ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


254/C&RL News

Effective liaison relationships 
in an academic library

By Connie Wu, Michael Bowman, Judy Gardner, Robert G. Sewell, 
and Myoung Chung Wilson

Recommendations o f  the Rutgers 
University Libraries Task Force on 
Liaison Relationships

K nowing the context in which an academic library operates and conveying what in­
formational resources and services a library can 
offer to its varied constituencies are keys to the 
success o f a library as a fully integrated part of 
the academic enterprise. The interaction that is 
required to bring about this success is often 
referred to as the “liaison relationship.”

Following is a revised text o f recommenda­
tions for subject selectors and library liaisons 
submitted by the Task Force on Liaison Rela­
tionships o f the Rutgers University Libraries. 
The Task Force was appointed in May 1991 by 
then vice-president for information services and 
university librarian Joanne Euster. A “toolbox” 
o f suggested methods to implement each rec­
ommendation is included.

I. Contact appropriate academic depart­
ments and review channels o f communi­
cation once a year.

• Contact faculty in a way that fits with 
their departmental culture and your own per­
sonal communication style.

• Communicate via e-mail, memos, tele­
phone calls, or face-to-face contact. Visit fac­
ulty in their offices; ask department heads about 
problems and program changes; talk with 
deans, chairs, liaisons, and secretaries. Take 
advantage o f informal occasions to talk with 
faculty, such as working lunches, coffee breaks,

and department or university parties and re­
ceptions.

• Attend faculty departmental meetings 
when appropriate and ask to be placed on de­
partmental mailing lists.

• Produce inexpensive house organs such 
as newsletters, electronic mailings, or faculty 
library handbooks. Keep them brief, informal, 
and newsy.

• Encourage department chairs and aca­
demic administrators to recognize the impor­
tance o f the liaison relationship and to call on 
you as a resource person.

• Attend general cultural and social events 
and seminars with faculty.

• Provide a comprehensive list o f selectors 
by subject in all library units to faculty and aca­
demic administrators. Make the list available 
on the campuswide information system. Inform 
faculty that libraries work together as a sys­
tem, not independently o f one another.

• Recognize faculty members when they 
publish a book with a note congratulating them 
and informing them that a copy has been re­
ceived in the library.

• Teach classes on the use o f the library, 
library automation, research methods, and on­
line searching. Encourage faculty to share re­
sponsibility for teaching library use to students.

• Offer library instruction to faculty and 
graduate students on new resources and ser­
vices available. Conduct open houses for new 
faculty and graduate students.

• Seek opportunities for collaborative teach­
ing projects, research, and grants with faculty.

(Liaison cont. on page 303)

Connie Wu is engineering resource librarian, Judy Gardner is public services librarian, Robert G. Sewell is 
associate university librarian f o r  collection development and management, Myoung Chung Wilson is head o f 
collection development at Rutgers University, Michael Bowman is engineering librarian at Portland State 
University.



May 1994/255

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May 1994/303

prints dating from  the 16th century, greatly ex­
tends the university’s holdings in this area. The 
purchase was funded by the UNLV Foundation, 
the College o f Hotel Administration, and the 
Library’s Endowments.

Materials relating to the Los Angeles 
riots o f 1992 are being archived at the Univer­
sity o f Southern California’s Doheny M e­
morial Library by librarian Anthony Anderson. 
The material includes the Christopher Commis­

sion Report o f 1991, along with 67 boxes o f 
materials relating to the commission’s investi­
gation o f the Los Angeles Police Department 
follow in g the 1991 beating o f motorist Rodney 
King. Also included are the Webster Commis­
sion archives, 58 boxes o f materials on the city’s 
handling o f the riots, plus more than 40 addi­
tional reports, books, and related government 
and privately printed documents. The collec­
tion even includes transcripts o f sermons given 
from Los Angeles pulpits follow ing the riots. ■

(Liaison cont.from page 254)

• Participate in university orientation pro­
grams for teaching assistants, research assistants, 
and international and graduate students. Train 
students w h o  assist faculty with their research.

• Provide current bibliographic services for 
special research needs such as Selected Dis­
semination Information, table o f contents, and 
current awareness services.

II. Integrate the faculty into all stages of 
the collection development process.

• A dvise faculty about how  they can par­
ticipate in the selection process.

• Ensure faculty are aware o f the library 
collection’s strengths and weaknesses. Compile 
and distribute appropriate journal lists, new  
acquisitions lists, and library research hand­
books and topic guides when appropriate.

• Inform faculty about budgetary and allo­
cation issues.

• Encourage faculty to participate in deci­
sions on materials acquisition, retrospective 
purchasing, conversion o f materials into other 
formats, and replacement o f missing materials. 
Obtain advice from departmental liaisons on 
the acquisition o f expensive titles. Send infor­
mation on n ew ly published journal titles to 
appropriate faculty for purchase evaluation.

• Consult with departmental liaisons and 
other appropriate faculty on cancellation and 
evaluation o f serials originally recommended 
by them or in their subject area. K eep faculty 
informed throughout the cancellation process.

III. Become familiar with the curricu­
lum, reading requirements o f undergradu­
ate students, thesis topics o f graduate stu­
dents, and the research interests o f faculty.

•  Obtain information about academic pri­
orities within departments. Supplement data 
from catalogs and other institutional sources 
with information obtained from questionnaires.

• D evelop a standardized form to gather 
information about the department(s) for which 
you are responsible. The form  may include 
items such as: 1) faculty size, 2) size o f student 
population: undergraduate and graduate stu­
dents, 3) n ew  programs, 4) n ew  courses, 5) 
n ew  faculty members, 6) n ew  research inter­
ests, 7) n ew  research centers or labs.

• D evelo p  a standardized questionnaire 
form  to gather information about individual 
faculty.- Use the questionnaire to set up pro­
files o f faculty research interests. The fo llo w ­
ing items may be included: 1) professional sub­
ject interests, 2) current research projects, 3) 
courses being taught, 4) other responsibilities, 
5) foreign languages read, 6) academic rank.

IV. Develop subject expertise and keep 
current in your fields.

• Attend lectures and symposia.
• Read current works in your field.
• Talk to faculty about research, teaching, 

and service activities.
V. Cooperate with other librarians and 

library units in liaison relationships.
•  Share information with subject special­

ists and public services librarians with respon­
sibilities in similar academic areas.

• Regularly communicate with subject spe­
cialists w orking in overlapping or interdiscipli­
nary areas.

• Exchange information with librarians in­
volved  in user education and bibliographic in­
struction.

• Bring users’ comments or suggestions 
about library online information systems and 
concerns on library technical issues to techni­
cal services librarians.

• Elicit the support o f library administra­
tors in stressing the importance o f liaison rela­
tionships. ■