LIBRARY LIAISON PROGRAM

Description of the Faculty Library Liaison Program
Role of the Faculty Library Liaison in Collection Development
Role of the Librarian-Liaison in Collection Development
Participation of Other Groups in the Selection Process

Description of the Library Liaison Program

Members of the professional library staff and members of the teaching faculty have developed a strong collaborative relationship over the years,which provides the ideal forum for effective and responsive collection development efforts. Both groups share a common mission, which is to ensure that the library's core collection is maintained and that new acquisitions reflect the instructional needs of students, faculty and the goals of the institution. Both groups operate with a recognition of the the unique contributions and specialized knowlege that exists within this partnership, as they strive to attain a common goal.

While collaboration between the professional librarians and the teaching faculty has always occurred informally on the Southern campus, it was believed that the collection development process might benefit from a more structured approach. This belief resulted in the creation of a Faculty Library Liaison Committee on the SCSU campus in 2001. At that time, every academic department chair was asked to appoint a faculty liaison who would serve as their representative to the Library and would offer advice on the unique curricular needs of the department. While some Departmental Faculty Liaisons have served on the Faculty Liaison Committee since its inception, many departments appoint their liaisons to serve on a rotating basis. A list of those individuals currently serving as Departmental Faculty Liaisons can be viewed elsewhere on this page.

Role of the Faculty Library Liaison

The Buley Library holds a meeting of the full Faculty Library Liaison Committee in the fall of each year, and will meet at other times during the academic year with the liaisons from specific schools or departments, depending upon the issues under discussion. During this meeting, which is coordinated by the Collection Development Librarian, in conjunction with the Collection Development Committee and the Library Director, presentations are made by on a variety of timely topics impacting the library. Past meetings have featured presentations on the RefWorks bibliographic citation product, a review of new database offerings, a discussion of using library resources in the online classroom, and an Annual Review of Collection Development Activities. At these meetings, members may discuss any concerns relating to the general operation of the library, as well as take under advisement any specific collection development issues raised by the professional library staff or other members of the committee.

In addition to these more formal meetings, Departmental Faculty Liaisons meet independently with the librarian-liaison for their respective departments, and with the Collection Development Librarian to discuss issues relating to Graduate Program Reviews, departmental accreditation efforts and similar issues. Departmental Faculty Liaison members also have ongoing responsibilities in three key areas of collection development: advisement and assessment, evaluation, and recommendation.

Role of the Librarian-Liaison in Collection Development

Members of the library faculty are assigned liaison responsibilities for several departments, with assignments based on the individual subject specialities, professional interests, and academic background of each librarian. Daily public service work at the Reference Desk permits the librarians to obtain a broad overview of the quality and balance of a wide range of subject areas in the collection. Through this daily interaction with students and faculty, the librarians are well equipped to make meaningful purchase selections. These selections are frequently based on demonstrated weakness in the collection's ability to meet the research needs of students for the completion of term papers and class assignments, or to acquire recommended class readings.

The following is a suggested listing of priorities for purchasing of library materials through the Hilton C. Buley Library:

1. Materials requested by faculty and librarians to be placed on Reserve for in-house library use related to specific class assignments

2. Materials cited on class syllabi for specific courses offered by the University, with the general exclusion of most introductory texts.

3. Materials recommended by faculty or librarians to support current instruction and long-term goals for development of the general library collections.

4. Materials recommended by faculty or librarians to meet approved new programs or changing programmatic requirements.

5. Materials recommended by librarians or faculty to upgrade those disciplines identified to be weak, based on the library's formal collection assessment efforts.

6. Materials recommended by librarians, teaching faculty members, or members of the university administration which support long-term scholarship or are of significant current importance, and which fall within the scope of the library's collection.

7. General interest or recreational reading which falls outside the instructional objectives of the University.

The Hilton C. Buley Library will attempt to acquire through interlibrary loan or electronic document delivery services, those materials needed for research by students, faculty, or University staff which cannot be secured through purchase or which fall outside the collection guidelines. The Library Director and Collection Development Librarian reserve the right to refuse a recommendation for budgetary reasons, or failure to meet the selection criteria presented in the library's written Collection Development Policy.

Participation of Other Groups in the Selection Process

Library Support Staff

The library support staff are encouraged to participate in the selection process, and may make recommendations for the purchase of books in a given subject area which falls within collecting guidelines. Requests should be submitted to the Collection Development Librarian.

Southern Connecticut State University Students

Recommendations for materials from students of the University are encouraged, and suggestions will be given careful consideration. Requests may be submitted in writing or verbally to the Collection Development Librarian, x25736. In addition, any member of the SCSU community may submit a purchase request electronically by accessing the Library's Home Page and completing the on-line recommendation form. The Collection Development Librarian periodically reviews these forms, and an effort is made to include pertinent titles in subsequent book orders.