What is the Future of Liaison Librarianship?

Let me start by saying this: I love being a liaison librarian. I love the responsibility, the relationships, the partnerships, the collaborations, and the learning – the constant learning. I love the amount of freedom I get to pursue what I think is worth pursuing, and the freedom I get to do my own thang.

Let me also say that I see the proactive nature of liaison work as essential to the success of academic libraries. If you're not proactive, you're not relevant. And I'm sure many liaison programs were in part developed for that very reason.

Yet...

I had a conversation with a colleague last week about our liaison program and its limitations (which are, I must add, a product of its success). Basically, we don’t have enough liaisons, and the liaisons we do have are ridiculously busy.*

I left the discussion thinking: There must be a better way. Can we structure our program differently to maximize the productivity and potential of our liaison work?

I should point out that I'm a health sciences librarian, who works in a massive academic health system. Liaisons are responsible for, when added up, 50 or so Departments, Schools, Colleges, and other groups. This includes students, faculty, both clinical and research, staff, and administrative types. Many thousands of people... a few 10 000s. We don't work on the reference desk and we don't spend much time purchasing books.** We just don't have time and it’s not a priority.

I liaise with 1 school, 1 college, and 5 departments/divisions. I teach a lot. I consult with students and faculty several times a week. I'm currently involved in several 'expert' searches. I hold office hours in the Dental School. I attend and present at faculty meetings, and am an invited 'guest' at a curriculum committee meeting... and so on.

The reason I mention all this is to point out that my time is divided to such an extent that I cannot truly focus on any one liaison area. I cannot take strides to become a 'specialist' in any one area, and if I do, it comes at the sacrifice of one or more of my other responsibilities.*** This is unfortunate. Understanding 'your subject' is an important part of liaison work (at least to those you're liaising with). Having subject knowledge not only helps you support your community's needs, but it also helps you anticipate trends and develop plans accordingly. I learn a lot just by doing, but I could do a lot more if I could get around to attending subject-related conferences and reading journals my faculty publish in.

And this is just one sacrifice. There are many others. Emails I don't send. Meetings I don't attend. Etc. Etc. It's just the way it is.

But... These sacrifices are a problem. I fear that I'm starting to become less proactive and more reactive. Now that I've laid the groundwork, my calendar fills up quickly without me doing much of anything. The classes, consultations, expert searches, standing meetings – all the stuff I love doing as a liaison. Much of it is coming to me now.

From my exploration of the literature, I see that time-constraints are a common liaison problem – a problem that hinders a program's potential for growth. We spend so much time just getting by, that we're unable to do what it is we would like to do. Perhaps the standard liaison structure is at fault. Liaison programs tend to assign one librarian to one department, and more or less everything that pertains to that department goes through that librarian. This could lead to a situation where each liaison is doing the same work (sending the same emails, giving the same presentations) as other liaisons. Effective? Yes - it gives liaisons face-time in the department. But it could also create redundancy in our work.

So – What to do? How can we remain proactive in an environment that requires so much more than limited library staffs can provide? Is the standard liaison model an effective approach to modern academic environments? Consider the interdisciplinary work of academia. We’re compartmentalizing at a time when academia is doing the opposite. I don't propose we discard the liaison model, but I do believe it could do with some serious rethinking.

* A feeling echoed elsewhere.

** An approval plan theoretically takes care of most of our book purchases. I check 'slips' once every 3 months or so. Maybe.

*** Which, to be honest, is what I've done.