Library Liaison Program:

Goals and Potential Liaison Activities

GOALS

• Facilitate library collaboration with the academic departments
• Enhance collection development activities
• Increase library awareness of faculty needs for teaching and research
• Improve library services to the college community
• Strengthen the role of the librarians in facilitating access to the wide variety of print and electronic materials available

EXAMPLES OF LIAISON ACTIVITIES

Following are examples of activities used successfully in academic library liaison programs. Each liaison assignment is unique. At Bridgewater State College, library liaisons select specific activities appropriate to meet the needs of their assigned academic departments. Faculty interested in collaborating with the Library on one or more of these activities should contact their library liaison.

Communication and Instruction

• Have name added to departmental mail and e-mail distribution lists
• Create or update e-mail distribution list of departmental faculty
• Update the appropriate subject guide on the Library Resources by Academic Discipline web page
• Produce information guides on new services and collections
• Write a feature or column for departmental newsletter
• Prepare and distribute library information news updates targeted to the liaison department to highlight new library services, resources and developments
• Schedule individual orientation meetings with new faculty
• Schedule workshops on relevant electronic products
• Introduce or update new and continuing faculty on document delivery, circulation and reserve services
• Participate in orientation and bibliographic instruction programs in assigned areas

Information Gathering

• Meet with the Department Head to learn about current plans for the department and obtain feedback on the library liaison program
• Meet regularly with the departmental liaison to learn about current plans for the department and obtain feedback on the library liaison program
• Attend departmental meetings to learn about current faculty activities, to describe library services and resources and to reply to departmental concerns and comments about the library
• Attend departmental or campus seminars, workshops or events
• Survey faculty research interests
• Serve on a campus committee
• Assist with department, program, or campus self-study, accreditation, re-accreditation or grant
• Learn about the curriculum by reviewing course descriptions, syllabi, and reading lists or auditing or attending courses in assigned departments

Collection Development

• Develop awareness of current and retrospective literature and publishing trends in assigned subject areas
• Review the library's collection in all formats in assigned subject areas
• Inform new and continuing faculty of materials selection and acquisition procedures
• Forward Choice cards and other selection tools to the faculty liaison and actively encourage timely return of selections. Review these selections and other faculty recommendations and send appropriate requests for purchase to the Collection Development Librarian
• Become familiar with selection tools for assigned areas and identify additional materials for acquisition
• Participate with Collection Development Librarian in development and update of written collection development policy for assigned subject areas
• Review holdings in subject areas for potential weeding

Program Development

• Write an article related to one's liaison work or liaison subject area
• Participate in a conference or workshop related to subject area
• Assist with planning of conference related to subject area
• Work with department, program, or administrators to insure information literacy is fully incorporated into the program curriculum
• Establish a teaching partnership with a member of the liaison department
• Teach a course or course component in the liaison department
• Establish a research partnership with a member of the liaison department

List of Library Liaisons