Faculty and Librarians: Developing Successful Relationships By Kevin McDonough Reference and Research Support Librarian Northern Michigan University

Key Elements Time Attention Awareness (of faculty life) Hardesty, Larry “Faculty culture and bibliographic instruction: an exploratory analysis.” Library Trends 44(2): Stahl, Aletha “What I want in a librarian: one new faculty member member’s perspective.” Reference & User Services Quarterly. 37(2): Effort Communication

Developing Successful Relationships --creating a strong base-- Get list of new faculty Make an appointment and/or phone Meet in their office Keep appointment brief (under 1 hour) Dual opportunity learn about faculty member convey key library resources/services

The first meeting --the faculty member-- Where were they last employed? What is their research area? Are they planning to continue this research area? What classes are they teaching? Any specialized seminars? Do any of their classes require library research?

The first meeting --the faculty member-- In the past, what resources did they use to locate research literature? In the past, what other library resources/services did they find useful?

The first meeting --the library-- Library’s home page Online databases (provide training later) One or two relevant to the faculty’s discipline Other key specialized ones: SCI, UnCover, etc. Online catalog (provide training later) Other key resources/services ILL Electronic reserves Faculty FAQ Help you can provide

Maintaining the relationship Give the relationship time, attention, effort, etc. Keep expectations grounded Aim to be a positive and regular presence in their lives

Maintaining the Relationship --techniques-- messages on new products or services Databases Books Special items BI reminders Attend departmental seminars Give a seminar on a topic important to faculty or graduate students Cyberplagiarism Searching the Internet effectively for scholarly resources Current awareness services Ebooks

Maintaining the Relationship --techniques-- Offer training to research groups Develop and promote resources/services useful to faculty and their students Citation guides How to evaluate information on the Web Vitual Geoscience Library (VGL) Faculty FAQs Electronic reference for immediate help in a digital age Look for opportunities to interact with faculty on committees or social occasions

What about Library Instruction? Have modest expectations Remember key points from Hardesty about faculty They are overworked Their courses are packed They don’t want the sanctity of their classroom violated They are prima donnas They are often not very self critical

Library Instruction Look for opportunities that offer real value Gateway courses Comments from faculty about problems their students are having in writing research papers Repeated questions at the reference desk Promote skills/competencies librarians can offer students via instruction