Liaison Librarian Program
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Introduction
The Galter Health Sciences Library Liaison Program creates ongoing partnerships between the library and its constituents by pairing librarians with departments, centers, institutes, and programs at the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM). We hope that this endeavor will enhance communication, collaboration, and the effectiveness of the library in supporting the education, clinical, and research needs of the FSM community. Please see the Liaison Program description at the end of this page for further information.
Departments
Centers and Institutes
Programs
Liaison Program Description
Liaison librarians have been designated as the primary contacts between the Galter Health Sciences Library and a department or center of the Medical School. The intention is to provide faculty, students, and staff with the name of at least one person they can call upon as a starting point for assistance with or information about any library service or issue. The liaison librarian will foster two-way communication between the library and the Medical School’s programs, and understands the information needs of his or her department.
Liaison Librarians are:
- Well-informed about the library’s collections, services, policies, and resources, and skilled in interpreting and promoting these to faculty and students in their departments
- Knowledgeable of the subject matter and nature of the teaching and research conducted by the department
- Adept at working together with teaching faculty to ensure that relevant information access skills and tools are incorporated into academic programs
Your liaison librarian will:
- Actively foster communication with the assigned department or center
- Provide education services to inform and teach users in the departments how to use the library’s resources and find information
- Market library services and resources to the departments and centers
- Inform library users how to access library resources and services
- Be a contact for collection development and requests for resources or services
- Participate in professional development activities to enhance skills and knowledge to support assigned departments
What your liaison librarian can do for your department
Communication
- Produce information guides on new services, collections, and research tools
- Prepare or update subject research Web guides
- Schedule regular on site visits, e.g. office or computer lab hours
- Write a feature or column for your departmental newsletter
- Send information packets to new faculty
- Meet with the Department Head, faculty and staff members to learn about current plans for your department or center and seek feedback on the library liaison program
- Attend departmental meetings or other relevant gatherings
- Serve on a departmental committee
- Assist with departmental or center program, re-accreditation or grant applications
Orientations, Instructional Sessions and Demonstrations
- Schedule individual orientation meetings with new faculty
- Schedule library orientation sessions for new residents
- Create, review and revise orientation or instruction programs
- Demonstrate relevant library resources and services
- Attend departmental events
- Survey and document your faculty research interests
Collection Development
- Create or update collection development profile for library materials
- Perform a library collection review
- Get feedback on serial and book use and elicit suggestions for purchase
- Assist in evaluating and selecting materials for existing or future collections
Liaison Activities for the Curriculum
- Work with you to insure information literacy is fully incorporated into the your curriculum
- Establish a teaching partnership with a member of your department
- Teach a course or a course component in your department or program
- Establish a research partnership with a member of your department or program
- Develop or help develop an interactive learning module in your area
- Develop or help develop a program that promotes active student centered learning