I ventured out to Maynooth University Library two weeks ago for a full-day seminar, which explored the changing role of the subject librarian. The day was structured around two keynotes – the first one by Stephen Pinfield, Professor of Information Services Management, University of Sheffield; the second one by Rosie Jones, Director of Library Services, Open University – and, very interestingly, several practice synopses by representatives of various Irish academic libraries, as well as that of the OU Library.
Participants’ overall consensus on the day was that
there is no consensus, whether here in Ireland or indeed the UK, over what
constitutes “best practice” in the realm of library organisational structure
and, crucially, the status of subject/liaison librarianship.
Given the fast-moving changes in today’s information
environment, libraries are expected to stay ahead through re-envisioning organisational structures and cultures and,
arguably, moving away from static management of print and digital collections
towards providing user-focused services.
Hoodless and Pinfield investigated
this idea by trying to find out about the actual state of library
organisational structures and management practices. They did this by means of
conducting eleven semi-structured interviews with senior library managers from a
range of different UK based higher education institutions. Their maximum
variation sampling approach aimed to cover as broad a spectrum of perspectives and
practices as possible.
Before highlighting the results of Hoodless’s and
Pinfield’s study, it makes sense to identify the typical responsibilities
of the traditional academic liaison librarian. They include, among other
things, development, management and delivery of information literacy training
for their constituent library users. Linking up with appropriate staff and students
to maintain awareness of new research and teaching in their subject areas, as
well as developing and fulfilling potential information needs. Liaison
librarians also tend to manage information resources budgets pertaining to
their allocated subject fields.
Debbie
Morrow contends that effective embeddedness is the key ingredient to successful
liaison librarianship: “My responsibility became to explore and nurture
relationships within my liaison departments, and per chance to become what Olivia
Olivares has aptly described as “sufficiently embedded.”
An example of a classic, subject-based liaison support
structure is UCC Library
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| Source: http://booleweb.ucc.ie/index.php?pageID=184 |
On the other hand, an example of radical change to the
above approach is the University
of Manchester Library. Manchester switched over from a previously
subject-based support structure (Arts, Social Sciences, Business &
Management, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Medical, Human & Life
Sciences) to a functional
support structure (Research
Services, Teaching
& Learning, Academic
Engagement). Academic Engagement is now faculty based: Faculty of Science
and Engineering, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and
Health).
My workplace is wired up in a purely functional fashion.
Hoodless and Pinfield learnt through their inquiries
that, increasingly, libraries are replacing subject-based teams for functional
teams. However, views on this were divided along the lines of actual current or
anticipated practice: libraries that will/have adopt(ed) the functional
approach see this very much as the way forward; libraries that maintain, and
intend to maintain into the future, the subject-based model were unconvinced of
the efficacy of functional teams.
Essentially, the following opposing drivers for both,
functional and subject-based, library structures were identified (see Hoodless
and Pinfield, 2016, p.12):
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| Source: Hoodless and Pinfield, 2016, p.12 |
The day concluded with a lively discussion around
different institutional organisational and cultural library practices.
Further reading on this subject:
Transforming
Liaison Roles in Research Libraries /
Janice M. Jaguszewski & Karen Williams (thanks to Jack Hyland for
pointing out this report)
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