Virginia Power UWE

I’ve looked at life from both sides now: fostering good academic & library partnerships

Virginia Power, Graduate Tutor/ResearcherUniversity of the West of England

University of HertfordshireMonday 20th July 2015

But now old friends are acting strangeThey shake their heads, they say I've changedWell something's lost, but something's gainedIn living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now From win and lose and still somehow It's life's illusions I recallI really don't know life at all

Joni Mitchell

http://www.brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=17529

Glynn, T. and Wu, G. (2003)

Phelps, S. and Campbell, 2011

We want the teaching faculty (and by this I mean anyone from the rank of associate professor on up) to see us as their equals, as comrades-in-arms in the daily battle to produce good scholarship, excellent graduates, and better the general welfare of our shared institution and Knowledge in general. We want a standing invitation to the faculty club. We don’t want to be seen as the help. [Comrades-in-Arms: The Professor and the Librarian by Rochelle Mazar]

Perceptions of academics

Cited in Jenkins, P. (2005)

Understanding the academic….• Intelligent!• Articulate – in pen and voice• Contemplative and intellectually curious• Open-minded and tolerant• Masters in their own field• Self-motivated• Need and desire little direct supervision• Stubbornly independent

Levine, 1978

Stubbornly independent

• Solitary researchers• Absolute subject

authority• Create own syllabi• Choose their own

textbooks• Personal spin

However….

• Preparation• Content creation• Reading• Research• Tutoring• Staff Development• Exams• Marking• Conferences• Meetings• Accountability

Teaching staff want you to:• Understand Higher Education

• Understand the subject areas

• Be full partners – be proactive & visible!

• Be technologically savvy – step by step

• Provide help in accessing databases, etc.

What do librarians want from teaching staff?

What makes it work?

Montiel-Overall, P. (2008)

Achieving that common purpose• Meet your teaching staff• Build relationships• Communicate professionally• Position the Library• Know your stuff!• Tailor to specific interests• Collaborate with teaching staff

Meeting• Orientate new staff asap• Host a ‘published this year’ event• Attend in-house events they might attend• Attend their induction not just the library• Have coffee conversations

Build Relationships• Cultivate & nurture the ‘low hanging fruit’• Create displays around subject areas• Announce new resources regularly• Get on their mailing list• Visit them!

Communicate professionally• Create specific Faculty Guides• Create specific Faculty Newsletters• Publicise a clear Library offer• Write a welcome letter to new teachers• Prepare a report on specific expenditure

Position the Library• Know the hot topics• Apply for grants and awards• Get on relevant committees• Have a regular meeting ‘spotlight’• Participate in learning technology meetings

Knowing your Stuff• Join professional (subject) organisations• Ask to observe class sessions• Join subject mailing list• Introduce new technology/databases• Get involved in teacher training

Tailor to Faculty Interests• Create web guides to research tools• Create a Library advisory board in Depts.• Develop embedded research components• Catalogue office collections• Find out what’s on the horizon

Collaborating with Faculty• Co-author an article• Create a class assignment together• Co-design a course specific resource• Create an annual award for Faculty• Collaborate on a grant

Sources• Creaser, C. and Spezi, V. (2012) Working together: evolving value for academic libraries

https://libraryvalue.wordpress.com/• Glynn, T. and Wu, C. (2003) "New roles and opportunities for academic library liaisons: a

survey and recommendations", Reference Services Review, 31 Iss: 2, pp.122 - 128• Holtz, T. (2002) 100 Ways to Reach your Faculty

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/advleg/publicawareness/campaign@yourlibrary/prtools/academicresearch/reach_faculty.pdf

• Jenkins, P. (2005) Faculty-Librarian relationships. Chandos• Montiel-Overall, P. (2008) “Teacher & Librarian co-operation: a qualitative study”, Library

& Information Science Review, 30 pp145-155• Yousef, A. (2010) Faculty Attitudes Toward Collaboration with Librarians

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/yousef.htm• All images courtesy of Creative Commons Search and attributed in Notes fields

Virginia PowerGraduate Tutor/PhD Student

UWE

[email protected]

[email protected]