setting, peer research consultants then begin to develop their reference and research skills through a series of active learning guides, whose goal is to encourage exploration, analysis, and self-reflection. These guides are completed in an asynchronous format, allowing peer research consultants to complete them while they work and at their own pace, taking time to explore library resources as well as ask questions from librarians when they find areas of difficulty. As each