Liaison Librarians Research Articles

Library Liaison Services in US Community Colleges

Library liaison services have been shown to be a valuable component of higher education in the US. Despite this established value, however, liaison services specific to community colleges are rarely discussed in the scholarly literature, while such services from universities and research institutions are well researched. Though it is understandable that liaison services at universities and community colleges would have similarities such as collaboration and outreach with students and faculty, it is only logical that they would also have differences due to the differences in user groups they serve. However, performing any reasonable comparison is difficult due to the absence of scholarly discourse regarding liaison services at community colleges. This article fills this gap by presenting survey data on the state of liaison services in community college libraries in the US. The data shows that a range of liaison work is being performed by community college librarians; A number of opportunities for further inquiry are also identified.

The essential skills and competencies of LIS professionals in the digital age: alumni perspectives survey

PurposeThe librarianship profession has gone through many changes over time, more so with the emergence of digital technologies. To thrive in the library and information science (LIS) profession, professionals must have knowledge, skills, competencies and abilities to perform their job duties. The purpose of this paper was to identify essential knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) for the LIS professionals.Design/methodology/approachThe targeted survey group for the study were alumni of ten LIS schools in India, who are now working in various library sectors. A structured questionnaire was designed to seek their opinions, and the snowball sampling technique was adopted to collect the data. A total of 377 responses were received from the respondents.FindingsFive broad areas of KSAs were identified: traditional library skills, research skills, computing skills, data management skills and soft skills. This study found that computing skills, library automation and library digitization are considered absolutely essential for the LIS professionals. The results also brought out the importance of “soft skills” for the LIS professionals. Prerequisite knowledge of library liaison services, technical services and foreign language were reportedly important only for working in special libraries.Practical implicationsThis study identified 54 skills across five broad areas that are essential for the professionals working in library and information centres. The research findings will be helpful for the educators who want to design, develop and upgrade the LIS course curriculum in accordance with the skills that are in demand in the market.Originality/valueThis study establishes that though the participants expressed satisfaction with the practicum of the curriculum, the LIS course curriculum needs to be improved. It would be in the best interest of the LIS schools to identify and rectify the gap.

An academic kickstart

In 2017 only 30 students out of 120 inthe nursing education program passed the examination assignment, a scientific report,on their first course. The coordinators of the course set out together withtheir liaison librarian to change the depressing scores. They developed change in the course content and assignments were made to strengthen the students’ academic literacy. The teachers offered lectures about the nursing profession,science and nursing theory, the research process, ethics, communication and scientific writing. The liaison librarian developed a set of five lectures, workshops and a reference quiz. The content of the five lectures is: 
 •Brief library introduction 
 •Reference management in Active Learning Classrooms 
 •How to search for references and how to review scientific articles,lecture and workshop 
 •How to search for scientific articles in Cinahl, lecture and workshop 
 •An openfive-hour workshop together with librarians, Supplemental Instruction leaders1 and writing instructors from the Language Resource Center. 
 Instead of diminishing the academic literacy demands,the course content has been increased with extended academic literacy training and the students’ tasks rely more than ever on scientific grounds. The changes were made to give all the students prerequisites to successfully pass the course carrying more knowledge with higher academic literacy and thus being better equipped for the rest of their education.This semester 90 of 120 students passed the scientific report examination on their first attempt. This session, An Academic Kickstart, will explain how the developmental change evolved and how the principles of andragogy and the implicit effort to locate the students’ point of departure have enhanced the students’ learning process and academic literacy.
 1A Supplemental Instructor is a student who already has passed the course and help other students to understand the concepts of the course content and to find effective study strategies https://www.hv.se/en/student/jobb-och-karriar/si-leader

Designing a flexible outreach program for scholarly communication and copyright services: A modular roadshow for the University of South Florida

Much the same as many other academic libraries, the University of South Florida (USF) developed scholarly communication and copyright services in response to community demand and to fulfill perceived institutional needs. The services initially established connections through liaison librarians and referral, when faculty patrons intuitively approached the library with a query. Growth of the services was slow. A new method of outreach for copyright and scholarly communication services was needed. The DSS Roadshow, named after the library department Digital Scholarship Services, aimed at providing a menu of modularly configured presentations to faculty and graduate students at the university. Based on two different tracks, scholarly communication or copyright for instruction, the DSS Roadshow was designed to help deliver the services directly to departments around campus.

The Engaged Health Sciences Library Liaison (book review)

The Engaged Health Sciences Library Liaison (book review)

Beyond Reference Data: A Qualitative Analysis of Nursing Library Chats to Improve Research Health Science Services

Objective - The objective of this study was to analyze trends in academic library reference chat transcripts with nursing themes, in order to improve all library services and resources based on the findings. Methods - In Fall 2018, health science liaison librarians performed a qualitative study by analyzing 60 nursing chat transcripts from LibraryH3lp. These chats were tagged, anonymized, coded, and then analyzed in Atlas TI to identify patterns and trends. Results - Chat analysis showed that librarians staffing chat are meeting the research needs of nursing patrons by helping them find full-text articles and suggesting the appropriate library databases. In order to further improve these virtual services, workshops were offered to Library and Information Science (LIS) interns and staff who answer reference chats. Nursing online tutorials and research guides were also improved based on the results. Conclusion - This study will help academic libraries improve and expand services into the virtual realm, to support library employees and patrons during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Virtual reference chat is not going away; in the current academic environment it is needed more than ever. Using these library chats as the basis for additional chat staff training can reduce staff anxiety and prepare them to better serve patrons.

Absolutely FABulous: Collecting and celebrating faculty-authored books

In 2019, the University of Connecticut (UConn) Library began systematically collecting faculty-authored books (FABs). We envisioned the collection as a service—a program to capture and celebrate faculty work and ensure that their intellectual contributions were represented in the library’s collections. Under the leadership of our new dean, we crafted and communicated jargon-free program parameters, collaborated with liaison librarians and book vendors to purchase more than 220 FABs, and collaborated with communications staff to pursue events and marketing to publicize this new collecting area. UConn is a large public research university with more than 30,000 students and 1,500 full-time faculty who publish scores of books yearly, so this FAB service resonated with faculty and senior administrators alike. Though we are adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact, FABs have become a signature initiative for UConn Library.

Providing Library liaison and expertise to support an Online Psychology seminar using Microsoft Teams

Providing Library liaison and expertise to support an Online Psychology seminar using Microsoft Teams

Assessing the Role of a Children’s Collection in an Academic Library: A Case Study of Collaborative Collection Management

The Sonoma State University Library’s children's book collection is under-utilized by students in the School of Education, the primary intended audience, which prompted the Library to assess the role of this collection in the University setting. In an effort to learn more about the information-seeking needs and practices of students in the School of Education, the Education Liaison Librarian and Collection Development Librarian collaborated with faculty in the Department of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education to observe text set presentations from students in five classes and design a student-driven assessment of the children's collection. Following the student assessment, the librarians compared the criteria students used to select and deselect books with the criteria the librarians use to develop and weed the collection; the librarians used this information to refine collection management, organization, and wayfinding strategies for the collection so it aligns more closely with the students’ needs. This article describes the collaboration and results of the student assessment from the perspectives of both the librarians and the School of Education faculty.

Referring academic library chat reference patrons: how subject librarians decide

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to learn what factors liaison librarians in academic research libraries consider in determining whether to refer chat reference patrons to subject specialists.Design/methodology/approachSubject specialists were asked what policies guided their decisions to refer to a specialist and then assessed unreferred chat session transcripts both within and outside their specializations to determine need for a referral.FindingsFew respondents were guided by formal policies. Contrary to an initial hypothesis, subject area was not a key factor in referring chat. A broader set of criteria included reference interviewing, provision of relevant resources and information literacy instruction. Respondents valued both the depth that subject specialists can provide to reference interactions and the ability of a skilled generalist to support information literacy.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are most applicable to large, public doctoral universities with liaison librarian programs. Assignment of respondents to subject specialist categories was complicated by their broad range of background and expertise.Practical implicationsThe study contributes new understanding of referrals to subject specialists who have potential to guide development of formal referral policies in academic library virtual reference services.Originality/valueThe study is the first empirical examination of chat reference referral decisions.

Virtual Learning and the Role of Liaison Librarians in STEM Academic Programs

This viewpoint aims to present the important role of liaison librarians and their relationship with teaching staff in STEM academic programs. The work provides a detailed explanation of the role of the four components of liaison librarians in the STEM higher education environment, each with the best practice proposed. The closing remarks emphasize the importance of liaison librarians, which are absent in academic libraries in most nations of the world, but in this case especially in Indonesia.

The Engaged Health Sciences Library Liaison

The Engaged Health Sciences Library Liaison assembles case studies from US and Canadian academic and medical institutions that highlight the unique yet diverse roles and responsibilities of a health sciences library liaison.

Delivering Bad News: Crisis Communication Methods in Academic Libraries

This exploratory study analyzed the specific crisis communication methods of academic libraries. A survey was sent to library staff at Association of Research Libraries member colleges and universities to describe if, who, when, and how they communicated bad news to their stakeholders for major, minor, and emerging crises. The findings show that respondents used multiple communication strategies, which varied based on the crisis. The data show that libraries communicated journal and database cancellations and health and safety emergencies more slowly than access issues and were more likely not to communicate those crises at all. Respondents also more frequently chose to communicate journal and database cancellations only when asked as compared to other crises. While access issues and health and safety emergencies were primarily communicated through social media and the library’s website, stakeholders received communication about journal and database cancellations primarily through targeted emails from library liaisons, face-to-face meetings with faculty, and the library’s website. These findings suggest that respondents communicated more quickly for minor crises but were more hesitant for crises that may have presented the potential for reputational harm. The varied responses between crisis types often conflicted with best practices for whether to deliver bad news and, if so, when and by whom. These findings indicate a need for academic libraries to develop comprehensive crisis communication plans that emphasize timeliness and transparency.

Using the Linux operating system full-time: Tips and experiences from a subject liaison librarian

About a year ago, I requested and received a university libraries issued Ubuntu Linux computer. Ubuntu is a popular open-source GNU/Linux operating system. Since then, I have used Linux every day for all of my liaison librarianship duties, professional service, and scholarship.

Doing the work: Crafting and implementing liaison competencies

Recently at Joyner Library, the main library for West Campus at East Carolina University (ECU), three heads of service completed a project to revise the library’s liaison competencies. The head of collection development, the head of research and instructional services, and the scholarly communication librarian took the competencies from a task-oriented document and turned them into one that allows liaisons to choose what and how they want to learn. The new document is built around learning statements, is goal-oriented, and serves liaison librarians much better than the previous document. This article will cover the creation and use of the new liaison competencies document.

Editorial Board & Reviewers for Volume 10, Number 2

Identification of Editorial Leadership, Associate Editors, Joyner Library Liaison, and Review Board

Embedded librarians as research partners in South Korea

Recently, many articles co-authored by librarians have been published in non-library and information science journals. This may indicate that embedded librarians are actively working as research partners in various fields. However, studies have rarely discussed the roles and experience of embedded librarians and, unlike the USA and European countries, the activities of embedded librarians in Korea are not well reported. This study collected and analysed co-authored articles from Korean faculty and librarians. In addition to identifying the role of the embedded librarian by analysing the author-contributions texts of the articles, the study examined the backgrounds of librarians and the difficulties of collaborating through interviews with librarian authors. The results of the analyses show that the number of collaborative articles by faculty and embedded librarians increased over the years and, of these, almost 70% were medical publications. The roles of the librarians outlined in the author-contributions texts were as reported in previous studies but, in many cases, their role was more significant than traditional liaison work, such as reporting the study’s methodology or approving the final draft. In the interviews, the embedded librarians expressed that they had experienced some difficulties, such as lack of time, insufficient guidelines and an inadequate curriculum in their library and information science department. For librarians to be recognized as research partners, they need to communicate well with team members and have knowledge, skills and abilities related to the research. Further, to achieve this collaboration, the curriculum of departments should be reformed. If such efforts are made, it is expected that embedded librarians will continue to excel in their role as liaison librarians, which has contributed to supporting research projects.

From students to authors: Fostering student content creation with Scalar

The research paper, an established method of assessment, is not always the best choice of assignments. Its structured format can stifle creativity and inhibit other methods of constructing knowledge. To address these concerns, a liaison librarian partnered with faculty to have students create Scalar projects. Scalar is a free and open-source publishing platform that facilitates the creation of multimedia digital scholarship, making it a great platform to produce engaging interactive visual essays that can transcend academia and foster student content creation. This case study describes several iterations of Scalar assignments that were implemented in seven courses in six disciplines, with four different instruction methods. Variations in the effectiveness of these methods demonstrated the need for interactive in-class instruction and the benefits of the librarian-faculty collaboration.

Teaching Cultural Competence and Cultural Humility in Dental Medicine

Dental students need to be equipped as clinicians to treat diverse communities and to recognize oral health disparities that are rooted in the social determinants of health. Library instruction is frequently focused on information literacy topics. Within the health sciences this might include critical appraisal or evidence synthesis, and instruction centered on locating and using library resources. This paper details the unique experiences of two liaison librarians to the School of Dental Medicine who taught the topics of cultural competence and cultural humility to first-year dental medicine students. While the authors do not discuss typical information literacy instruction in this paper, they share strategies used to design the instruction sessions, reflections on teaching these themes, lessons learned, and suggestions for other liaison librarians who might have an interest in teaching about cultural competence or cultural humility.

Student Engagement in Improving Access to Taught Course Content at LSE Library: practicalities and Pitfalls

As in other academic libraries, LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science) Library does not meet student expectations for access to core readings despite increasing provision. We used user experience research to gather evidence of student experience, behaviours, and preferences for taught course content with the aim of making improvements. We found that convenience is the deciding factor for students in choosing what and how to read due the necessity of keeping up with weekly reading. They prefer PDF journal articles due to their structure and functionality and dislike e-books. This suggests that for book chapters we should offer accessible scans where possible while advocating for improved e-book functionality and licencing. Our research underlines the role of liaison librarians in encouraging appropriate use of reading lists so that they scaffold rather than spoon-feed, as students appreciate well-structured and signposted reading lists, but approach their reading instrumentally. Our next step is to engage with teaching staff.