Library Liaison Program

Goals for Library Liaison Program

1. Provides a primary contact between faculty and students associated with a particular department/program and the library.
2. Communicates information about library services, resources, etc. to faculty and students associated with particular departments or programs.
3. Partners with faculty in particular departments and programs to improve student information literacy (in person, online, formally and informally, in groups and individually)
4. Develop partnerships with faculty to build and enhance library collections through acquisitions and deacquisition of print and online resources.
5. Develop innovative projects, services, resources in partnership with faculty and students in a particular department/program that contributes to student learning and support.
6. Communicates concerns and questions that faculty and students may have about the library.

Expectations for Library Liaison

1. Librarians should contact their department representatives at the beginning of the fall semester.
2. Liaisons should seek to meet with departments and individual faculty (informally and formally) at least annually.
3. Liaisons should seek to identify information literacy "gateway" courses and "capstone experiences" in majors as candidates for instruction partnerships with faculty.
4. Liaisons should work to solve library related problems (large and small) reported by faculty and students within their liaison areas, and work with others in the library to do the same.
5. Liaisons should work with department faculty to ensure that appropriate level of materials are being acquired to support the curriculum and regularly select materials for purchase.
6. Liaisons should work with department faculty to ensure the continued relevance of databases, journals, reference works and other library resources within their liaison areas.
7. Liaisons should seek to be involved in the faculty hiring process in their liaison areas in order to explain the role of the library, how librarians and faculty work together, and the resources available to new faculty.
8. Liaisons should meet with new faculty hires in the first weeks after they arrive on campus to identify potential instruction opportunities, answer questions and build a relationship.
9. Liaisons should identify and attend events associated with their liaison areas (lectures, meetings, films, social events, etc.) as a way to develop personal relationships with faculty.
10. Liaisons should send personal emails to individual and groups of faculty concerning new services and resources that are of specific interest.
11. Liaisons should refer faculty to special collections/archives at Hope and encourage appropriate faculty to contact and use these collections.
12. Liaisons should encourage faculty to contact the Digital Liberal Arts Librarian when appropriate.

Portions borrowed from the Rollins College Olin Library Liaison Program Job Description under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.

Expectations for Departmental Representatives

1. Seek to meet with your Librarian Liaison formally and informally, at least once annually. Be aware of the library's information literacy programs and help identify information literacy "gateway" courses and "capstone experiences" in your department/majors.
2. Bring library related problems (large and small) that affect your department, to your Librarian Liaison. Ask your colleagues regularly for feedback.
3. Work with Librarian Liaison to ensure that appropriate level of materials are being acquired to support the curriculum and to ensure the continued relevance of databases, journals, reference works and other library resources within your discipline.
   1. Be knowledgeable about the resources available in your discipline via the library.
   2. Regularly ask members of your department for suggestions and communicate with your department when librarians need feedback.
   3. Coordinate requests for materials with your Librarian Liaison.
   4. Set up and respond to GOBI profiles if appropriate.
   5. Remind members of their department that they may want to consult the library prior to textbook adoption to see if there are alternatives to the purchase of expensive textbooks.
4. Monitor departments proposed new courses, majors/minors, programs and work with librarian to assess the library’s ability to support the curriculum as needed.
5. Include Librarian Liaison in the faculty candidate interview process (if possible), to explain the role of the library, how librarians and faculty work together, and the resources available to new faculty. Check-in with new faculty fall semester to make sure they have been connected your department’s librarian.