Transforming liaison roles in research libraries

The report proposes that evolving research library environments--including shifting technology, student learning, and scholarly practice--call for a fresh look into the role of research library liaisons. Through their interviews, Jaguszewski and Williams find a general consensus that changing liaison roles are presenting organizational challenges, including identifying limitations to individual expertise, redesigning related institutional structures, and ensuring liaisons have proper training and know-how. The authors present an overall trend toward a hybrid model where liaisons pair their expertise with that of functional specialists, both within and outside of libraries, in an effort to further meet the needs of students and scholars alike. The report identifies six specific trends in the development of new roles for library liaisons based on focusing on what users do rather than on what librarians do.