12 · Survey Results: Executive Summary
resonated with the authors of the 2007 report, SPEC Kit
301, as they noted a general increase in attention given
to services beyond collection development, including
information literacy instruction, scholarly communi-
cation education, and digital project consulting.4
Both the 1992 and 2007 reports provide evidence
that liaison services represent one of the most dynam-
ic areas of library organizations, constantly evolving
in response to or in anticipation of the surrounding
communities’ activities, needs, and expectations.
This survey explores the directions of these shifts.
However, it also considers what these shifts mean for
the professionals filling the role of library liaison and
the leaders who are helping to define, guide, and as-
sess the success of library liaison programs.
Background of Liaison Services
Sixty-seven respondents (93%) indicated that their
library’s organizational structure includes librarians
or other library staff with liaison responsibilities. Of
the five respondents that indicated they did not have
library liaisons, three are non-academic libraries, in
which liaison services are not relevant. Several re-
spondents indicated that, while their organization
includes library liaisons, they may call these positions
something different or use a team-based approach
to work with their surrounding communities. Many
respondents placed the birth of their liaison programs
prior to or during the 1960s and 1970s, but acknowl-
edge that the general beginnings of the programs are
unclear and that their labels and scopes have changed
over time. A general trend seems to point to an evo-
lution from subject specialists, bibliographers, and
selectors in the early days of liaison activities to what
a number of libraries are now framing as “engage-
ment” facilitators.
Because of the overall uncertainty about the start
of many libraries’ liaison services and programs, re-
sponses to questions about how these liaison roles
originally were determined indicate that there are
a lot of unknowns about the process. Fifty-six re-
spondents (84%) identified a library administrative
decision as the manner in which the roles were de-
termined, and 48 (73%) identified libraries’ perceived
needs of departments as a factor in the role-defining
and decision-making process.
Liaison Roles
As the liaison role has shifted over time, so have the
staffing categories, qualifications, and requirements
of the individuals who fill these roles. Of the 67 li-
braries that have staff in liaison roles, only 13 (19%)
responded that every professional librarian in their
institution held liaison responsibilities. The majority
of respondents (54 or 81%) indicated that some profes-
sional librarians’ job descriptions included liaison
duties and some did not. At organizations where this
mix of responsibilities occurs, librarians typically as-
sume liaison duties for a number of reasons, including
being hired into a liaison-specific role, having prior
experiences, education, or interest in a subject area or
liaison role, and serving in a public services position
where outreach is considered a primary component
of the position. Many library staff members who are
not professional librarians are also assuming liaison
duties. Forty-two of the responding libraries (63%)
indicated that some other professionals, support staff,
and other library staff are serving in the role of liaison.
Examples of other types of positions taking on liaison
duties include archivist, bioinformationist, curator,
director of communications and outreach, GIS analyst,
diversity intern, library assistant/specialist/techni-
cian, research assistants, and language experts.
While a variety of staffing categories may be given
liaison responsibilities, the responding libraries con-
verge on several key qualifications for library liaisons.
Although 42 libraries employ non-librarians in liaison
roles, sixty-four respondents (99%) indicated that an
MLS from an accredited school is a moderate to very
important qualification 44 of those (68%) reported
the MLS is a “very important” qualification. In com-
parison, only four respondents (6%) listed a second
master’s degree as a “very important” qualification.
Sixty-three (96%) identified “demonstrated communi-
cation skills” as a moderate to very important qualifi-
cation for liaisons, with 40 (61%) listing these skills in
the “very important” category. Interestingly, respon-
dents to the 1992 survey also identified communica-
tion skills as a key qualification for library liaisons,
and one that should be addressed in graduate degree
programs in library science. Other qualifications that
were identified multiple times in the current survey
include collaborative/teamwork skills, user-centered
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