Evolution of Library Liaisons, SPEC Kit 349

Miller, Rebecca K.; Pressley, Lauren

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SPEC Kit 349: Evolution of Library Liaisons · 11
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
As research libraries develop new directions and pri-
orities in response to changing needs of the students,
faculty, researchers, and staff at their institutions, the
role of library liaisons continues to shift and evolve.
Library liaisons traditionally have helped support
academic departments, faculty, and students through
outreach and communication, teaching one-shot in-
struction sessions, offering customized research con-
sultations, and participating in disciplinary collection
development. However, in her 2014 report Leveraging
the Liaison Model, Anne Kenney writes that many re-
search libraries are beginning “to shift the focus away
from the work of librarians to that of scholars and to
develop engagement strategies based on their needs
and success indicators.”1 Overall, Kenney notes that
the current liaison model simply does not meet the
needs of the twenty-first century university and re-
search library. While many libraries are developing
new strategies for evolving their liaison programs in
order to meet new challenges in research, scholarship,
and engagement, there are unanswered questions
about how successful, impactful, and effective liaison
programs can be developed and supported.
The purpose of this survey was to gather data
about the evolving role of the library liaison and
the shifting goals and strategies of liaison programs
at ARL member libraries. In particular, to identify
emerging trends and themes in the changes occur-
ring in the library liaison model and the factors that
influence these changes on an institutional level.
Because each institution and its needs are unique,
this survey focused on not only the specific changes
occurring in liaison programs, but also the general
conditions that contribute to both the need and sup-
port for these changes.
This survey was distributed to the 124 ARL mem-
ber libraries in July 2015. Seventy members (57%) pro-
vided seventy-two responses by the August 12, 2015
deadline, and the responses summarized here con-
tinue to indicate that the evolving liaison model is a
critical component in ARL member libraries’ ability to
meet the broad challenges of today’s research libraries
and take advantage of opportunities to move in new
strategic directions. By providing data points, ex-
amples, and trends that will contribute to the growth
and direction of liaison services, we hope that this
report will contribute to library leaders’ ability to
support their surrounding community in new and
exciting ways.
Evolution of Liaison Roles
Background research reveals that there is no shortage
of literature related to the topic of liaison services in all
types of libraries. Indeed, as the third SPEC Kit devot-
ed to liaison services, this publication has the oppor-
tunity to compare data and trends from the 1992 and
2007 SPEC surveys with the data gathered in 2015. The
1992 report, SPEC Kit 189, focused on defining prac-
tices, definitions, and policies of library liaisons, but
in her summary, author Gail Latta noted that “effort
should be made to continue exploring non-traditional
and expanded roles for liaisons, as contributing mem-
bers of research teams and instructional programs.”2
Latta presciently identified one of the major shifts in
liaison services when writing that, “as the physical
collection becomes less central, the user is becoming
the focus of library services.”3 These observations also

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SPEC Kit 349: Evolution of Library Liaisons (November 2015) resources

SURVEY RESULTS

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Page 9Survey Results click to expand contents

Page 101Representative Documents click to expand contents

Page 103Liaison Services click to expand contents

Page 111Position Descriptions click to expand contents

Page 129Responsibilities, Competencies, Goals click to expand contents

Page 165Program Evolution click to expand contents

Page 199Selected Resources click to expand contents

SPEC Kit 349: Evolution of Library Liaisons (November 2015) resources

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