Becoming a Great Academic Liaison!

Presenters

Joe EshlemanInstruction Librarian

Johnson & Wales University Charlotte

Dr. Richard MonizDirector of Library Services/LIS Instructor

Johnson & Wales University Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Jo HenryInformation Services Librarian

South Piedmont Community College

Liaisons….

….Are you out there?

How many average hours per week do you devote to your

liaison roles?

A. 1-5 HoursB. 6-10 HoursC. 11-15 HoursD. More than 15 Hours

The Evolution of Liaison Fundamentals

In Existence “Prehistoric Age”

1949

• Collection Development

• Faculty/Department Communication

• Subject Knowledge

New AgeExplosion

• Technology Support• Curriculum• Evaluation• Copyright• Educators• Course Proposals

Fundamentals Needed Today

• Subject Knowledge

• CollectionDevelopment

• Electronic Support• Strategy Driven

Support• Communication

Core• Educators

EXPANDING ROLE OF ACADEMIC LIAISONS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1949 1963 1989 2001 2007 2012

Educator Role

Evaluation

Accreditation

Curriculum

Embedded

Tech Support

BI-IL

Fac/Dept. Comm.

Sub. Knowledge

Coll. Dev.

University of Connecticut

“A library liaison is a staff member who has been designated the formal contact person between the Libraries and a specific academic unit of the University.”

Primary Role: CommunicationSecondary Role: Collection Development, User Services (reference, instruction modules, guides, committees, program evaluation)

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

“. . . in general, to serve as the contact person for the department, school, or program.”

Role: Communication (information sharing, IL, teaching partnerships, modules), collection development, user services (reference, guides, committees, department’s curriculum/research needs)

University of Southampton (UK)

“The Library has designated Academic Liaison Librarians for each Academic Unit or Faculty who work in partnership with academic staff to develop services in support of learning and teaching, research and enterprise.”

Role: Collection development, support services, new programs, budgeting, assist student information skills, research advice, audits

Communication

Core

Subject Knowledge

Strategic Support

Education Facilitation

Electronic Support

Collection Development

What best describes your liaison role?

• COMMUNICATOR/SUBJECT SPECIALIST

TO A DEPARTMENT

• INFORMATION LITERACY COURSE FOR

CREDIT

• CO-TEACHING OR EMBEDDED

• LIBRARY INSTRUCTION/INFORMATION

LITERACY “ONE-SHOT”

Academic Library Statistics

• 3,793 Academic Libraries• 22,504 Academic Librarians• 98% of ACRL libraries have liaisons• 25% of library jobs list liaison duties• 52% of traditional librarians do liaison

duties 11-30% of the time• 5-7 hours a week per embedded class

Faculty Communication and Assistance

• Communication is often the primary role for a liaison

• Communication can often work best face to face, although understanding preferred communication styles is beneficial- stay active!

• Communication with faculty needs to be relayed to other librarians

Communication Tips for Library Liaison/Faculty Interactions

• Get to know the organizational design and culture

• Stay visible and be proactive

• Document all of your communication-have a focused plan and desired results

Remember the importance of having a personal librarian contact for faculty!

“The key to working well with faculty is to avoid the “let me explain this to you” scenario. That never goes down

well. We’re talking about work that faculty do day in and out, and we should avoid sounding as if we know more

about it than they do, because we don’t.“

-Barbara Fister( 2013) Decode academy. Paper presented at LOEX, 3 May 2013.

Communication Tips for Library Liaison/Faculty Interactions

Remember , you can take the consultant or “soft sell” approach

• Is technology changing the nature of relationships? Is person to person relationship building diminishing?

• What is the role of the liaison, what is the ROI (Return on Influence)?

Library Liaison/Faculty Interactions

Collection Development: Then and Now

He must know books, book values, dealers, and dealers’ specialties . . . he must enjoy reading dealers’ catalogs and examining secondhand books; he must know the faculty of his area and what they are working upon; he must know where their judgment of books can supplement his and where it is apt to be deficient. – Herman Fussler (1949)

Fred J. Hay, “Subject Specialist in the Academic Library: A Review Article”, The Journal of American Librarianship 16, no. 1, 11-17: 12.

Collection Development: First Things First

• Immersion in the resources

• Understanding knowledge in the subject area and how it is disseminated

• Develop relationships with faculty

• Other institutions/libraries

Collection Development: Other Big Picture Issues

• Shift from print to electronic

• Shrinking budgets

• Consortial connections/arrangements

• Research-intensive versus basic needs

Collection Development: Getting it Done

• Advocate for funding

• Handling suggestions and requests – What is your system?

• Be creative:o Have a contesto Personalize messages to facultyo Attend faculty meetings and request suggestionso Explore patron driven acquisition

Information Literacy Standards-SCONUL

http://www.sconul.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/coremodel.pdf

Information Literacy Standards -ACRL

Information Literacy Instruction

1 Shot to

4 Focused INTERACTIVEVisits

ENG 111-Visit 1 Topic SelectionENG 111-Visit 2 Website AnalysisENG 112-Visit 1 Database SearchingENG 112-Visit 2 Journal v. Magazine Analysis

A Sample . . .

Topic Selection Visit

Learning Outcome: Work through exercises in topic selection for a specific assignment using mind mapping, keyword phrases, and database searching to gain understanding of how to find reliable information on their topic.

Topic for the Day

Embedded Librarian

“[the embedded] librarian becomes a member of the customer community rather than a service provider

standing apart.” - David Shumaker

”Embedded Librarian - A librarian located online, in the classroom, or in a department assisting with

liaison support and services. This librarian communicates as part of the group.”

- Eshleman, Henry, & Moniz

Embedded Online

Information Literacy

Instruction

Embedded in Class• Defining embedded can be tricky , but however it is

defined, librarians need to be engaged in a proactive way

David Shumaker’s Four Keys:

Accreditation• CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation)

• MSCACS• NCACS• NEASC• SACS• WASC

• Specialized Accreditation• e.g. CHRIE (International Council on Hotel,

Restaurant, and Institutional Education)• e.g. ALA

Accreditation

• Documentationo Roles (as specified in job descriptions)o Collection developmento Library or IL instruction (in general or as it

relates to programs)o Any student assessmento Feedback

Accreditation

New Courses/Programs:Key Ingredients

• Knowledge of the collection – What do we have now?

• Appropriate committee participation

• Meet with chair

• Meet with faculty (current and, as possible, future)

• Explore other institutions

New Courses/Programs: Special Needs

• Software (e.g. ESHA)

• Hardware (e.g. 3D printers)

• Online versus traditional

• Graduate or research intensive versus basic

• Other connections or resources

Questions?

Online Tutorial Checklist

Objective

Medium (Screencast/Animated/Film)

Equipment/software

Design (Storyboard and Scripting)

Creation

Storyboard and Scripting Software

• Atomic Learning’s Video Storyboard Pro (Free)

• Celtx (storyboard and scripting) (Free)

• Springboard Storyboard Software (Free-$40)

• PowerProduction Storyboard Quick ($180+)

• Toonboom Storyboard ($200-$900)

Free Tutorial Software

• Screencast(Jing, Snagit, Screencast-O-Matic)

• Animated Software(Voki, Animoto, PowToon-Free+)

LibGuides

• Use guides for general listing or directory

• Use guides to explain and expand upon liaison assignments and roles

Use guides for general listing or directory

Use guides to explain and expand upon liaison assignments and roles

Evaluation

• Surveys

• Focus groups

• Libguide usage

• Circulations or database statistics

Evaluation

Trend 1: Develop user-centered library services

Trend 2: A hybrid model of liaison and functional specialist is emerging

Trend 3: Organizational flexibility must meet changing user needs

Trend 4: No liaison is an island

Trend 5: Collaboration is key

Trend 6: Create and sustain a flexible workforce

• Tech-Driven • MOOC’s• Technical and Copyright Support• Deeper Involvement with Administration and

other Departments• Co-existence with Educators• Research Support/Advocacy• Digital Preservation• Scholarly Communication• Data Curation

The Future of Liaison Work

“In a society oriented around specialization, where knowledge is fragmented, librarians play critical integrating roles.”

Brian Matthews – Engines for Change

The Future of Liaison Work

The Future of Liaison Work

“…it is our challenge to make them expect more and

to deliver the expertise, services, and resources that

will be differentiators in their academic lives”

Liaisons….

….put yourselves out there!

ReferencesAttebury, Ramirose Ilene and Joshua Finnell. (2009). “What do LIS students in the United States know about liaison duties?,” New Library World, 110(7/8), 331.

Bennett, Erika and Jennie Simning. (2010). “Embedded Librarians and Reference Traffic: A Quantitative Analysis,” Journal of Library Administration, 50(5), 454.

Fister, Barbara (2013) “Decode academy”. Paper presented at LOEX, 3 May 2013.

Kenney, Anne R. Leveraging the Liaison Model: From Defining 21st Century Research Libraries to Implementing 21st Century Research Universities

Kranich, Nancy. The Future of Library Liaison Relationships.

Jaguszewski, Janice M and Karen Williams. New Roles for New times: Transforming Liaison Roles in Research Libraries

Leonard, Elisabeth. “Academic Libraries: Themes in Liaison Responsibilities.” Retrieved from http://www.elisabethleonard.com/resources/ALALiaison.pdf

Logue, Susan, John Ballestro, Andrea Imre, and Julie Arendt. (2007). “SPEC Kit 301: Liaison Services.” Association of Research Libraries. Retrieved from http://publications.arl.org/Liaison- Services-SPEC-Kit-301/

Matthews, Brian. “Engines for Change: Libraries as Drivers for Engagement”.

Phan, Tai, Laura Hardesty, and Jamie Hug. (2014). “Academic Libraries: 2012 First Look,” U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014/2014038.pdf

Shank, John and Nancy Dewald. (2003). “Establishing Our Presence in Courseware: Adding Library Services to the Virtual Classroom,” Information Technology and Libraries, 22( 1).

Stauffer, Scott and Nina Parikh. Get Creative! The Digital Video Idea Book. New York: McGraw Hill.

Further reading…

…and/or contact us later with your questions!