Exploring Embedded, Personal, and Liaison Librarians: Current & Future Roles for Engaging Researchers

Where: University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Campus Center, First Floor
Campus Center Way
Amherst, Massachusetts

When:9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Note: Registration begins at 8:00am

Workshop Organizer: Christine Drew and Laura Hanlan both of Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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What creative marketing techniques are librarians using to engage specific groups of researchers –both faculty and students? How are embedded, personal, and liaison librarians really affecting student and faculty research? What’s the next trend in librarianship for research support outreach? Spend a day hearing case studies from practitioners, discussing your own experiences, and learning from experts in the fields of Library and Information Science and Marketing as we explore best practices and future possibilities for marketing library research services within an academic environment. Leave the event with specific ideas on how you can begin to implement or improve upon programs in your library.

SIG attendees will be able to:

• Examine trends in embedded, personal, and liaison programs and their impact on researchers.
• Share and compare case studies of what academic libraries are doing to promote embedded, personal, and liaison librarian programs.
• Understand best practices gleaned from library and information science and marketing research that impact the success of researcher outreach programs.
• Develop action items from case studies and theory that can be used to implement or improve research outreach programs.
 
Event Schedule:
8:00am – 9:00am Registration and Coffee

9:00am – 9:45am Welcome, Opening Remarks and Lightning Round Discussion
Facilitators: Christine Drew & Laura Hanlan

Attendees will have the opportunity to share interests in or experiences with Embedded, Personal, and Liaison Librarian Programs.

9:45am - 10:30am Case Study 1: Personal and Collective: The Library in the Lives of Yale Undergraduates
Speaker: Emily Horning, Director of Undergraduate Research Education and Outreach, Yale University Library

Emily will describe the Personal Librarian Program, the Yale Library’s general outreach program for freshmen and sophomores, and its place among other library initiatives aimed at undergraduates. How do we create a continuum of experiences throughout the Library for undergraduates? How do we promote rich and productive interactions with collections and staff that lead to deep engagement with scholarly information? What effects do these programs have on Library staff and on the students themselves? These and other issues, such as budget reductions and staff attrition, will be the focus of this presentation.

10:30am - 10:45am Break

10:45am - 11:30am Case Study 2: Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Personal, Embedded, and Liaison Librarian Programs
Speakers:
Christine Drew, Associate Director for Research and Instruction Services, Gordon Library, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Laura Hanlan, Research & Instruction Librarian, Gordon Library, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Christine and Laura will give an overview of the various outreach strategies used to target WPI faculty. First, through traditional liaison programs which are evolving towards a more “embedded librarian” structure in some cases. They will also describe their recent initiative to directly reach first year students through the Great Problem Seminars Personal Librarian Program. In addition to this overview and sharing what has worked so far, Christine and Laura will attempt to describe challenges faced and future projections.

11:30am - 12:30pm Lunch

12:30pm – 1:30pm Consumer Engagement and Loyalty: What Librarians can Learn from the Marketing Field
Speaker: Dr. Adrienne Hall Philips, Assistant Professor, School of Business, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

This interactive presentation will provide insights and strategies on how librarians can use relationship marketing concepts to engage with their customers. The speaker will discuss some key marketing concepts, provide real-life examples of how these concepts are successful for everyday businesses, and lead participants in envisioning how to apply this knowledge to the library customer experience. Participants will come away with some practical ideas of how they might effectively interact with library customers, showcase library services, and increase customer awareness and loyalty.

1:30pm – 1:45pm Break

1:45pm - 2:45pm Embedded Librarians: Impact & Evaluation
Speaker: Dr. Laura Saunders, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College

In the current environment of restricted budgets and increased competition, it is even more important for libraries to demonstrate their value to stakeholders and customers through evaluation and assessment. Embedded librarian programs tend to have several goals, including increasing contact with students, supporting and assisting students and faculty in achieving student learning outcomes, and providing a sustainable service. But how well do our programs meet these goals? Is there evidence that student learning has increased, or that faculty are satisfied with student achievement? Are there any established best practices, and what steps can be taken to continuously improve on these services? This presentation will explore the answers to these questions by examining the impact of embedded librarian programs, and outline basic approaches for implementing local assessments of existing programs.

2:45pm - 3:30pm Taking it with You: Applying Theory to Practice at Your Library
Facilitators: Christine Drew & Laura Hanlan

The day will conclude with attendees working together to identify next steps for their libraries, incorporating ideas collected throughout the day.

3:30pm End