Liaison librarianship

This chapter explores what academic librarians and their supervisors must consider when looking to a remote or telework arrangement as a staffing solution. The popular and scholarly literature on remote work is surveyed and contextualized for information professionals. Research is clear that with proper planning, remote work arrangements can succeed, benefitting organizations and individuals. Even so, liaison librarians are unlikely to have central support for remote work arrangements due to communication and cultural hurdles unique to the profession. While these have been mitigated by technology to varying degrees in other sectors and industries, adoption in libraries has been slow. When librarians do pursue remote work, they are often unsure how to gauge fit, negotiate an arrangement, overcome technical obstacles and cultural misconceptions, and balance work and life. Authors Hickey and Tang: (1) summarize and apply research on remote work for library science professionals; (2) propose a theoretical framework for understanding the future of remote work for practitioner librarians in higher education; (3) present a case study of a successful remote work arrangement at Cornell University; (4) provide thought-provoking coaching questions for librarians and supervisors considering remote arrangements; (5) and identify next-steps for advancing the discussion and study of remote work in libraries. The practical implication of this information, aimed at service providers and managers, is to help them create a better workplace where flexible remote work arrangements are an opportunity for both the individual and organization that facilitate the achievement of personal, library unit, and institutional goals.

Hickey, Daniel and Neely Tang. (2015). “Theoretical and Applied Approaches to Remote Work for Academic Reference and Instruction Librarians” in Hines, Samantha and Marcy Simmons (Eds.), Advances in Library Administration and Organization Vol 34: Library Staffing for the Future (177-200). Bingley, UK: Emerald Publishing Group Limited.

The liaison concept has moved beyond just collection development. St. Cloud State University's Learning Resources & Technology Services (LR&TS) has begun to provide a non-traditional liaison team model of collaboration led by librarians that draw on the expertise of a variety of professionals including information technologists, Web designers, communication and marketing specialists, media designers, and trainers who are critical to providing quality information services for the twenty-first century.