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Graduate Students and Library Liaisons: Using ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to Guide Our Work
- 1. Graduate Students and Library Liaisons Using ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to Guide Our Work Stephanie Wiegand Health Sciences Librarian University of Northern Colorado Libraries Greeley, CO Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA March 22, 2018
- 2. Can librarian liaison work with graduate students be guided by ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education? RQ
- 3. ALA ACRL ARL guidance Graduate Students Are Unique No National-Level Current & Comprehensive Best Practices ACRL Framework
- 5. literature review collection development reference face to face virtual
- 6. areas of liaison work @ UNC Collections 7 Public Relations 6 Research Support 10 Scholarly Comm. Services 9 Teaching & Learning 10
- 7. liaison areas to ACRL frames Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Collections Information Has Value Information Creation as Process Research as Inquiry Scholarship as Conversation Searching as Strategic Exploration Public Relations Research Support Scholarly Communication Services Teaching and Learning
- 8. practices unable to map expend funds facilitate problem solving respond quickly to queries (C) (PR) (PR) know departmental publishing reqs use variety of teaching techniques self-assess/peer review of teaching (SCS) (TL) (TL)
- 10. liaison areas to ACRL frames Scholarship as Conversation Teaching and Learning Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Collections Information Has Value Information Creation as Process Research as Inquiry Searching as Strategic Exploration Public Relations Research Support Scholarly Communication Services
- 11. • balance in liaison work, particularly with graduate students moving forward • ACRL Framework liaison best practices practical day-to-day work • Today’s graduate students are tomorrow’s faculty; so…
- 12. Stephanie Wiegand Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students Conference 3/22/18 THINK • PAIR • SHARE How do you, or would you, integrate ACRL’s Framework into your day-to-day work (beyond instruction activities)? When you are done, please share your thoughts & ask any questions.
Editor's Notes
- This session was part of panel: Using the ACRL Framework to Build Graduate Services: Librarian Experiences from Three Institutions by presenters Jennifer Mayer (University of Northern Colorado), Jeff Dowdy (Georgia College), Mandy Havert (University of Notre Dame), and Stephanie Wiegand (University of Northern Colorado. This is my part of the panel. Abstract for Session Liaising with graduate students is distinct, as the needs of graduate students differ from those of other academic library constituents. Liaison work is an integral part of all academic librarian public services positions, and the work is often viewed as closely tied to teaching information literacy. No national-level standards exist to guide liaisons, though some institutions have such documents at the local level. ACRL’s Framework provides national-level standards for teaching which provides guidance for portions of liaison work. A panelist examines the possibility of using the Framework to guide liaison practices with graduate students in areas beyond classroom instruction. --------------- Hello. I am Stephanie Wiegand, the Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Northern Colorado Libraries, where I work with Jennifer Mayer. I am also the University Libraries representative to the Graduate Council. I work with graduate students and graduate faculty from 15 master’s degree programs, 10 doctoral degree programs, and six graduate certificate programs.
- Slide 2 I began my research with this question: Can librarian liaison work with graduate students be guided by ACRL’s Framework? My reasons for seeking an answer to this question is outlined as follows:
- First, graduate students’ needs of libraries and librarians are distinctly different from that of other university constituents. While graduate students are conducting research at the level of faculty members, they are far more ephemeral constituents who do not enjoy the same political influence on campus. Graduate students are also still in a learning situation. We, as liaisons, may provide specific services to faculty who are busy or need more time to conduct field research; however, our role with graduate students is primarily as teachers. Second, no current national-level comprehensive standards, guidelines, or best practices from the American Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), or the Association of Research Libraries exist that define the role of academic librarian liaison to graduate students. Third, in regards to ACRL’s Framework, no other contemporary professional guiding document has incited as much discussion concerning our profession, provoked as many changes to perspectives of our work, or so strongly reflects the current reality in which libraries and librarians exist.
- As a side note: All documents and maps of best practices to the Framework discussed in my presentation are linked from this URL; if you are interested in following up, I do have handouts with this URL and my contact information with me today.
- In conducting a literature review of contemporary research on liaison work, what is most striking is the lack of reference to or citation of guidelines, standards, or best practices from our professional organizations. If authors did refer to national standards, they did so within the narrow confines of collection development, reference services, or virtual reference services. These professional documents are an outdated reflection of the academic library, and a very different library than that in which we work today. Collection development is de-emphasized in the era of digital content and package deals. We now focus on providing the best service to patrons through whatever communication avenue they choose and do not differentiate between on-campus and distance students.
- While there are no comprehensive national-level standards for liaison practices, many exist at the local level of individual academic libraries. I started my research by looking to my home institution’s Liaison Librarian Best Practices document written in 2016 and updated in 2017. This document outlines best practices in the focus areas of collections (including 7 best practices), public relations (6 best practices), research support (10 best practices), scholarly communication services (9 best practices), and teaching and learning (10 best practices). Our liaison best practices document is not meant to be exhaustive; however, all practices are adaptable to all liaison positions within our organization – be it that of our archivist, who works with administrative offices across campus or that of one of our subject specialists who works the students and faculty of a single discipline.
- Thirty-six best practices in our liaison document map to the ACRL frames. As you can see from this slide, it is a complex matrix; however, overall there are clear connections between our liaison areas and the guiding document for information literacy for our profession. I will talk further about these connections in a moment. First, let’s take a look at the liaison practice that I was unable to map to the ACRL frames.
- Of the 42 best practices listed for liaisons, I was unable to map six of our processes to ACRL’s Framework. Namely, from collections, to expend funds effectively; from public relations, to facilitate problem-solving in relation to library services and collections; also from public relations, to respond quickly to inquiries; from scholarly communication services, to be familiar with departmental publishing requirements for tenure and promotion; from teaching and learning, to employ a variety of teaching techniques; and, lastly, also from teaching and learning, to assess teaching through regular self-assessment and regular peer evaluation.
- While the best practices within each area spread out in matching ACRL’s frames, as you can see on the screen, clusters of practices gave an overall indication of how the liaison focus areas mapped to the frames. The one liaison area that did not seem to map to a specific frame was teaching and learning, as the practices within this area mapped fairly even across all six of the frames.
- Collections overall mapped to Information has Value. Public Relations overall mapped to Authority Is Constructed and Contextual. Research Support overall mapped to Research as Inquiry AND Searching as Strategic Exploration. Scholarly Communication Services overall mapped to Information Creation and Process. Looking at the frames, it notable that all frames appear to match to a major focus area of liaison best practices with the exception of the frame Scholarship as Conversation. As the liaison focus area of teaching and learning maps evenly across the frames, I argue that the frame of Scholarship as Conversation maps evenly across all focus areas of liaison best practices. To test this theory, my next step will be to map other institution’s best practices across ACRL’s frames.
- As a document analysis, this research is exploratory in nature, but does provide some direction in using the ACRL Framework to guide liaison work with graduate students. So, moving forward, how will this research change my liaison work? My greatest take away from what I’ve learned is that the ACRL Framework can bring a balance to liaison work, especially with graduate students. We used to see collection development and reference work as the primary ways to support graduate students, but that is no longer true. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on the areas of public relations and scholarly communication services when working with graduate students. Today’s graduate students are tomorrow’s faculty. Working directly with graduate students, as liaisons, offers opportunities to shape our work with faculty down the road. Although, as I stated earlier, graduate students are far more of an ephemeral population on our campuses (as compared to faculty), but we cannot underestimate the value to both them and to us in supporting their needs and building relationships. Further, I would also recommend for any librarians wishing to construct a liaison’s best practice document for their institution, that the ACRL Framework be a source document in determining what areas of liaison work be included and what areas should be emphasized. I make these recommendations knowing that I – early on – resented the lack of practicality of the ACRL Framework (as compared to the Standards). What I see now the ACRL frames are interwoven throughout much of our day-to-day work as liaisons.
- Now, if you will, please take a moment to think about how you do, or how you would, integrate the ACRL Framework into your day-to-day work and then share your thoughts with someone near you. If you are willing, I would love to hear your thoughts about using the Framework in liaison work, and any questions you may have for any member of our panel.