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The Liaison Librarian Program – Meeting Faculty Needs? Daphne Flanagan, AUS University Librarian,...
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Transcript of The Liaison Librarian Program – Meeting Faculty Needs? Daphne Flanagan, AUS University Librarian,...
The Liaison Librarian Program – Meeting Faculty Needs?Daphne Flanagan, AUS University Librarian, [email protected]
Alanna Ross, AUS Associate University Librarian for Public Services, [email protected]
IntroductionLiaison Librarian Program
2010 Project2015 Project
American University of Sharjah• 6000 students• 384 faculty• Co-educational• College of Engineering / College of Arts &
Sciences / College of Architecture, Art & Design / School of Business Administration
• American-style curriculum
AUS Library• SEATING FOR 900 STUDENTS• 140,000 PRINT AND MEDIA • 200,000 EBOOKS• 50+ ELECTRONIC DATABASES
AUS Library• 135+ DESKTOP COMPUTERS• 45+ LAPTOPS TO CHECKOUT• GROUP STUDY ROOMS• PRESENTATION ROOMS
• 10 LIBRARIANS• 13 FTE STAFF• 30 STUDENT ASSISTANTS
AUS FacultyHis Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed AlQasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, and President of American University of Sharjah greets 42 new faculty.
Liaison Librarian Program
• Liaison Librarian Program is the link between the library and academic programs
• Intended to increase the Library’s effectiveness
• 7 librarians are liaisons
Liaison Librarian Program
• Work with faculty to help students gain library and research skills
• Develop web-based tools to provide students with point-of-need assistance, self-paced tutorials and subject guides
• Faculty recommend materials purchase for the library
• Provide reference and research assistance
Liaison Librarian Program
Regular communication including:
• Emails
• Newsletter targeted to faculty
• Face-to-face meetings
• Departmental meetings
Liaison Librarian ProgramAssessment
2010 - Faculty meetings Findings
2015 Survey / Faculty Interviews Findings
Future
Meetings with Faculty
Purpose
• To further develop work relationships between faculty and liaison librarians
• To gather specific information and learn from faculty
• To provide library-related information to faculty
* Modeled on a NYU Libraries project
Protocol• Identify and select 8-10 faculty
• Explain that the information is to improve library resources and services and to better understand their information needs as a teacher and researcher
• Each librarian had a script to follow with specific questions
• Take detailed notes
MeetingsCollege of Engineering 9Writing Studies / English 9International Studies 4Multimedia & Communications 4Architecture, Art & Design 7Business Administration 8
TOTAL 41
Sample Questions
Questions
USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A RESEARCHER
• Can you describe a bit about your focus as a researcher and the vision for your research?
Questions
USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A RESEARCHER
• How do you stay current with new developments in your field of research?
Questions
USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A RESEARCHER
• At what point in the research process – developing a hypothesis, structuring your research, gathering insights, and publishing – do you use the library?
Questions
USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A TEACHER
• Can you describe the kinds of classes you teach and how you prepare? Are you developing recommended reading lists?
Questions
USE OF LIBRARY RESOURCES AND SERVICES AS A TEACHER
• As you go through the teaching process, are there tools you find particularly useful?
• What is the most helpful thing that librarians can do right now to help your students with research papers?
After the meetings• Compiled information from each librarian
• Met to discuss findings
• Discussed ways we might improve future project
• Developed an action plan
Findings• Under pressure to produce research• Prefer to use resources they have used in the
past• Know exactly which resources they need for
their research• Use a lot of their own resources• Divided on the use of ebooks / print books• They are very happy with ILL / document
delivery• Faculty are focusing research on local issues
Lessons learned
• Trim the number of questions
• Approach the meetings less formally
• Try to elicit examples & scenarios
• Start earlier in the year
Faculty Survey 2015
Aim:
“To explore faculty use of the library liaison program with a view to enhancing existing services and outreach”
Faculty Survey 2015
Purpose
How have faculty expectations changed?
Where might existing gaps be evident?
“Fleshing out” our own preconceived notions of faculty needs
How are existing services being used?
What are some of the challenges faculty encounter?
How might we respond?
Faculty Survey 2015
Survey
• 16 questions
• Qualtrics Survey Software
• Administered over a two week period
• 95 respondents (24.73% response rate)
Sample Questions
Faculty Survey 2015How have you used your liaison librarian’s services within the last 12 months? (select all options that apply)
• I requested the purchase of library materials / resources
• I was assisted with a research question
• I asked for library research instruction for my class
• I met with a librarian
• I attended a library workshop / training session
• I haven’t used the service
• Other (please specify)
Service Use
Faculty Survey 2015Which of the following liaison services are important to you? (please rate on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 = extremely important and 5 = not important at all)
• Inform faculty about services and resources
• Acquire books and journals
• Teach undergraduate students research skills
• Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty
• Offer seminars/workshops about subject-specific library resources
• Develop research guides to subject specific library resources
• Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills
• Consult with faculty about their research
Most important services
Ranked overall
1. Acquire books and journals
2. Inform faculty about services and resources
3. Teach graduate students research skills
4. Teach undergraduate students research skills
5. Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills
6. Consult with faculty about their research
7. Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty
8. Develop research guides to subject specific library resources
9. Offer seminars / workshops about subject-specific library resources
Targeting Service Provision
Ranked overall
1. Acquire books and journals 3.
2. Inform faculty about services and resources 1.
3. Teach graduate students research skills 2.
4. Teach undergraduate students research skills
5. Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills
6. Consult with faculty about their research
7. Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty
8. Develop research guides to subject specific library resources
9. Offer seminars / workshops about subject-specific library resources
Engineering
Targeting Service Provision
Ranked overall
1. Acquire books and journals 3. 1.
2. Inform faculty about services and resources 1. 2.
3. Teach graduate students research skills 2.
4. Teach undergraduate students research skills 3.
5. Collaborate with faculty on teaching students information literacy skills
6. Consult with faculty about their research
7. Demonstrate electronic databases to faculty
8. Develop research guides to subject specific library resources
9. Offer seminars / workshops about subject-specific library resources
Engineering Arts & Sciences
Faculty Survey 2015What do you find challenging about the research and publication process? (select all options that apply)
• Using library search tools
• Accessing secondary sources
• Selecting a publication channel
• Managing citations
• Copyright guidance
• Preserving gathered research
• Measuring research impact following publication
• Other (please specify)
Challenges for faculty
What do you find challenging about the research and publication process?
Art & Sciences
1. Selecting a publication channel
2. Measuring research impact
3. Managing citations
4. Copyright guidance
Architecture, Art & Design
1. Copyright guidance
2. Measuring research impact / managing citations
3. Selecting a publication channel
Business Administration
1. Measuring research impact
2. Copyright guidance / managing citations / selecting a publication channel
Engineering
1. Managing citations
2. Measuring research impact
3. Copyright guidance
4. Selecting a publication channel
Targeting liaison support
Faculty Survey 2015
Findings
• Materials acquisition is still a major focus
• Faculty needs differ across disciplines
• Faculty indicate a range of research and publication challenges currently not supported
• Survey data needs to be supplemented
Faculty Interviews Pilot Study
Aim:
“to explore and describe faculty research and publication practice from within and across disciplines at AUS”
Faculty Interviews
• Initiated in October 2015
• Pilot with 3 faculty – School of Business Administration
• IRB approval
• Semi-structured interviews – 12 questions, audio-recorded
• Published article focus
Focus areas
• Role of the library and research challenges
• Selection of a publication channel
• Tracking research impact
• Copyright challenges
Themes identified
• Finding regional data is difficult• Pressure to publish in journals of high impact/rank• Consult library databases to identify gaps in the literature• Restrict searching to specific databases and journals • Challenged to find balance between teaching & research • Successfully selecting a publication channel improves with
experience• Not interested in OA publishing• Tracking citations is important• Clear understanding of copyright restrictions with
publishers
The future
• Helping faculty figure out their research impact• Department level support targeted by librarians• Learning to speak the language of our academics• Identifying specific resource needs• Developing librarians’ skills• Strategic allocation of librarians’ time
Thank you