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Subject Liaison Librarian

One of the programs often seen in academic libraries is the subject liaison program. Librarians are assigned responsible area(s) based on their education background and/or professional training. They serve as a bridge between teaching faculty and the library. A liaison librarian’s tasks may include, but are not limited to, bibliographic instruction, collection development, and research consultation. In addition, the liaison librarian is responsible for informing the target department/program about current status of relevant information sources should any changes occur. In the teaching front, some libraries, in collaboration with teaching faculty, embed liaison librarian in the program as a co-teacher for the class.

At York College Library, we have assigned 24 subject areas among 10 librarians. https://www.york.cuny.edu/library/about-the-library/subject-liaisons.  One librarian served as an embedded librarian in a health science class in 2012-13. An exciting event occurs every year when we receive the budget for new book acquisition. Each of us will get a share of the pie and update our collections with his or her wisdom.

A recent article on the topic by Karen Stanley Grigg, Science Liaison Librarian at University of North Carolina at Greensboro Libraries, is worth reading.

Building a Successful Liaison Program from the Ground up

https://libraryconnect.elsevier.com/articles/building-successful-liaison-program-ground?utm_campaign=Library%20Connect%20Newsletter&utm_campaignPK=321385884&utm_term=OP32148&utm_content=395756242&utm_source=32&BID=1131402734&utm_medium=email&SIS_ID=0&dgcid=Newsletters%20%26%20Alerts_email_Library%20Connect%20Newsletter