Document Type

Article

Original Publication Date

2023

Journal/Book/Conference Title

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

Volume

49

Issue

6

First Page

102792

DOI

10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102792

Comments

Author's final manuscript copy of article published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship

Date of Submission

September 2024

Abstract

Case studies and surveys describing roles of liaison librarians and structure of liaison librarian programs have generally focused on libraries at large, research-oriented universities. This study was conducted to better understand the role of liaison librarians and the structure of liaison programs across more types of college and university libraries. Listings of liaison librarians on library websites at institutions with a wide range of enrollments were examined. Document analysis was used to observe how common it was for libraries to have such listings, how many liaison librarians were listed, what title was used for the position, what services were described, and if library employees not matched to university departments were also included in the list. Although there was substantial overlap in how institutions described their liaison librarian services, smaller and larger institutions had some noteworthy differences. Over 80 % of institutions with >5000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students had a liaison librarian listing on the library website, while less than half of smaller institutions had a listing. The largest institutions also tended to have more liaison librarians, frequently included subject specialization in liaison titles, and offered non-departmental services in their listings more often than smaller institutions.

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VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

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