For the new librarian, one of the most important first steps is to understand the organizational culture of the university or college campus. This can be facilitated by having those conversations with colleagues to find out what has been attempted, what worked, and what did not work. It is also important to learn why an attempt was not successful. Once those parameters are in place, a new librarian or a librarian with a new liaison assignment will be ready to work with faculty members. If a new librarian is a liaison with other responsibilities, it may be difficult to dedicate the necessary time to build quality relationships with faculty on the college campus. While there are many tips that will assist new librarians in creating relationships with their assigned liaison areas, this article focuses on three tips used by librarians for building successful relationships with faculty members and students in their liaison areas in a small university setting.
The first tip for success: Outreach.
According to a study conducted by Arendt and Lotts, being visible on campus and throughout the department ranked sixth on the list of “most important things for liaisons to do” ( Arendt & Lotts, 2012 ). As a successful liaison, librarians should work together to provide programming of interest to faculty, staff, and students. Many libraries host a “published this year” (Holtze, 2002) party in which faculty members are invited to the library where copies of their works are displayed. This concept is one effective way to work with the assigned department and to be more visible throughout campus. This approach was used at North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) James E. Shepard Library in the fall of 2012. The outreach program assisted librarians in fostering new and enhanced faculty relationships. At NCCU, librarians also collaborate with colleagues in the main library as well as with colleagues in other libraries across campus. Through these collaborations, programs are held and advertised throughout the campus. Faculty members have responded favorably either by participating or encouraging their students to participate. This has resulted in the library becoming more visible throughout the campus community.
The second tip for success: Communication.
In reviewing the literature, faculty and librarians often comment on the importance of communication. According to an article published by the Journal of the Medical Library Association, “Communicating effectively and regularly leads to successful relationships between liaisons and their contacts” (Crossno, DeShay, Huslig, Mayo & Patridge, 2012). This can be in different formats, whether it is face-to-face dialogue, email, or telephone calls. “Liaison programs introduce faculty members to new library resources and services, promote faculty participation in collection development, nurture collaborative activities and partnerships between library and teaching faculty, and foster coordinated communication between libraries and individual departments” (Scherrer & Jacobson, 2002). These conversations are important to the success of any librarian serving in a liaison role. Librarians are encouraged to talk with the faculty members in their assigned areas frequently. It is important to make sure that we, as librarians, are meeting their needs. The only way to do this is through communication, communication, communication. Find out what their research interests are. With that information, a librarian can sign up for relevant alerts to keep abreast of current research in the faculty members’ areas of interest. When possible, share this information with them. This will let them know that the librarian is interested in their work – both the instructional and research aspects.
The third tip for success: Collaboration.
In the past, many librarians have had the “build it or buy it and they will come” mentality. With the many advances in technology and continued budget reductions, this approach is no longer feasible. For librarians to be successful liaisons, collaborations should occur at all levels of the campus community. Students can be a library’s greatest ally. At NCCU, library staff works frequently with students to advertise library events and to gather input related to library services and resources. Most recently, a survey was conducted with our students to learn their opinions about library hours and current resources. This information assisted the library as we advocated for additional funding to make necessary changes to library service hours.
Another way to collaborate with students is to partner with student organizations. According to an article by Johnson, Clapp, Ewing, and Buhler, a successful collaboration happens when the student-led organization’s information needs are aligned with the library’s mission. Using this idea as a guide, NCCU’s Shepard Library partnered with residence life to offer programming in the residence halls. This made the library more visible while supporting residence hall assistants in sponsoring programs for their buildings. This collaboration is one that has occurred for two years and helps the library reach more students, faculty, and staff.
With budget reductions constantly occurring in many libraries, it is important to collaborate with various departments to write grants. This will enable librarians to further work with their assigned liaison area to provide faculty members and students with necessary resources and services. It also will provide librarians the opportunity to learn more about the departments’ research focus. In some cases, the grant writing collaboration may not result in additional funds for the library, but it may give faculty members the opportunity to learn about resources already available, and librarians the opportunity to be viewed as researchers knowledgeable in the subject area.
These tips for liaison success are just three of many that will assist librarians in creating new faculty-librarian relationships, as well as enhance existing ones. As a strong believer in the importance of communication, I have learned that a successful librarian is not one who attempts to reinvent the liaison process, but rather one who talks with faculty and colleagues to learn how they can best assist with their subject areas.
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References
Arendt, J., & Lotts, M. (2012). What liaisons say about themselves and what faculty say about their liaisons, a U.S. survey. Libraries and the Academy, 12(2), 155-177.
Crossno, J., DeShay, C., Huslig, M., Mayo, H., & Patridge, E. (2012). A case study: the evolution of a "facilitator model" liaison program in an academic medical library. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 100(3), 171-175. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/15365050.100.3.006
Holtze, T. (2002, June). 100 ways to reach your faculty. OLOS Preconference at the American Library Association Annual Meeting Different voices, common quest: adult literacy and outreach in libraries, Atlanta, Ga.
Johnson, M., Clapp, M., Ewing, S., & Buhler, A. (2011). Building a participatory culture: collaborating with student organizations for twenty-first century library instruction. Collaborative Librarianship, 3(1), 2-15.
Scherrer, C., & Jacobson, S. (2002). New measures for new roles: defining and measuring the current practices of health sciences librarians. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 90(2), 164-172.
