Scratching Backs: Establishing and Maintaining Faculty Relationships ACRL-LA Conference November 6-7, 2003 Megan Lowe

Historical Enmity Several sources note that most of the “evidence” for this enmity is anecdotal. Most library staff have a ‘horror story’ to tell about faculty encounters. The reasons identified here have been culled from a great deal of literature, beginning in the late 1950’s and stretching to the present.

Reasons for the Enmity Communication breakdown Failure to recognize our common purpose: to educate the students we serve What Glover called “incendiary collections issues” Territorial issues

Reasons for the Enmity Ignorance of or misunderstanding the roles and services of the library Self-isolation Their reluctance to ask for help

Establishing & Maintaining Relationships Make contact—network! Professional speaking Socially speaking Introduce yourself to new faculty Get involved with campus activities—not just committees

Establishing & Maintaining Collaboration Research Classroom activities Information needs Share ideas with them—Kotter calls it “offering our skills to the classroom” Being a team player

Establishing & Maintaining Collection development Offer faculty-oriented services Citation searches “Offering our skills to the classroom” Document delivery Alerts in databases Library assignment workshop

Establishing & Maintaining Honoring their accomplishments Promotion & tenure; publication of work Ways to honor them Book plates (in book of choice) Recognition (i.e., party) Whatever you can think of Communication Define the library’s roles and services, so the faculty know what they can expect. If this means re-writing your policies to make things clearer, then do it! Make faculty aware of library services and resources Day-to-day basis

Communication 5 Myths of Communication We’re born knowing how to communicate and listen effectively. Communication takes place when one person talks, and the other person listens quietly. Listening is a passive skill. Hearing is the same as listening, and active listening involves keeping your ears open and your mouth shut. You can stop listening when you’ve gotten the gist of what the other person is saying.

Communication Levasseur’s 5 Key Skills Right attitude Learning to ask the right questions Listening actively Communicating directly Giving feedback properly

Communication Communication as perspective Self-marketing Controlling yourself and choosing how to behave and react Face-to-face contact is the richest form of communication

Faculty Role in Information Literacy Relevance, applicability, consistency Encouragement and endorsement Curricular implementation Selection of appropriate materials and their application

Q & A

Enjoy the rest of the conference! Thanks for coming! Enjoy the rest of the conference!