Connections, Conversations, and Visibility: How the Work of Academic Reference and Liaison Librarians Is Evolving
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.58.2.6929Abstract
The work of reference, subject, and liaison librarians is evolving, rapidly in some cases. This article provides an overview of the new roles that these librarians are involved in based on an extensive review of the literature in these areas over the last ten years. While some of these roles have been extensively covered in bibliographic essays of their own (data management, changes to information literacy instruction), this article attempts to provide a broader view of the situation, along with highlighting salient examples of the ways that librarians are trying to forge new and different connections with faculty and students, facilitate important conversations, and stay visible and relevant on their campuses.
References
Anthony Verdesca, “What’s in a Word: Coming to Terms with Reference, Part Two,” Reference Librarian 56, no. 3 (2015): 216–22.
David A. Tyckoson and Nicolette Warisse Sosulski, “‘What Are We Stopping?’ And ‘What Is Shifting?,’” Reference & User Services Quarterly 56, no. 2 (2016): 87–90.
Stephen Pinfield, “The Changing Role of Subject Librarians in Academic Libraries,” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 33, no. 1 (2001): 32–38.
Janice M. Jaguszewski and Karen Williams, “New Roles for New Times: Transforming Liaison Roles in Research Libraries,” report, Association of Research Libraries, August 2013, p. 16.
E. Michael Wilson, “The Role of Library Liaison as Consultant,” Kentucky Libraries 77, no. 1 (2013): 14.
R. David Lankes, The New Librarianship Field Guide (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2016), 17.
Abdullah Abrizah, Samaila Inuwa, and N. Afiqah-Izzati, “Systematic Literature Review Informing LIS Professionals on Embedding Librarianship Roles,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 42, no. 6 (2016): 636–43.
Anne M. Houston, “What’s in a Name? Toward a New Definition of Reference,” Reference & User Services Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2016): 186–88.
Stephen P. Buss, “Do We Still Need Reference Services in the Age of Google and Wikipedia?,” Reference Librarian 57, no. 4 (2016): 265–71.
Steven J. Bell, “Technology Killed the Reference Desk Librarian,” Reference Librarian 48, no. 1 (2007): 105–7.
Scott Carlson, “Are Reference Desks Dying Out?,” Chronicle of Higher Education 53, no. 33 (2007): A37–A39.
Pnina Shachaf, “The Paradox of Expertise: Is the Wikipedia Reference Desk as Good as Your Library?,” Journal of Documentation 65, no. 6 (2009): 977–96.
Megan Oakleaf, The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2010).
Anne R. Kenney, “Leveraging the Liaison Model: From Defining 21st Century Research Libraries to Implementing 21st Century Research Universities,” Ithaka S+ R, March 25, 2014, p. 11.
Linda K. Colding and John Venecek, “There’s Going to Be an Evolution: The Subject Librarian Initiative in Review,” Reference Librarian 56, no. 2 (2015): 133–45.
Scott Kennedy, “Farewell to the Reference Librarian,” Journal of Library Administration 51, no. 4 (2011): 319–25.
J. D. Feldman et al., “Making It Work for Everyone: An Evolving Reference Service,” Medical Reference Services Quarterly 37, no. 1 (2018): 10–18.
Martin Garner, “Whither the Reference Desk 20th Century Values in a 21st Century Service Model,” International Information & Library Review 48, no. 3 (2016): 211–16.
Timothy Peters, “Taking Librarians Off the Desk: One Library Changes Its Reference Desk Staffing Model,” Performance Measurement & Metrics 16, no. 1 (2015): 18–27.
Rosanne M. Cordell, Library Reference Services and Information Literacy: Models for Academic Institutions, Advances in Library and Information Science (ALIS) Book Series (Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2013).
Steven J. Bell, “Who Needs a Reference Desk?,” Library Issues 27, no. 6 (2007): 1–4.
Glenn Masuchika, “The Reference Desk, Points-of-Sale, and the Building of Loyalty: Applications of Customer Relationship Management Techniques to Library Marketing,” Reference Librarian 54, no. 4 (2013): 320–31.
Emily K. Chan, “Analyzing Recorded Transactions to Extrapolate the Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of Reference Desk Providers at an Urban, Academic/Public Library,” Journal of Library Administration 54, no. 1 (2014): 23–32.
Amy Gratz and Julie Gilbert, “Meeting Student Needs at the Reference Desk,” Reference Services Review 39, no. 3 (2011): 423–38.
Heather Empey, “Transaction Analysis of Interactions at the Reference Desk of a Small Academic Library,” Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library & Information Practice & Research 5, no. 2 (2010): 1–17.
Ron Russ, “Ode to a Reference Desk,” Arkansas Libraries 72, no. 4 (2015): 6–6.
Sarah Barbara Watstein and Steven J. Bell, “Is There a Future for the Reference Desk? A Point-Counterpoint Discussion,” Reference Librarian 49, no. 1 (2008): 1–20.
David A. Tyckoson, “Issues and Trends in the Management of Reference Services: A Historical Perspective,” Journal of Library Administration 51, no. 3 (2011): 259–78.
Chirag Shah and Vanessa Kitzie, “Social Q&A and Virtual Reference—Comparing Apples and Oranges with the Help of Experts and Users,” Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology 63, no. 10 (2012): 220–36.
Jason Coleman, Melissa N. Mallon, and Leo Lo, “Recent Changes to Reference Services in Academic Libraries and Their Relationship to Perceived Quality: Results of a National Survey,” Journal of Library Administration 56, no. 6 (2016): 694.
Hazel McClure and Patricia Bravender, “Regarding Reference in an Academic Library,” Reference & User Services Quarterly 52, no. 4 (2013): 302–8.
Debbi Dinkins and Susan M. Ryan, “Measuring Referrals: The Use of Paraprofessionals at the Reference Desk,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 36, no. 4 (2010): 279–86.
David S. Nolen, “Reforming or Rejecting the Reference Desk: Conflict and Continuity in the Concept of Reference,” Library Philosophy & Practice (2010): 1–9.
Aditi Bandyopadhyay and Mary Kate Boyd-Byrnes, “Is the Need for Mediated Reference Service in Academic Libraries Fading Away in the Digital Environment?,” Reference Services Review 44, no. 4 (2016): 596–626.
Anna Marie Johnson, Susan Finley, and Claudene Sproles, “Dismantling the Reference Collection,” Reference Librarian 56, no. 3 (2015): 161–73.
Marcene Robinson, “UB Reopens Silverman Library after Two-Year $7 Million Renovation,” UBNow, August 24, 2016, https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories/2016/08/silverman-reopening.html.
Irene Ke, Wenli Gao, and Jackie Bronicki, “Does Title-by-Title Selection Make a Difference? A Usage Analysis on Print Monograph Purchasing,” Collection Management 42, no. 1 (2017): 34–47.
Gaby G. Haddow, “Knowledge, Skills and Attributes for Academic Reference Librarians,” Australian Academic & Research Libraries 43, no. 3 (2012): 231–48.
Rick Anderson, “Collections 2021: The Future of the Library Collection Is Not a Collection,” Serials 24, no. 3 (2011): 211–15.
Cheri Jeanette Duncan and Genya Morgan O’Gara, “Building Holistic and Agile Collection Development and Assessment,” Performance Measurement & Metrics 16, no. 1 (2015): 62–85.
Maggie Liu, “Collection Analysis on Social Work: A Cost-Effective Approach,” Collection Building 34, no. 2 (2015): 59–64.
Raine Wilen and Anneli Ahtola, “Collection Evaluation: Micro and Macro Levels—Preliminary Guidelines and the Results of a Pilot Study of Two Finnish University Libraries,” Signum, no. 3 (2006): 39–43.
Karen C. Kohn, “Usage-Based Collection Evaluation with a Curricular Focus,” College & Research Libraries 74, no. 1 (2013): 85–97.
Karen R. Harker and Priya Kizhakkethil, “The Quick and the Dirty: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Database Overlap at the Journal Title Level,” Serials Librarian 68, no. 1–4 (2015): 249–54.
John Kimbrough, “Technical Services and the Virtual Reference Desk: Mining Chat Transcripts for Improved E-Resource Management,” Serials Librarian 74, no. 1–4 (2018): 212–16.
Stephanie H. Wical and R. Todd Vandenbark, “Combining Citation Studies and Usage Statistics to Build a Stronger Collection,” Library Resources & Technical Services 59, no. 1 (2015): 33–42.
Latisha Reynolds et al., “Library Instruction and Information Literacy 2016,” Reference Services Review 45, no. 4 (2017): 596-702.
Hannelore B. Rader, “Information Literacy 1973–2002: A Selected Literature Review,” Library Trends 51 (2002): 242.
Robert Detmering and Claudene Sproles, “Forget the Desk Job: Current Roles and Responsibilities in Entry-Level Reference Job Advertisements,” College & Research Libraries 73, no. 6 (2012): 543–55.
Megan Oakleaf, “The Library’s Contribution to Student Learning: Inspirations and Aspirations,” College & Research Libraries 76, no. 3 (2015): 353–58; Oakleaf, The Value of Academic Libraries.
Ielleen R. Miller, “Turning the Tables: A Faculty-Centered Approach to Integrating Information Literacy,” Reference Services Review 38 (2010): 647–62.
Jesús E. Sanabria, “The Librarian and the Collaborative Design of Effective Library Assignments: Recommendations for Faculty on Question Design for Student Success in Research Assignments,” Collaborative Librarianship 5, no. 4 (2013): 243–45.
Alex Mudd, Terri Summey, and Matt Upson, “It Takes a Village to Design a Course: Embedding a Librarian in Course Design,” Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning 9, no. 1/2 (2015): 69–88.
Peggy A. Pritchard, “The Embedded Science Librarian: Partner in Curriculum Design and Delivery,” Journal of Library Administration 50, no. 4 (2010): 373–96.
Dennis Isbell, “What Happens to Your Research Assignment at the Library?,” College Teaching 56, no. 1 (2008): 3–6.
Eugene Barsky, Kevin Read, and Aleteia Greenwood, “Teaching Matters: Increasing Library Visibility through Integrated Classroom Instruction,” Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library & Information Practice & Research 6, no. 1 (2011): 1–5.
Yvonne Nalani Meulemans and Allison Carr, “Not at Your Service: Building Genuine Faculty-Librarian Partnerships,” Reference Services Review 41, no. 1 (2013): 80–90.
Jesus E. Sanabria, “The Library as an Academic Partner in Student Retention and Graduation: The Library’s Collaboration with the Freshman Year Seminar Initiative at the Bronx Community College,” Collaborative Librarianship 5, no. 2 (2013): 94–100.
Vickie Lynn Mix, “Library and University Governance: Partners in Student Success,” Reference Services Review 41, no. 2 (2013): 253–65.
Judith A. Wolfe, Ted Naylor, and Jeanetta Drueke, “The Role of the Academic Reference Librarian in the Learning Commons,” Reference & User Services Quarterly 50, no. 2 (2010): 108–13.
Donald G. Frank et al., “Information Consulting: The Key to Success in Academic Libraries,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 27 (2001): 90.
Mary M. Case, “Partners in Knowledge Creation: An Expanded Role for Research Libraries in the Digital Future,” Journal of Library Administration 48, no. 2 (2008): 145.
Mary Auckland, “Re-skilling for Research: An Investigation into the Role and Skills of Subject and Liaison Librarians Required to Effectively Support the Evolving Information Needs of Researchers,” Research Libraries UK, 2012, p. 4.
Elaine Sullo and Alexandra W. Gomes, “A Profession without Limits: The Changing Role of Reference Librarians,” Medical Reference Services Quarterly 35, no. 2 (2016): 145–57.
Kara Whatley, “New Roles of Liaison Librarians: A Liaison’s Perspective,” Research Library Issues no. 265 (August 2009): 29.
James LaRue, “The Visibility and Invisibility of Librarians,” Library Journal 135, no. 19 (2010): 10.
Lori A. Goetsch, “Reinventing Our Work: New and Emerging Roles for Academic Librarians,” Journal of Library Administration 48, no. 2 (2008): 157–72.
Kara J Malenfant, “Leading Change in the System of Scholarly Communication: A Case Study of Engaging Liaison Librarians for Outreach to Faculty,” College & Research Libraries 71, no. 1 (2010): 63–76.
Linda Daniel et al., “Engaging with Library Users: Sharpening Our Vision as Subject Librarians for the Duke University Libraries,” Collections and User Services Council, January 14, 2011, https://libcms.oit.duke.edu/sites/default/files/dul/about/subject-librarian-report-2011.pdf.
Ohio State University Libraries, “The Framework for the Engaged Librarian: Building on Our Strengths,” May 2016, http://cgs.illinois.edu/files/2016/05/Engaged_Librarian_FrameworkPDF.pdf.
Ashley Rosener et al., “A Tale of Two Position Descriptions: Writing a New Liaison Librarian Position Description,” Library Leadership & Management 30, no. 4 (2016): 1–11.
University of Washington Libraries, “Subject Librarian Position Description Framework,” http://staffweb.lib.washington.edu/units/cas/sl-portal/knowing/position-description-framework.
Karrie Peterson and Ellen Finnie, “MIT Libraries Liaison Program: A Paradigm Shift,” Research Library Issues no. 294 (2018): 16–30.
Jenifer Flaxbart, “Iterative Evolution of the Liaison Librarian Role: A Brief Case Study,” Research Library Issues no. 294 (2018): 72–75.
Laura Banfield and Jo-Anne Petropoulos, “Re-visioning a Library Liaison Program in Light of External Forces and Internal Pressures,” Journal of Library Administration (2017): 1–19.
M. J. D’Elia and Doug Horne, “Leaving Liaison Behind: Reflections on the Last Decade,” Research Library Issues no. 294 (2018): 8–15.
Lisa Norberg and Deb Wallace, “Report on External Review: University of Toronto Libraries Liaison Librarian Program,” 2015, https://librarians.library.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/UTL-Liaison-Program-Review_Final-Report_May_15_w_cover_email2.pdf.
Joacim Hansson and Krister Johannesson, “Librarians’ Views of Academic Library Support for Scholarly Publishing: An Every-Day Perspective,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 39, no. 3 (2013): 232–40.
Stephan J. Macaluso and Barbara Whitney Petruzzelli, “The Library Liaison Toolkit: Learning to Bridge the Communication Gap,” Reference Librarian 43, no. 89/90 (2005): 163–77.
Craig Gibson and Meris Mandernach, “Reference Service at an Inflection Point: Transformations in Academic Libraries” (paper presented, ACRL 2013 Conference, “Imagine, Innovate, Inspire,” Indianapolis, Indiana, April 10–13, 2013).
Antony Brewerton, “Re-Skilling for Research: Investigating the Needs of Researchers and How Library Staff Can Best Support Them,” New Review of Academic Librarianship 18, no. 1 (2012): 96–110.
Amalia Monroe-Gulick, Greta Valentine, and Jamene Brooks-Kieffer, “‘You Need to Have a Street Beat’: A Qualitative Study of Faculty Research Needs and Challenges,” Portal: Libraries & the Academy 17, no. 4 (2017): 777–802.
Jeanette Eldridge et al., “Strategic Engagement: New Models of Relationship Management for Academic Librarians,” New Review of Academic Librarianship 22, no. 2/3 (2016): 160–75.
Nancy Falciani-White, “Understanding the ‘Complexity of Experience’: Modeling Faculty Research Practices,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 42, no. 2 (2016): 125.
Sandra Phoenix and Mantra Henderson, “Expanding Library Support for Faculty Research in Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Journal of Library Administration 56, no. 5 (2016): 582.
Mark A. Eddy and Daniela Solomon, “Leveraging Librarian Liaison Expertise in a New Consultancy Role,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 43, no. 2 (2017): 121–27.
Jake Carlson, “Demystifying the Data Interview: Developing a Foundation for Reference Librarians to Talk with Researchers About Their Data,” Reference Services Review 40 (2012): 10–11.
Andrew M. Cox et al., “Developments in Research Data Management in Academic Libraries: Towards an Understanding of Research Data Service Maturity,” Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology 68, no. 9 (2017): 2182–99; Chris Awre et al., “Research Data Management as a ‘Wicked Problem,’” Library Review 64, no. 4/5 (2015): 356–71.
Jamie Wittenberg, Anna Sackmann, and Rick Jaffe, “Situating Expertise in Practice: Domain-Based Data Management Training for Liaison Librarians,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 44, no. 3 (2018): 323–29.
Tracy Gabridge, “The Last Mile: Liaison Roles in Curating Science and Engineering Research Data,” in Research Library Issues: A Bimonthly Report from ARL, CNI, and SPARC, ed. Karla Hahn (Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, Coalition for Networked Information, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, 2009), 15.
Joey Nicholson, Aileen McCrillis, and Jeff D. Williams, “Collaboration Challenges in Systematic Reviews: A Survey of Health Sciences Librarians,” Journal of the Medical Library Association 105, no. 4 (2017): 385–93.
Martin Morris, Jill T. Boruff, and Genevieve C. Gore, “Scoping Reviews: Establishing the Role of the Librarian,” Journal of the Medical Library Association 104, no. 4 (2016): 346–53.
Genevieve C. Gore and Julie Jones, “Systematic Reviews and Librarians: A Primer for Managers,” Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library & Information Practice & Research 10, no. 1 (2015): 1–16.
Susan A. Murphy and Catherine Boden, “Benchmarking Participation of Canadian University Health Sciences Librarians in Systematic Reviews,” Journal of the Medical Library Association 103, no. 2 (2015): 73–78.
Diana Papaioannou et al., “Literature Searching for Social Science Systematic Reviews: Consideration of a Range of Search Techniques,” Health Information & Libraries Journal 27, no. 2 (2010): 114–22.
Sharon Karasmanis and Fiona Murphy, “Emerging Roles and Collaborations in Research Support for Academic Health Librarians” (paper presented at the Australian Library and Information Association National 2014 Conference, 2014).
Elizabeth B. Fitzpatrick, Anne C. Moore, and Beth W. Lang, “Reference Librarians at the Reference Desk in a Learning Commons: A Mixed Methods Evaluation,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 34, no. 3 (2008): 231–38.
Michael LaMagna, Sarah Hartman-Caverly, and Lori Marchetti, “Redefining Roles and Responsibilities: Implementing a Triage Reference Model at a Single Service Point,” Journal of Access Services 13 (2016): 53–65.
Jo Ann F. Murphy, “A New Student Learning Focus for the Academic Library: From Geographical Proximity of the Learning Commons to Organizational Proximity within the Library,” Journal of Library Administration 57, no. 7 (2017): 754.
Mandi Goodsett, Barbara Loomis, and Marsha Miles, “Leading Campus Oer Initiatives through Library–Faculty Collaboration,” College & Undergraduate Libraries 23, no. 3 (2016): 335–42.
Alex Carroll, “When the Textbook You Need Hasn’t Been Written Yet,” North Carolina State Univeristy Libraries, January 19, 2017, https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stories/when-the-textbook-you-need-hasn%E2%80%99t-been-written-yet.
“Alt-Textbook Project,” North Carolina State University Libraries, accessed Octobe 30, 2018, https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/alttextbook.
“Open Educational Resources,” University at Buffalo University Libraries, accessed October 30, 2018, https://library.buffalo.edu/scholarly/oer/.
Buffalo State E. H. Butler Library, “Accessible Learning Materials Initiative,” The State University of of New York, 2018, https://library.buffalostate.edu/almi.
Carl Staumsheim, “A Mean Amount of Money,” Inside Higher Ed, April 14, 2017.
“Maker Mondays,” Indiana University Libraries, accessed October 30, 2018, https://libraries.indiana.edu/event-categories/maker-mondays.
“Makespace at Hunt,” Hunt Library, accessed October 30, 2018, https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/do/make-at-hunt.
Margie Jantti, Stephen Town, and Jennifer Heath, “What Role for Libraries in Learning Analytics?,” Performance Measurement and Metrics 17, no. 2 (2016): 203–10.
Megan Oakleaf, “Getting Ready & Getting Started: Academic Librarian Involvement in Institutional Learning Analytics Initiatives,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 42, no. 4 (2016): 472–75.
Megan Oakleaf et al., “Academic Libraries & Institutional Learning Analytics: One Path to Integration,” Journal of Academic Librarianship 43, no. 5 (2017): 45461.
Kelly Broughton, “Developing a Matrix and Using Self-Reported Scoring to Measure Librarian Engagement on Campus,” Performance Measurement & Metrics 17, no. 2 (2016): 142–49.
Sarah Anne Murphy and Craig Gibson, “Programmatic Assessment of Research Services: Informing the Evolution of an Engaged Liaison Librarian Model,” in Assessing Liaison Librarians: Documenting Impact for Positive Change, ed. Daniel C. Mack and Gary W. White (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2014), 31.
Gary W. White, “Professional Development of Liaison Librarians: Fostering Skills for the Twenty-First Century,” in Assessing Liaison Librarians: Documenting Impact for Positive Change, ed. Gary W. White and Daniel C. Mack (Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2014), 126.
Daniel C. Mack, “Assessing Liaison Librarians: Documenting Impact for Positive Change,” in Assessing Liaison Librarians: Documenting Impact for Positive Change, ed. Daniel C. Mack and Gary W. White (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2014), 139.
Jennifer Church-Duran, “Distinctive Roles: Engagement, Innovation, and the Liaison Model,” portal: Libraries & the Academy 17, no. 2 (2017): 257–71.
Abigail Goben and Megan Sapp Nelson, “Teaching Librarians About Data: The ACRL Research Data Management Roadshow,” College & Research Libraries News 79, no. 7/8 (2018): 354–57.
Christopher V. Hollister and Robert Schroeder, “The Impact of Library Support on Education Faculty Research Productivity: An Exploratory Study,” Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 34, no. 3 (2015): 97–115.
Andrew M. Cox and Eddy Verbaan, “How Academic Librarians, It Staff, and Research Administrators Perceive and Relate to Research,” Library & Information Science Research 38, no. 4 (2016): 324.
Olivia Olivares, “The Sufficiently Embedded Librarian: Defining and Establishing Productive Librarian-Faculty Partnerships in Academic Libraries,” Public Services Quarterly 6, no. 2/3 (2010): 140–49.