Richard A.InformationGeorgia So800 WheatlGA 31709-4bstoddart@Thedis W. BAcquisitionAlbany Stat504 CollegebThedis.bryAmia L. BakDevelopmeVanderbiltNashville, TbAmia.BakeAdrienne LThe Univer#5053, HattibAdrienne.Brett SpenceUniversity oTuscaloosabdbspence

The Journal of

PERSPECTIVES ON...! Going Boldly Beyond the Reference Desk:

Practical Advice and Learning Plansfor New Reference LibrariansPerforming Liaison Workby Richard A. Stoddart, Thedis W. Bryant, Amia L. Baker,Adrienne Lee, and Brett Spencer

Available online 16 June 2006

Our article provides new reference librarianswith practical recommendations and learning

plans so that they can succeed as liaisons.Drawing from our experiences as new

librarians, we explain how to practice continuallearning, stay on top of the constantly changing

environment of a liaison, pilot differenttechniques, and assess liaison work.

Stoddart is Reference Librarian/GovernmentCoordinator, James Earl Carter Library,

uthwestern State University,ey St., Americus,693, USAcanes.gsw.eduN;ryant is Collection Development and

s Librarian, James Pendergrast Memorial Library,e University,Drive, Albany, Georgia 31705, USA

ant@asurams.eduN;er is Reference and Collectionnt Coordinator, Walker Management Library,

University, 401 21st Avenue South,N 37203, USAr@owen.vanderbilt.eduN;

ee is Information Services Librarian, Cook Library,sity of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Driveesburg, MS 39406, USA

Lee@usm.eduN;r is Reference Librarian, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library,f Alabama, Box 870266,

, AL 35487-0266, USA@bama.ua.eduN.

Academic Librarianship, Volume 32, Number 4, pages 419–427

pon launching their careers in academic libraries,

U many new professionals look forward to servingpatrons at a reference desk, a recognizable service

and fairly comfortable venue for most librarians. However,many new librarians may feel uneasy or nervous when theyfind out that they must also serve as a subject liaison to one ormore academic departments on campus. The role and dutiesthat a librarian has as a subject liaison may differ greatly fromone institution to the next. In general, however, liaisons areassigned to extend and promote the library’s services to aparticular department or group on campus. This demandingrole may involve crafting a variety of library services—collection development, bibliographic instruction, researchconsultations, and Web pages—into a customized packagefor the students and faculty of a department. Serving as alibrary liaison thus offers an opportunity to truly meet theunique needs of a definable group of patrons. As other authorshave noted, this service ‘‘if effective, is probably the singlemost worthwhile activity that a subject librarian can engagein.’’1 Yet, it also poses a great challenge for beginners justcoming out of library school. Many new reference librarianshave studied database searching, reference interviewing, andeven collection development, but most schools do not offer acourse specifically on the subject of liaison work. As newlibrarians ourselves, we would therefore like to provide newlibrarians with practical guidelines and learning plans so thatthey can succeed in their liaison missions.

‘‘...new librarians may feel uneasy or nervouswhen they find out that they must also serve as a

subject liaison to one or more academicdepartments on campus.’’

The Reference and User Services’ Association (RUSA) hascreated a statement, ‘‘Guidelines for Liaison Work in Managing

July 2006 419

Collections and Services,’’ that outlines the general expectationsof liaison work and calls upon librarians to perform outreach.These Guidelines sketch the broad contours of a liaison systemand suggest a few approaches for outreach activities, but theexact details of liaison programs are left to each individuallibrary. One part of the Guidelines asks libraries to help supportand train liaisons:

Institutional support should develop or enhance the liaisons’ knowledge

and skills via continuing education, in-service training, mentoring

arrangements with senior selectors, letters of introduction to target

audiences, formal and informal gatherings, official documents (policies,

procedures, organizational charts), release time for developing liaison

relationships with external groups, orientation to related operations

(including fiscal and technical services, provision of professional

literature and access to electronic support groups).2

RUSA thus calls for strong administrative support for theefforts of individual liaisons, and many libraries have broadmandates for liaisons in their mission statements. However,new librarians may find that they do not receive specificguidance when it comes to getting a handle on outreach. Inour experience, we have found that many training ororientation programs at academic libraries lack modules aboutliaison duties (with the exception of basic collection develop-ment tasks like ordering a book). Furthermore, unlikeprocedures for working at a reference desk, a detailedexplanation of liaison duties often fails to find a place inmany policy and procedures handbooks.

The need for more information to provide advice pertinentto the training needs of new liaison librarians is clearer todaythan ever before. Traditionally, library outreach and liaisonwork have focused on collection development, but with manylibraries facing shrinking budgets and rising costs for serialsand databases, librarians may not find very many oppor-tunities to interact with faculty this way. Increasingly,librarians must find creative ways to reach out to facultythrough library instruction, customized class Web pages, andother types of specialized library services. In this age whereInternet search engines compete heavily with libraries asprime information providers, liaison librarians must continu-ally remind their clientele about the advantages of the libraryand the services they offer. Because of these increasedpressures on libraries, new librarians need effective liaisonand outreach training in order to be convincing advocates fortheir library on campus.

‘‘Increasingly, librarians must find creative waysto reach out to faculty through library

instruction, customized class Web pages, andother types of specialized library services.’’

The professional literature does offer some studies on thestructure and benefits of the liaison system, but only a few thatspecifically target the training needs of new liaisons. A recentarticle by Macaluso and Pertruzzelli (2005), provides a strongframework from which to organize a library liaison program,including a suggested toolkit of liaison skills.3 Moore (2004)stresses the importance of librarian–faculty cooperation and uses

420 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

the analogy of fishing to suggest ways that librarians can ‘‘reel’’faculty into a productive collaboration.4 In ‘‘Librarian–FacultyRelations in Collection Development,’’ Chu (1997) notes thatgood collaborative relationships have four characteristics: resi-liency, stiffness, strength, and reparability.5 Tucker, Bullian, andTorrence (2003) outline their own successful model for facultyand librarian collaboration.6 A number of articles take an admin-istrative view of the liaison system, including the creation 7 andassessment of liaison systems.8 In a short piece for Against theGrain, Kinder and Montgomery (2002) examine the roles of aliaison from both a faculty and librarian perspective.9 Neville,Williams, and Hunt (1998) describe the nature of the College ofCharleston’s liaison system, which varies considerably depend-ing on the academic department. The authors outline specificduties for both the faculty and librarian’s role in book buying.10

While the above referenced works are valuable in understandingthe role of library liaisons, they do not provide the necessarystarting point for new librarian to begin to undertake this im-portant task.

There are a few other works that more readily lend themselvesto self-teaching programs for new liaisons. In 500 Tips forAcademic Librarians, Brown, Downey, and Race (1997) includea section with a bulleted list of quick tips for new liaisonlibrarians.11 Tucker and Torrence (2004) offer advice ‘‘from thetrenches’’ about collection development in general for new lib-rarians and a useful subsection on liaising. In addition, theyfurnish a number of good ideas for adjusting to a new library,learning more about a subject area, and understanding patronneeds that definitely help new liaisons.12 The aforementioned‘‘Librarian Liaison Toolkit’’ by Macaluso and Petruzzelli alsoprovides good figures and suggestions in shaping your liaisonactivities.

New liaisons may glean some useful ideas from any of theseworks, but they would still benefit from having a morecohesive, in-depth learning plan designed especially for them.They need counsel that takes into account the varied duties ofliaison that go beyond collection development. In our article,we attempt to focus more broadly on the liaison responsibility,examining collection development, instruction, and other typesof work as they relate to this function. By doing so, we canprovide a more thorough examination of the librarian’s role asambassador of the library.

While offering some advice not found in earlier works, ourarticle also differs from many previous ones in that we consistfor the most part of new librarians at several different types ofacademic libraries. Although experienced librarians can con-tribute much to the growth of their new colleagues, we believethat new librarians can also help a great deal because they havethe experience fresh on their minds and can readily point outchallenges to their beginning colleagues. The article grows outof the experiences of our own first years as new librarians inliaison roles and highlights many of the most successfultactics—as well as the less successful—common to all ourliaison work. Our diverse set of experiences emanates fromwork at two large public universities, a smaller college, and aspecialized library at a large private university.

While our article offers widely applicable tips and cautionaryadvice from a varied pool of fresh experience, it also takes an on-the-job learning approach to liaison work. In doing so, wesuggest several lists of questions to ask your faculty andcolleagues. These questions help you garner information andlearn more about your department and library, thereby enabling

you to craft your own outreach strategy. As we mentionedearlier, a number of articles offer liaison techniques, but none canserve as a completely comprehensive guide to doing liaisonwork in your particular college or university. We are unable toprovide, in advance, all the advice that you will need to succeedin a particular setting, nor do we claim to have a formula that willinstantly create a stellar outreach program. However, we canoffer self-teaching suggestions that will help you learn the ropesof your own liaison job in an efficient, well-organized way. Weadvocate continual learning, awareness of the constantlychanging environment of today’s colleges and universities,piloting different techniques, and assessing your liaison workthrough continual consultation with both teaching faculty andlibrarian colleagues. This approach seems realistic for liaisonwork when considering that each college or university is uniqueand requires a slightly different plan.

In reflecting back on the twists and turns of our liaison expe-riences, a few common themes stand out to us. First, bothtraditional as well as the newer, Web-based methods have theirplace in academic outreach. Simple practices of hospitality andcollegiality will win many converts to the library in your liaisondepartments. Web technologies can offer innovative approachesto liaison work, and new liaisons should experiment with appli-cations of these technologies. Second, while borrowing a fewideas from our experiences can help jumpstart your outreach, wewould also like you to know that building strong relations withacademic departments takes perseverance. There will be break-throughs in your outreach but also unexpected obstacles. Re-member that good-humored determination and the ability to rollwith punches sustain successful outreach. Therefore, try to thinkof the first year in a liaison role as a trial run. Third, bear in mindthat your library colleagues and teaching faculty will most likelywant to help you succeed, but they will often wait for you toapproach them first. In many cases, you must boldly take theinitiative. This decision to make meaningful contact with a liai-son department will have to spring from your desire to providethe best service possible. We hope our readers will seize the day.

‘‘Simple practices of hospitality and collegialitywill win many converts to the library in your

liaison departments.’’

On this note, Alvin Toffler, the famous author of FutureShock, notes that ‘‘if you do not have a strategy, you will becomepermanently reactive and a part of someone else’s strategy.’’13

This principle applies to library liaisons. Youwill definitely wantto do your best to react to the requests of your faculty and dealwith any problems as they arise. Nevertheless, you will need astrategy that balances each faculty member’s needs with theneeds of the whole department; makes the most efficient use ofyour time and resources; gives you input into decisions; enablesyou and your faculty to reach realistic, mutually agreed upongoals; and helps your library achieve its overall vision. Proactivediplomacy takes a substantial investment of time and energy (notto mention a little courage), but it also fosters the confidencenecessary for a leadership role and prevents you from falling intoa confused, passive state of mind that leaves the initiative in thehands of others. Accordingly, the following counsel will help

you map out a prudent strategy as you set out on your liaisonmission.

PRACTICAL ADVICE AND LEARNING PLANS

FOR NEW LIBRARIANS

Make the First Step

It speaks volumes towards your professionalism if you makethe first step and introduce yourself to your liaison departmentsand various library communities. Be a go-getter and start reach-ing out. Do not be afraid of approaching faculty even as a newlibrarian on campus. If they earnestly care about teaching theirstudents about research, they will welcome your initiative. Manyacademic departments have a faculty member designated as aliaison to the library so youmaywish to start out bymeetingwiththat person. You should also develop an e-mail list of the facultyor join a departmental listserv so that you can inform facultyabout future changes in services, upcoming deadlines, or newmaterials. Start to read about the curricula and explore thedepartment’s Web site. As you begin to approach faculty, askabout their professional activities and take an interest in whatthey research and teach.

‘‘It speaks volumes towards yourprofessionalism if you make the first step andintroduce yourself to your liaison departments

and various library communities.’’

Some libraries offer training programs for new referenceprofessionals; however, if your institution does not offer one,jump right in and start your liaison work. Learn by doing. Forexample, do not wait until the week before the spending deadlinefor your collection development money to start reaching out tofaculty for their input. As a newcomer, you may not have a goodresponse rate with this method because the faculty do not knowmuch about you and may not be able to respond to you with sucha short deadline. ‘‘Learn by doing’’ is a philosophy you shouldemploy not only as a library liaison but also in librarianship ingeneral.

Build the Relationship

Outreach and collection development for academic depart-ments is an ongoing process, not an instantaneous accomplish-ment. Building a strong working relationship requires time andeffort. Whenever you meet new people in most settings, theydo not immediately become your best friend. It takes time tonurture the relationship and foster trust, and the same is truewith academic relationships. Be patient, build momentum, andlearn how to sustain your efforts.

Relentlessly giving attention to your departments in straight-forward ways will build rapport with the faculty. For example,librarians at Rutgers University found that their facultyresponded well to liaisons that showed a strong interest in theirdepartment and their research. They felt that simple things likenotes and phone calls congratulating them on awards, grants,and publications made a big impression as well as attendance atdepartmental events and lectures.14 In addition to thesetechniques, find a reason to e-mail your liaison faculty at leastonce every two weeks if not more. Tell them about a new service

July 2006 421

or remind them about an old service. Each time you contactthem, you not only inform them about library services, but youalso remind them that you are there and that you can help them.

Keep these things in mind and check the growth of yourfaculty relationships periodically, considering ways tostrengthen them. Your collaborative projects will likely startoff small. You might order a few books for a faculty member orteach one instruction session. Be grateful for these projects butalso strive to build upon them. Once you succeed in collaborat-ing in a few ‘‘tune-up’’ projects, think of more advanced projectssuch as assessing a portion of the collection or teaching a seriesof classes for the department. Eventually, you may formalize awritten plan for information literacy or collection developmentin collaboration with your faculty.

Be Open Minded in Your Approach

Whenever you sit down to brainstorm your approach to out-reach, be open to new ways to reach and serve your commu-nities. Scour the professional literature for novel approaches tooutreach. What ideas will work in your setting? Think of howchurches, businesses, or other organizations reach out to theirrespective target groups. Can you apply their practices to libraryoutreach? Keep yourself open to new venues of informationaccess and formats. How can these tools enhance your liaisonservices?

Try new ideas and if those techniques prove unsuccessful,rework them or try something else. There is nothing wrongwith trial and error to discover what works best. In some ways,a liaison librarian is an inventor: you must envision possibil-ities, rethink services, and seize upon opportunities. Do not beafraid to use technology if it will enhance your services to yourdepartment. Learning how to do things, like building a Webpage or participating in a distance education class, will benefitboth you and your department. If you do not have advancedWeb skills yet, remember that you can often design libraryinstruction modules in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, andteaching faculty can usually add these to their course manage-ment systems (such as WebCT or Blackboard) without muchtrouble. New types of software, such as Captivate or Camtasia,also allow you to design materials in PowerPoint and transferthem to the Internet with relative ease. But, once again, do notforget about those simpler, low-tech outreach techniques either.

TableIdeas on Time M

!Are there student workers who could help you perform some of the cleric

classes?

!Are there spreadsheets or other types of software that can expedite book o

!Do your fellow librarians know of timesaving techniques that they can rec

!Can the teaching faculty help you identify books for purchase?

!If you order certain types of materials frequently, can you arrange for thes

!Can you expedite your search for materials by focusing on certain publish

!Are there ‘‘big ticket’’ items, such as multi-volume works, that your faculty

ordering lots of smaller items.

!Can you adapt fellow librarians’ presentations to your own instruction ses

!Are Web tutorials, lesson plans, or presentations on the Internet adaptable t

for you. Of course, always ask the creator before using their tutorial or

422 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

A photocopied brochure of library services in someone’s mail-box may be just what it takes to get that faculty member’sattention. Whatever services you choose to advertise or venueyou decide to pursue, consider each undertaking as a ‘‘pilotproject’’ before making it a permanent tool in your outreachtool bag.

Manage Your Time Wisely

As much as you want to foster good relationships with yourfaculty, also be sure that you do not overwhelm yourself withyour liaison duties. Outreach is just one of the many respon-sibilities that you have as a professional librarian, and you couldinvest an almost infinite amount of time and energy into it.Therefore, it is important that you learn to leverage your activi-tieswith an appropriate level of effort so that youwill not becomebogged down by over-committing yourself or your library. Donot offer more than you are capable of providing. Disappointinga faculty member by failing to deliver on your promises cansignificantly damage the relationship that you are trying to build.The fact remains that ‘‘dissatisfied customers tell more peopleabout their experience than satisfied customers,’’ so be aware ofthe ripple effect that bad service to one faculty member can haveon your relationship with the rest of the faculty.15 As a newlibrarian, emphasize quality of services over quantity and gra-dually strive to exceed the expectations of the faculty.

Pay attention to deadlines and important dates so you wouldnot have to scramble to complete projects. Set intermediate goalsfor spending your materials allocation. Keep book slips, facultyrequests, and lectures from instruction sessions in an organizedfile system or you will find yourself flailing about the weekbefore a deadline or when preparing to teach classes. You willfind that you can conserve valuable time if you keep track ofwhat you have already ordered and can borrow themes from alecture from an earlier instruction session to help you teach anupcoming one.

You will probably want to devote the most time to youroutreach work during the month or so before the beginning of asemester. Most faculty prepare reading lists or syllabi during this‘‘prime time’’ and will likely welcome your offers to purchasenew resources or schedule library instruction. Also, make sureyour faculty know about any spending deadlines that the libraryhas established. You may also wish to make them aware of the

1anagement

al work associated with purchasing materials or copying handouts fo

rdering?

ommend?

e materials to be ordered automatically?

ers or series?

want? If so, ordering some of these materials can take less time than

sions?

o your setting? (Borrowing and adapting can save a great deal of time

presentation).

r

Table 2Learning Your Subject Area

!Does the department have library requirements in the accreditation standards that they need to meet?

!What are the core classes for the discipline?

!What kinds of research and reading assignments do the faculty give to their students? (Remember that many faculty mount their syllabi online, and

these documents offer a lot of insight into faculty and student needs).

!How can the library contribute to the department’s strategic plan?

!What are the research interests of each faculty member?

!What topics are covered in the theses and dissertations of the department? (Many departments have a shelf with their old theses and dissertations.

You can often find these materials in the library as well).

!Are there adjunct faculty who have collection or instructional needs? (Adjunct faculty teach an increasingly larger number of courses in American

universities. Administrative assistants in the department can help you find these part-time or temporary instructors).

!What library services—collection development, library instruction, research consultations, Web projects, or other services—would most interest

your department?

!What types of information do the faculty prefer? (For examples, sciences and social sciences usually like journals and databases while the

humanities often prefer books and microfilm collections).

!What programs does the department or school stress? (For example, if your school has a business department but does not have a real estate

component, then you may not need to emphasize these areas in your collection development and outreach strategy).

!What kind of relationship has the department had with the library in the past? (You can sometimes find out about the history by checking old library

assessment surveys or asking colleagues).

!How does communication take place in the department?

!What associations exist in your department’s profession?

average length of time that it takes for new books to arrive andhow much notice you need before an instruction session. Pleasesee Table 1 for questions to consider as you recruit others to helpyou and brainstorm creative ways to manage your time.

Learn Your Assigned Subject Areas

The sooner you acquaint yourself with your academicdiscipline and its organization on your campus, the sooner youwill know how the library can meet faculty needs. If you lack anacademic background in your liaison area, do all you can to learnabout that subject. Identify sources (databases, encyclopedias,journals, etc.) in the library that can help you understand thetopic. Used textbooks at bookstores can also offer a great deal ofhelp in mapping out the landscape of a discipline. In addition,familiarize yourself with news sources, such as listservs, so thatyou know the developing issues in a discipline.

Learning about the discipline will aid you in identifyingrelevant sources to add to your collection as well as make youmore adept at answering reference questions. Having the abilityto recognize the key figures, theories, and publishers will helpyou hone in on the best sources. In terms of reference inter-viewing, remember that each discipline has its own jargon andyou will need to ‘‘talk their talk’’ in order to understand thequestions that people ask you. Also, faculty will have greaterconfidence in your guidance if you converse with them in theirlanguage. Even though you may have excellent research skills,faculty and students will be reluctant to consult with you duringresearch projects if you do not understand the very basicconcepts of a discipline. Knowing some of the jargon will alsohelp you come up with relevant search examples for instructionsessions.

Aside from researching the profession, you will also want toresearch the particular department on your campus. Please see

Table 2 for a list of questions that will help you scope out thelibrary needs of a department.

Customize your services to the department based on theinformation that you gather. Remember their specific informa-tion needs in your communications. However, do not panic ifyou have more than one liaison department and you cannotpossibly become an expert in each field. Librarians at TexasA&M found that, aside from collection development, the mostvaluable thing faculty felt their liaison did for them was to keepthem informed about library services.16 At the very minimum,learn what services your department values and keep thefaculty updated.

Communicate with Faculty Effectively

Ongoing and effective communication is the lifeblood of avibrant liaison program. Strive to foster two-way communica-tion. As a librarian liaison, you should act as a catalyst thatstimulates dialog between the faculty and the library.

‘‘Ongoing and effective communication is thelifeblood of a vibrant liaison program. Strive to

foster two-way communication.’’

In communicating with your clientele, you must determinewhat messages to send them and how to explain ideas andinformation to them. To do this, you will want to stay attuned towhat goes on in your library and tell your faculty about the issuesrelevant to them. You should also consider the services that youas a liaison can reasonably promote and provide. Remember that

July 2006 423

many faculty do not know about many traditional libraryservices so do not be afraid to reiterate these options and theirbenefits. In fact, you should probably remind them about themore tried-and-true services at least once a semester.

Most liaison–faculty communication centers around one ofthe following categories: general library information, collectiondevelopment, library instruction, research assistance, and Webservices. Here are a few things to share with your faculty abouteach of these areas:

General Library Information

Alert your faculty to major changes in library facilities,arrangements of the collection, opening hours, or new proce-dures. Make your liaison population aware of who to contact andhow to do so. Advertise exhibits or lectures at your library.

Collection Development

Let them know when the library receives books, additionaldatabase content, or other resources they would find of interest.Actively solicit requests for books, and do not forget to letfaculty know that you can also order other materials like videos.Suggest that they mark book or video titles that they want invendor catalogs (faculty often receive a lot of these) and sendthem to you. Explain any library policies about acquiring new

TableFostering Communication

!Offer brown bag workshops in the department or have an informal lunch

!Create posters or flyers with library information.

!Ask one faculty member who you have a good relationship with to help y

!Request to speak at a department meeting so that you can explain all the

!Ask if a department meeting can be held at the library so that you can sho

!Speak at the new faculty orientation on campus.

!Keep office hours in your liaison department.

!Write articles about library services for campus newsletters.

!Publish an e-newsletter dedicated to information literacy.

!Present an information literacy workshop at a faculty retreat.

!Post your business card in the departmental lounge.

!Get to know administrative assistants since they often serve as the commu

!Organize a research clinic for thesis and dissertation writers.

!Host an open house at the library.

!Ask how you can contribute to a department’s strategic plan.

!Make in-person ‘‘office rounds’’ in your liaison department.

!Meet with potential faculty during their interviews.

!Create tip sheets and webliographies for online courses.

!Mingle with faculty in campus seminars and colloquiums.

!Invite faculty to collection development meetings in the library.

!Make an effort to become involved with university committees as soon as

positive impression on them.

!Keep an eye out for new methods of communication (such as Blogs and R

!Participate in training offered for some topic pertinent to your liaison depart

education courses, ask to make a short presentation about this aspect of

beginning of each workshop.

424 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

journals (many libraries cannot start new subscriptions withoutcanceling others). Encourage them to let you know aboutdatabases that would help them with their research or teaching.

Library Instruction

In explaining instruction to faculty, note that you can tailoryour presentation to their assignments. Many faculty may havehad generalized tours or lectures when they were students, andthey may not realize that librarians can also provide subject-specialized library teaching to their classes. Be willing to consultwith them on their assignments. In persuading faculty to bringtheir classes to the library, point out the benefits of library in-struction: improving student papers, training students in researchtechniques, giving students lifelong learning skills, andacquainting students with a librarian that can give them one-on-one help.

Research Assistance

Almost all faculty know about the walk-in research serviceat the reference desk. Explain that you can also offer in-depthconsultations by appointment. Let them know your usual hoursat the reference desk or in your office. Offer to come to theiroffices for appointments (if your supervisor allows you toprovide remote reference). Explain that you can help perform

3with a Department

with a professor.

ou reach out to the rest of the faculty.

ways that the library can serve faculty.

wcase the resources in the library.

nication centers of a department.

possible. These groups offer a good way to meet faculty and make a

SS feeds) that continue to develop.

ment. For example, if you are trying to reach faculty that teach distance

library services. Remember to take along brochures to hand out at the

Table 4Soliciting Feedback from Faculty

!What library services do you value the most?

!Do you need any books or other materials right now?

!Do you find that the collection has sufficient strength in your particular subfield?

!Are the bibliographic instruction sessions covering those topics that your students need to know about?

!Are there services at another academic library that you would like to see implemented at our library?

!If you could change one thing about the library, what would it be?

!Are your students getting what they need from the library?

literature reviews, train research assistants, find grant possibil-ities, or locate materials at other libraries. Encourage faculty togive your contact information to students if they have questionsabout research.

Web Services

Basic webliographies can benefit faculty as much as Webtutorials. Point out that faculty can build links to library Webpages from their course sites. Comment on how librarians canwork in tandem with faculty and campus computer specialiststo develop Web teaching tools. When promoting Webservices, target distance education instructors in particular.

Sometimes, it is useful to quote other faculty in anybrochures, e-mails, or newsletters that you send to your faculty(if it is OK with the professor that you quote). Hearing a fellowfaculty member’s testimony about the benefits of collaboratingwith a librarian can convince your professors to use yourservices. Also, providing faculty with articles that offerexamples of successful librarian–faculty collaboration canpique interest. Whatever you do, keep letting the faculty knowthat you can offer your expertise to help with their classes andresearch.

Utilize Several Avenues of Communication

Once you decide what issues to communicate with yourfaculty about, you will want to think how you can reach them.E-mail, face-to-face, campus mail, and listservs offer differentavenues for sending information to department members.Keep in mind that informal communications can have agreater impact than formal forms: attending departmentalevents and campus social functions ‘‘puts a face’’ on thelibrary and breaks down a lot of barriers and misconceptions.

TableLearning from Your Col

!What do you know about my department?

!What is the culture on campus like? Is it collaborative or independent? Op

!How do teaching faculty perceive librarian on campus?

!How do teaching faculty usually react to initiatives from librarians?

!How often do you meet with your department (or contact them)?

!To what extent do you involve faculty in materials selection?

!How do you organize your book selection?

!How do you deal with complaints from faculty?

!What is the most/least effective technique that you have used in your liais

Please see Table 3 for formal and informal ideas on fosteringcommunication.

‘‘...informal communications can have a greaterimpact than formal forms: attending

departmental events and campus socialfunctions ‘‘puts a face’’ on the library and breaks

down a lot of barriers and misconceptions.’’

Learn How to Handle Faculty Requests and Feedback

Listen to your users as much as or more than you talk. Beprepared and even encourage them to give you honest feedbackon how you and the library can improve services. Table 4 listsseveral questions that will help you probe faculty perceptionsof your library. Sometimes, sending these questions out as shorte-mail surveys can solicit feedback from your clientele. Or, youcan slip these questions into informal conversations that youhave with faculty throughout the year.

Remember that avoiding defensiveness and paying attentionto comments will open up channels of communication and keepyou in touch with the actual feelings of your faculty. Occasion-ally, you may find that faculty hold misconceptions about aservice the library provides. In cases like this, it is important torealize that the actual service may be working fine, but thelibrary simply needs to do a better job of educating the facultyabout the service and how it works. The critical thing to keep inmind as a liaison is to not ignore the responses you receive from

5leagues’ Experiences

en to new ideas or tradition-bound?

on work?

July 2006 425

faculty just because they misunderstand a service. The fact thatthe service is being called into question may reflect a flaw in thelibrary’s marketing of the service.

Document all the materials requests that you receive fromfaculty. Remember that many libraries have procedures for rushordering books that faculty request. When you take requestsfrom faculty, let them know that you will try to order thematerials and give them a rough timeline. Thank all of thefaculty who make requests. Develop a strategy for dealing withrequests that are outside the scope of your library so you arenot caught off guard when you get one of these requests.

One hard-hitting lesson that we learned: it pays to keep yourlibrary’s administration informed about requests from faculty formajor purchases like databases. If you receive such a requestfrom a faculty member, propose that the library purchase thisdatabase or at least document this request with your library’sadministration. Even if you work in a library with a limitedbudget and doubt that your library can afford another database,you never knowwhen your administration may suddenly receivesome unexpected funds. You may be able to work out a cost-sharing arrangement between the library and the department orschool in order to acquire an expensive resource. Also, if afaculty member complains about the library not having thedatabase they wanted, your administrators will not be caught offguard or fault you for failing to alert them to the faculty mem-ber’s needs.

If you hear of complaints from faculty about a library service,try to empathize with their situation and assure the facultymember that you will forward their request to the appropriateperson. Let your supervisor know of any complaints so they willhave your side of the story in case the faculty memberapproaches them directly.

Take Cues from Your Peers

Ask for advice from your fellow librarians about how toproceed with collection development or outreach on yourcampus. Your co-workers may have already laid some ground-work that you would not have to redo. Since they may knowwhat works and does not work in the campus culture, they canhelp you avoid many pitfalls. You may also want to takeadvantage of outreach tools they have already created such asnewsletter templates, webliographies, or other forms. Keep theminformed about your liaison work, and ask them about their ownliaison efforts periodically. Please see Table 5 for a few questionsto ask colleagues that will help you mine their experience.

As a new librarian, it is also often useful to find out whatmethods were used to reach out to faculty by the person whoformerly held your position. Also, many times the faculty thatworked with your predecessor will still serve as contacts for thelibrary. By talking to these contacts, you will gain an idea ofwhat library services they received in the past and what theywould like to see again. Do not become discouraged if you hearthat something failed in the past. Get all the details. Maybe youcan do something a little differently or maybe faculty and thecampus environment have changed enough to make it feasiblethis time around. Do not give up if you think you have a goodidea for effective outreach. Try to figure out how to make itwork.

In addition to conferring with your on-site peers and faculty,remember that you can consult with colleagues around thecountry by joining specialized groups in the American LibraryAssociation. ALA offers discussion groups and committees for

426 The Journal of Academic Librarianship

liaisons of many different disciplines that you can find throughthe ALAWeb site by clicking on the ‘‘Our Association’’ link andthen selecting ‘‘Discussion Groups’’. In particular, ReferenceServices in Small and Medium-sized Research Libraries,Reference Services in Large Research Libraries, and CollectionDevelopment Librarians of Academic Librarians all offer cover-age of liaison issues. Some groups even allow you to subscribe totheir e-mail lists or listservs without officially joining or paying afee. Take advantage of these subject-focused librarian groups togain more ideas about liaising with a department.

CONCLUSION

If you are a new reference librarian serving as a liaison, theadvice in this article will help to equip you to go beyond thereference desk and partake in activities that you have never donebefore as a library liaison. Thomas Edison supposedly said that‘‘opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed inoveralls and looks like work.’’ Liaison work may strike you as adaunting and demanding task, but it is also a wonderfulopportunity to enrich faculty research and the college curricu-lum in ways not possible through reference work alone.

There is no one blueprint that can apply equally to all liaisonwork. Institutions can differ greatly, and approaches to outreachalso vary according to personalities. However, we hope that ourtips and self-teaching methods give you some practical help inrealizing the service mission of your library as well as thecharge set forth in RUSA’s liaison guidelines. A flexible butproactive strategy of liaison outreach—not a passive or stopgapstrategy—will nourish the growth of your program. When youbecome a liaison, study your department’s needs using some ofthe guidelines and questions that we suggest; however, feel freeto jump right into your liaison role and start piloting differenttechniques. Through persistence you will gradually discover themost effective ways of reaching out to your department andbegin to notice the fruits of your efforts. You will develop apersonal repertoire of traditional tools as well as moreinnovative methods as you construct your outreach program.When you become more confident in your liaison role, you willalso want to identify aspects of your liaison style that you couldimprove and seek out relevant articles in the professionalliterature (like those that we mentioned earlier).

If you have just taken a new library position that involvesliaison work, please remember that librarian–faculty collabo-ration must go beyond selecting books and agreeing to canceljournal subscriptions. Ultimately, liaison activities shouldreinforce goals like team building, open discussion, camar-aderie, and life-long relationships. Following some of ourpractical guidelines, developing an inquisitive and open mind-set, setting realistic objectives, and continually gauging yourwork will help you boldly strive towards these goals and fulfillyour mission as an ambassador of the library.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. Sally Brown, Bill Downey, & Phil Race, 500 Tips for AcademicLibrarians, Library Association, London, 1997, p. 95.

2. Liaison with Users Committee, Collection Development andEvaluation Section, Reference and User Services Association(RUSA), ‘‘Guidelines for Liaison Work in Managing Col-lections and Services’’ (1992, revised 2001), http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/guidelinesliaison.htm(accessed November 7, 2005). Point 4.2.

3. Stephen J. Macaluso & Barbara Whitney Petruzzelli, ‘‘The Library

Liaison Toolkit: Learning to Bridge the Communication Gap,’’ TheReference Librarian 89–90 (2005): 163–177.

4. Melissa Moore, ‘‘Reeling ’Em In: How to Draw Teaching Facultyinto Collaborative Relationships,’’ Resource Sharing and Infor-mation Networks vol. 17 (no. 1/2) (2004): 77–83.

5. Felix T. Chu, ‘‘Librarian–Faculty Relations in Collection Devel-opment,’’ Journal of Academic Librarianship 23 (January 1997):15–20.

6. James Cory Tucker, Jeremy Bullian, & Matthew C. Torrence,‘‘Collaborate or die! Collection Development in Today’s Aca-demic Library,’’ The Reference Librarian 40 (no. 83/84) (2003):219–236.

7. La Loria Konata & Lyn Thaxton, ‘‘Transition to a Liaison Model:Teaching Faculty and Librarian Perceptions,’’ Urban LibraryJournal 11 (no. 1) (Fall 2001): 28–56;Carla A. Hendrix, ‘‘Developing a Liaison Program in a NewOrganizational Structure; Library–Faculty Liaison at SUNY Pitts-burg,’’ The Reference Librarian 32 (no. 67–68) (1999): 203–224.

8. Cynthia C. Ryans, Raghini S. Suresh, & Wei-Ping Zhang,‘‘Assessing an Academic Library Liaison Programme,’’ LibraryReview 44 (no. 1) (1995): 14–23 (Glasgow, Scotland).

9. Sean Kinder & Jack G. Montgomery, ‘‘The Collection Develop-

ment Role of the Library Liaison: A View from Both Sides of theFence,’’ Against the Grain 13 (no. 6) (December 2001/January2002): 77–79.

10. Robert Neville, James Williams, & Caroline C. Hunt, ‘‘Faculty–Librarian Team Work in Book Ordering at the College ofCharleston,’’ College & Research Libraries 59 (no. 6) (November1998): 524–533.

11. Ibid., pp. 95–101.12. James Cory Tucker & Matt Torrence, ‘‘Collection Development for

New Librarians: Advice from the Trenches,’’ Library Collections,Acquisitions & Technical Services 28 (2004): 402–404.

13. Mark Borden, ‘‘Thinking about Tomorrow,’’ Fortune 140 (no. 10)(November 11, 1999): 170.

14. Tom Glynn & Connie Wu, ‘‘New Roles and Opportunities forAcademic Library Liaisons: A Survey and Recommendations,’’Reference Services Review 31 (no. 2) (2003): 122–128.

15. Richard T. Garfein, ‘‘Guiding Principles for Improving Cus-tomer Service,’’ Journal of Services Marketing 2 (no. 2) (1988):19–25.

16. Zheng Ye Yang, ‘‘University Faculty’s Perception of a LibraryLiaison Program: A Case Study,’’ Journal of Academic Librarian-ship 26 (no. 2) (2000): 124–128.

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