Subject specialization in a liaison librarian program.

Tara Tobin Cataldo · Michele R. Tennant · Pamela Sherwill‐Navarro · Rae Jesano

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Library Science and Information Literacy Library Science and Information Web and Library Services

Abstract

Liaison librarians focus their work in a particular subject area and provide services to clients in that discipline. The value of and need for formal subject background for such liaisons have been debated for decades [1]. Some believe a relevant background (either through a degree or work experience in the field) is beneficial but not a necessity [2, 3], while others find a formal academic background is vital to this type of work [4, 5]. These differences of opinion are often related to the degree of subject-specific services provided by the liaison program; multitiered programs often require formal education in a subject area for liaisons at the higher or more specialized level [6]. The information specialist in context (ISIC) or informationist, a new career path evolving in health sciences, integrates hybrid specialists with formal training in both information management and a particular subject discipline or other expert training into clinical or research teams [7, 8]. Tennant et al. [9] described the formal evaluation of the University of Florida Health Science Center Library's (HSCL's) Liaison Librarian Program (LLP) 5 years after its inception. Although the response rate for the client portion of the survey was low, results indicated that 95% of faculty and student respondents who had contact with their liaisons (n = 101) supported continuing the LLP; furthermore, responses to open-ended questions suggested that clients were satisfied with both the program and their particular liaisons' services. In discussion of such models, debate often arises regarding the amount of subject knowledge required for traditional liaisons to provide satisfactory subject-related services and strategies for obtaining such expertise. The current subset analysis of the survey by Tennant et al. [9] strives to address questions about clients' perception of subject background, effect of liaison background on client satisfaction, and potential educational strategies of these liaisons.

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References

2006Evaluation of a liaison librarian program: client and liaison perspectives.2001Customizing for clients: developing a library liaison program from need to plan.

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2012Academic library liaison programs: four case studies 2012A case study: the evolution of a “facilitator model” liaison program in an academic medical library 2012Changing the Face of Reference: Adapting Biomedical and Health Information Services for the Classroom, Clinic, and Beyond 2014A Community of Practice: Librarians in a Biomedical Research Network 2017Education Library 2.0: The Establishment of a Dynamic Multi-Site Liaison Program 2008An Examination of the Relationships of Liaison Librarians and Academic Departments, Based Upon the Experiences of Librarians at a New Zealand Academic Institution 2008An Examination of the Relationships of Liaison Librarians and Academic Departments, Based Upon the Experiences of Librarians at a New Zealand Academic Institution 2008The role of subject knowledge in academic health sciences libraries: an online survey of librarians working in the United States

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