98 Representative Documents: Policies and Procedures
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
Iowa Framework for Liaison/Subject Librarians (excerpts)
The University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa Framework
for Liaisons/Subject Librarians
Prefatory comments
EXCO has approved the attached framework as a guide and toolkit for librarians who serve as liaisons to
academic departments, colleges and programs to take effect for the 2010 evaluation year. Liaisons,
whether for collection management, reference/instruction or both, and those who supervise them
(chiefly Linda Walton, Kathy Magarrell and Ed Shreeves) should use the framework as a guide in
identifying priorities and specifying activities for 2010 workplans. We should emphasize that we do not
expect each liaison to show accomplishments annually in each of the more than 30 items listed in this
framework. You and your supervisor as always should agree on priorities based on both your individual
and departmental goals and the strategic goals of the library as a whole, while keeping in mind that this
document articulates a range of activities seen as appropriate to a liaison.
We also recognize that liaison responsibilities for some subjects are divided between two and
occasionally more people. In an ideal world we would like to see the duties combined in one person and
hope to move in that direction as much as possible, but our current organization and staffing levels
make this impossible at present. It is therefore important for those sharing liaison duties to
communicate with one another to ensure that all aspects of the job are covered. Some, such as the
tasks enumerated under scholarly communication, might be shared, while in other cases the
responsibility could fall entirely to one person. Effective communication is therefore vital.
This document also articulates for the first time some new expectations for liaisons, particularly in the
section on scholarly communication. During this season’s annual review and revision of job
descriptions, liaisons should revise their own job descriptions with the expectations outlined in this
document in mind. The framework is not intended for use during the evaluation process for 2008-2009.
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