Laughing All the Way to the Bank: Using Television Clips to Promote Financial Literacy

Abstract

International students, who comprise 14.5% percent of the student body at Penn State Harrisburg, expressed concern regarding personal finances in an institutional survey. Using situational comedy clips that addressed financial missteps, the author worked with an English conversation group to discuss personal finance management and financial assistance resources and to promote financial literacy amongst the students based on the Reference and User Services Association's Financial Literacy Education in Libraries: Guidelines and Best Practices for Service. The use of sitcoms allowed humor to lighten what can often be a taboo subject. The clips provided examples to critique rather than using personal experiences. Students reacted positively to the program structure and participated in lively conversation.

We’re in the Money: A Guide to Getting Involved in Student Financial Literacy for Business Librarians

“…Academic libraries are increasingly taking part in financial literacy initiatives on campus, based on the abundance of recent examples and case studies in the professional literature (Dawes, 2013;Jagman et al, 2014;Roggenkamp, 2014;Gil, 2015;Reiter, 2015;Doucette, 2017;Woodward and Timm, 2015;Mross and Reiter, 2019b;Mross, 2019). As a business librarian, you may find yourself wanting (or being asked) to join these efforts for a number of reasons.…”