larger dialogs about changing practices that are occurring on campuses and within disciplines. Liaison librarians need well-developed, high-trust relationships to create strategic opportunities to participate in and influence disciplinary and departmental decisions. It is also evident that the range of activities addressed through liaison work is growing. As a consequence, liaison librarians increasingly need the ability to acquire new skills and leverage more specialized expertise among their library colleagues in service of their clients. Liaisons cannot be expert themselves in each new capability, but knowing when to call in a colleague, or how to describe appropriate expert capabilities to faculty, will be key to the new liaison role. Just as researchers are often working in teams to leverage compatible expertise, liaison librarians will need to be team builders among library experts where this advances client research. New liaison roles are not emerging de novo, but rather in continuity with established roles. Consequently, the articles describe developmental processes from the perspective of particular roles and institutions. While there may be growing consensus on where to go, how to make the journey is a pressing question. Organizations will need to map out different routes to address their particular circumstances, but for fellow travelers the authors have some helpful observations and astute insights to offer. 1 Susan Logue, John Ballestro, Andrea Imre, and Julie Arendt. SPEC Kit 301 Liaison Services. Association of Research Libraries, 2007. To cite this article: Karla Hahn. “Introduction: Positioning Liaison Librarians for the 21st Century.” Research Library Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC, no. 265 (August 2009): 1–2. http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/ rli/archive/rli265.shtml. RLI 265 2 Introduction: Positioning Liaison Librarians for the 21st Century ( C O N T I N U E D ) AUGUST 2009 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC