Enterprising liaisons: Evolving engagement

Abstract

Liaisonship in academic libraries continues to evolve and librarians need to engage their entrepreneurial spirit to remain relevant in this rapidly changing and dynamic environment. Liaisons frequently have to balance responsibility for multiple academic departments and/or student populations such as veterans, athletes, or international students, with service and scholarship activities. Enterprising librarians can stay ahead of the curve by building a profile of the academic departments or student populations they serve and developing an engagement plan for the year. Building profiles is a research-gathering and reflective process that can provide insight into how liaisons can build relationships with their departments or student populations. The profiles then provide the foundation for generating an annual engagement plan. Plans consider outreach to students, faculty, and other campus partners, and thoughtfully map out a course of action. Engagement plans outline broad ideas and then break them into actionable items with deadlines. Planning ahead and balancing liaison workload can increase the likelihood of successful engagement throughout the year.