The document summarizes discussions from a World Café event on the future of subject librarianship. Key topics included how subject librarians can support curriculum-based assessment, research and researchers, use blended learning in information literacy instruction, adopt mobile technologies, have a role in employability, teach digital literacies, and the skills and knowledge required by subject librarians according to CILIP's redefinition of the library profession.

1. CILIP Academic & Research Libraries Group (ARLG) East Midlands Section
Change, Challenge & Collaboration - the Future for Subject
Librarianship
World Café discussion topics responses
How can subject librarians feed into curriculum-based assessment?
Compulsory study skills module
Embedding into first assignment
Write into module descriptors & aims and objectives of module
Advocacy on the course team to include you
Partnerships with other departments – academic; student support
Presence of university VLE
Develop subject based resources (lists) either in VLE or website, or
subject handouts (print or electronic)
Getting onto programme panels
Use the learning and teaching strategy
Partnership with academics; support from senior managers
How can subject librarians support research and researchers?
Mixture of support – general induction but also one to one support and
specific help with EndNote, etc.
Organise a researcher marketing event – to publicise our services and
listen to what they want/need
Specialist research support librarians
Listening to what researchers want
Produce an information “research toolkit” – this has been produced at
Cranfield University
Providing information on “researcher specific” information, e.g.
bibliometrics, publishing, etc.
Outreach – finding out where they are
Provide a social space for researchers to meet and chat
One-to-one support
Space for collaboration – physical and virtual
Marketing our services more effectively
Go out of the library and into the departments to listen to seminars, etc.
given by the researchers
Invite publishers in – give presentation on how to get published, for
example. Make sure library is included!
How to measure impact, find out h-index, see who has cited them
How can subject librarians use blended learning in information literacy?
In course activity, e.g. short tests; wiki entries; wall
Use when students have essay deadlines, dissertations, etc.

2. Online activities to follow face-to-face teaching
Can use it as a diagnostic test to find out how much students know before
doing your teaching
What is the definition of blended learning?
Post-course activities – discussion forums; self reflection; additional
resources
Teaching techniques – may be different for face-to-face and online
Pre contact activities, e.g. self assessment (confidence checklist); what
they want from session that influences face-to-face teaching
Electronic polling – testing knowledge during class time
Which mobile technologies are used by your library? Which would you
like to be used?
QR codes
Roaming with iPads/netbooks
Text us your enquiry
Text us about noise
We use mobile app of catalogue and promote apps of databases
Want Kindles (with books loaded on them); text your questions
Get academic ebooks to work more like Kindles – need to be more user
friendly
Be able to download ebooks direct from catalogue
Have iPads, tablets, laptops, iPhones, netbooks
Text when books overdue as money involved for students
Laptop loans
Should librarians have a role in employability? If so, how can we
support this?
Out-duction (as opposed to induction)
Not just an academic skill – needed for whole life
Reflection – PDP modules
Re-formulise existing session. Maybe deliver slightly differently
Branding – what terms will employers understand
Placements in library
Internships in library
ePortfolio to show acquisition of transferable skills
Yes – teaching skills that will be transferable to work
Volunteers in library
Collaborate across institution with others
Should subject librarians teach digital literacies?
We do this already as how do you separate one from the other?
What are digital literacies?
Research skills; communication
To what level?
To whom?
No. Is this the language we should be using?
Not qualified for all aspects
Yes – some aspects. Needs to be a collaboration
How can we avoid teaching this?
This should be embedded in the course

3. CILIP is redefining the profession’s body of professional knowledge and
skills. Which skills and knowledge are required by subject librarians?
Good presentation and teaching skills – online, face-to-face , different
groups
Knowledge of subject may remain important if SLs are to be involved in
research with academics/researchers. Learn on job!
Having a thick skin and confidence!
Knowledge management
Good listening skills
Financial awareness, especially e vs print in resources
An open mind
Flexibility to take on new tasks/roles
Copyright knowledge
Negotiating skills
Data protection knowledge
Research skills
Communication and marketing skills
Good working knowledge of eresources
Tact and diplomacy
Like change
Knowledge of what’s going on politically in your institution
Like people
Info literacy
Writing skills – internal reports; sharing effective practice with peers, e.g.
journal articles
Inquisitive mind and initiative