18 · Survey Results: Executive Summary
the benefits of these programs remain clear. Library
liaisons provide a “human face” for the library and ul-
timately allow libraries to engage more deeply in the
life of the surrounding community and better under-
stand that community’s needs and trajectories. Many
respondents reported that library liaisons “keep the
library relevant” because they are engaged in relation-
ships and partnerships that enable the library to grow
and evolve in appropriate and valuable directions.
Discussion
After comparing data from the 1992, 2007, and current
surveys on library liaisons, it is clear that liaison ser-
vices and programs represent some of the most visibly
evolving components of twenty-first century libraries.
Some of the major areas of change for library liaisons
include skill sets, core duties and responsibilities,
stakeholders, methods of internal and external com-
munication and collaboration, and the definition of
impact and success. Much has changed over the previ-
ous twenty-three years, and we can anticipate that this
rate of change will continue as libraries work with new
partners and embrace new roles within their commu-
nities. When asked if the liaison role at their institution
has undergone major changes recently, three-quarters
of the respondents answered in the affirmative. Twelve
others (18%) responded that changes were currently in
process or about to happen. In addition to changes to
core duties and responsibilities, respondents identi-
fied a number of significant changes to services. Many
mentioned that liaisons were decreasing or complete-
ly jettisoning reference desk hours, embracing new
modes of research, scholarship, and literacies, explor-
ing and gaining expertise in sophisticated technology,
and working collaboratively to leverage the expertise
of internal and external partners.
These changes have been driven by a number
of factors that are fairly consistent among respond-
ing libraries. Fifty respondents (82%) reported that
changes to the liaison role have been driven by the
changing landscape of scholarship and publication.
Forty-two libraries (69%) developed changes based
on the identification of new needs within the com-
munity, and roughly half of the responding libraries
initiated liaison changes because of new library lead-
ership. Other catalysts of change include changes in
various disciplines, library reorganizations, reduced
staffing, and changes in federal policies. Liaisons
and administrators appear to be working together
to initiate changes to liaison roles, an aspect of this
evolution that situates liaisons at the center of rapid
and profound change in research and higher educa-
tion. The data from this survey plainly demonstrate
library liaisons’ facility for growing in new directions
in order to enhance the libraries’ value and reach.
However, it is less clear that liaisons are working to
shift some responsibilities in order to embrace new
ones. About half of the respondents reported that
liaisons have relinquished responsibilities to take on
new ones. A quarter reported that no liaison duties
have been relinquished, but that there is a plan to
shift responsibilities over the next 1 to 3 years. Ten
libraries (16%) reported no plans to formally shift li-
aison responsibilities in order to make room for new
areas of growth. The two most commonly reported
responsibilities that have been shifted away from
library liaisons include staffing public service points
and in-depth collection development. This becomes
possible as libraries use demand driven acquisition
and centralize collections work and create alternate
staffing models for public service points. Library li-
aisons are reaching new stakeholders, participating
in new conversations, and developing new areas of
expertise. It will be critical for library administra-
tors and liaisons to continue to consider ways that
liaisons can shift responsibilities in order to evolve
and innovate.
Conclusion
One respondent commented that “liaisons are more
important than ever in the work we are doing to
support campus priorities and strategic directions.”
Another observed that liaison roles, even within a
single library, are “nuanced...given the degree of vari-
ability across units, and across individual approaches
to liaison roles.” The data from this survey show that
successful liaisons are both independent and collab-
orative workers, proactive rather than reactive, and
discriminating in the scope of their work, yet also flex-
ible and open to new areas of working and partnering.
As libraries move to outcomes-based assessment and
strive to measure the impact of their work, it becomes
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