The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Library has experienced a drop in the library gate count, in-person visits, reference queries, and attendance at library classes, for the past few years. A program was put in place to reach out to faculty and researchers (academics) by making phone calls to their offices “cold calling”, and to graduate students by offering them incentives for their time.

The amount of positive feedback from the academics and students, and the new knowledge and confidence gained by the librarian from time spent researching the academics before cold calling, and preparation for the consultations and classes, branded this new program as a success. Revision of the program goals and plan a year after implementation, to streamline the workflow, turned this new venture into a routine service of the SIO Library.