Imagine a system where libraries could acquire, train, mentor, and support students to provide first-tier research assistance to faculty for long-term projects: building out literature reviews, assisting with meta-analyses, and systematic reviews while working on their advocacy skills serving on school-wide committees alongside the library liaisons and strengthening our advocacy to promote the library at a grassroots peer-to-peer level? And imagine employing this group of students at no cost to your library. What would this model look like, and how would it work? Would it be sustainable? This presentation will review one university’s plan to add value to the student experience while simultaneously establishing value with teaching faculty by implementing a mentoring program to develop Student Research Fellows. The goal of this program was to establish a scalable and sustainable partnership with SRFs, cultivate a culture of inquiry, and promote scholarly communication between librarians, faculty, academic support staff, and students. This presentation will explore the benefits and challenges involved in implementing this program. Presenters will discuss the process of acquiring Student Research Fellows through the Federal Work Study Program, as well as introduce methods for writing SRF job descriptions, setting up a Research Training Boot Camp, reviewing projects under consideration, and assessment strategies for evaluating student learning processes and experiences. Attendees will have access to a LibGuide which accompanies the presentation and are invited to participate in an online discussion using https://todaysmeet.com/