Librarian Specialists/Liaisons

The Library Liaison

Popularly known as the “Hub” of any university, the library is the center that keeps the academic life of the university together. In that matrix, the librarian liaisons are the people who make that “Hub” operational. They function in two places, the library and the specialized department.

Liaison Librarians are subject-area specialists who provide instruction and develop collections that serve the educational and research needs of the University’s academic departments. They offer individual and group instruction in the use of the online catalog and research databases, orientation to information resources, and guidance for research projects within the discipline.

These special people function as conduits through which academic resources and services flow between the library and the departments.

Another title for the librarian liaison is the Embedded librarian, usually an information expert who infiltrates a department, armed with research assistance on a continuous basis, usually for the duration of a semester, to make certain that all library departmental needs are met. The library liaison/ Embedded librarian becomes the first point of contact and stays until the job is done.