the liaison librarian program – meeting faculty needs? daphne flanagan, aus university librarian,...

The Liaison Librarian Program – Meeting Faculty Needs?Daphne Flanagan, AUS University Librarian, [email protected]

Alanna Ross, AUS Associate University Librarian for Public Services, [email protected]

IntroductionLiaison Librarian Program

2010 Project2015 Project

American University of Sharjah• 6000 students• 384 faculty• Co-educational• College of Engineering / College of Arts &

Sciences / College of Architecture, Art & Design / School of Business Administration

• American-style curriculum

AUS Library• SEATING FOR 900 STUDENTS• 140,000 PRINT AND MEDIA • 200,000 EBOOKS• 50+ ELECTRONIC DATABASES

AUS Library• 135+ DESKTOP COMPUTERS• 45+ LAPTOPS TO CHECKOUT• GROUP STUDY ROOMS• PRESENTATION ROOMS

• 10 LIBRARIANS• 13 FTE STAFF• 30 STUDENT ASSISTANTS

AUS FacultyHis Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah greets 42 new faculty.

Liaison Librarian Program

• Liaison Librarian Program is the link between the library and academic programs

• Intended to increase the Library’s effectiveness

• 7 librarians are liaisons


• Work with faculty to help students gain library and research skills

• Develop web-based tools to provide students with point-of-need assistance, self-paced tutorials and subject guides

• Faculty recommend materials purchase for the library

• Provide reference and research assistance


Regular communication including:

• Emails

• Newsletter targeted to faculty

• Face-to-face meetings

• Departmental meetings

Liaison Librarian ProgramAssessment

2010 - Faculty meetings Findings

2015 Survey / Faculty Interviews Findings

Future

Meetings with Faculty

Purpose

• To further develop work relationships between faculty and liaison librarians

• To gather specific information and learn from faculty

• To provide library-related information to faculty

* Modeled on a NYU Libraries project

Protocol• Identify and select 8-10 faculty

• Explain that the information is to improve library resources and services and to better understand their information needs as a teacher and researcher

• Each librarian had a script to follow with specific questions

• Take detailed notes

MeetingsCollege of Engineering 9Writing Studies / English 9International Studies 4Multimedia & Communications 4Architecture, Art & Design 7Business Administration 8

TOTAL 41

Sample Questions

Questions

USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A RESEARCHER

• Can you describe a bit about your focus as a researcher and the vision for your research?

Questions


• How do you stay current with new developments in your field of research?

Questions


• At what point in the research process – developing a hypothesis, structuring your research, gathering insights, and publishing – do you use the library?

Questions

USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A TEACHER

• Can you describe the kinds of classes you teach and how you prepare? Are you developing recommended reading lists?

Questions

USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A TEACHER

• As you go through the teaching process, are there tools you find particularly useful?

• What is the most helpful thing that librarians can do right now to help your students with research papers?

After the meetings• Compiled information from each librarian

• Met to discuss findings

• Discussed ways we might improve future project

• Developed an action plan

Findings• Under pressure to produce research• Prefer to use resources they have used in the

past• Know exactly which resources they need for

their research• Use a lot of their own resources• Divided on the use of ebooks / print books• They are very happy with ILL / document

delivery• Faculty are focusing research on local issues

Lessons learned

• Trim the number of questions

• Approach the meetings less formally

• Try to elicit examples & scenarios

• Start earlier in the year

Faculty Survey 2015

Aim:

“To explore faculty use of the library liaison program with a view to enhancing existing services and outreach”

Faculty Survey 2015

Purpose

How have faculty expectations changed?

Where might existing gaps be evident?

“Fleshing out” our own preconceived notions of faculty needs

How are existing services being used?

What are some of the challenges faculty encounter?

How might we respond?

Faculty Survey 2015

Survey

• 16 questions

• Qualtrics Survey Software

• Administered over a two week period

• 95 respondents (24.73% response rate)

Sample Questions

Faculty Survey 2015How have you used your liaison librarian’s services within the last 12 months? (select all options that apply)

• I requested the purchase of library materials / resources

• I was assisted with a research question

• I asked for library research instruction for my class

• I met with a librarian

• I attended a library workshop / training session

• I haven’t used the service

• Other (please specify)

Service Use

Faculty Survey 2015Which of the following liaison services are important to you? (please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 = extremely important and 5 = not important at all)

• Inform faculty about services and resources

• Acquire books and journals

• Teach undergraduate students research skills

• Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty

• Offer seminars/workshops about subject-specific library resources

• Develop research guides to subject specific library resources

• Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills

• Consult with faculty about their research

Most important services

Ranked overall

1. Acquire books and journals

2. Inform faculty about services and resources

3. Teach graduate students research skills

4. Teach undergraduate students research skills

5. Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills

6. Consult with faculty about their research

7. Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty

8. Develop research guides to subject specific library resources

9. Offer seminars / workshops about subject-specific library resources

Targeting Service Provision

Ranked overall

1. Acquire books and journals 3.

2. Inform faculty about services and resources 1.

3. Teach graduate students research skills 2.

4. Teach undergraduate students research skills






Engineering

Targeting Service Provision

Ranked overall

1. Acquire books and journals 3. 1.

2. Inform faculty about services and resources 1. 2.

3. Teach graduate students research skills 2.

4. Teach undergraduate students research skills 3.






Engineering Arts & Sciences

Faculty Survey 2015What do you find challenging about the research and publication process? (select all options that apply)

• Using library search tools

• Accessing secondary sources

• Selecting a publication channel

• Managing citations

• Copyright guidance

• Preserving gathered research

• Measuring research impact following publication

• Other (please specify)

Challenges for faculty

What do you find challenging about the research and publication process?

Art & Sciences

1. Selecting a publication channel

2. Measuring research impact

3. Managing citations

4. Copyright guidance

Architecture, Art & Design


2. Measuring research impact / managing citations


Business Administration


2. Copyright guidance / managing citations / selecting a publication channel

Engineering

1. Managing citations




Targeting liaison support

Faculty Survey 2015

Findings

• Materials acquisition is still a major focus

• Faculty needs differ across disciplines

• Faculty indicate a range of research and publication challenges currently not supported

• Survey data needs to be supplemented

Faculty Interviews Pilot Study

Aim:

“to explore and describe faculty research and publication practice from within and across disciplines at AUS”

Faculty Interviews

• Initiated in October 2015

• Pilot with 3 faculty – School of Business Administration

• IRB approval

• Semi-structured interviews – 12 questions, audio-recorded

• Published article focus

Focus areas

• Role of the library and research challenges

• Selection of a publication channel

• Tracking research impact

• Copyright challenges

Themes identified

• Finding regional data is difficult• Pressure to publish in journals of high impact/rank• Consult library databases to identify gaps in the literature• Restrict searching to specific databases and journals • Challenged to find balance between teaching & research • Successfully selecting a publication channel improves with

experience• Not interested in OA publishing• Tracking citations is important• Clear understanding of copyright restrictions with

publishers

The future

• Helping faculty figure out their research impact• Department level support targeted by librarians• Learning to speak the language of our academics• Identifying specific resource needs• Developing librarians’ skills• Strategic allocation of librarians’ time

Thank you

the liaison librarian program – meeting faculty needs? daphne flanagan, aus university librarian,...

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