Tag Archives: advice

November 2019

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PNG of November blog post .

Amy Ward, DSW

“My librarian is always right there for my students and me. Anything I need, I go to her and she is always happy to help. ” – Amy Ward, DSW

1. Back ground

“In the past, it felt like ‘good luck,’ but it is more interactive here. With my liaison librarian, if I can’t find something, she is always there to find it WITH me.”

2. Expectations

“First, maintain good internal customer service and be approachable for students and faculty. We need to know you will be kind to us. Second, curate updated and relevant information. We expect you to be the expert in information retrieval.”

3. What Works

“My librarian and I care about each other. Collaboration is all about relationships, and if you don’t have a strong relationship, you could be the best liaison in the world and you still won’t be collaborative.”

4. Advice

“Take the library and academic discipline out of the equation and come to faculty openly to try to establish a genuine rapport. Than you can introduce how you can be useful to one another.”

Amy Ward, DSW, is the Director of the Social Work Program at East Central University in Ada, OK.

October 2019

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October 2019 blog post

Destany Schafer-Morgan, DSW

“Whenever I have a problem,
I immediately say ‘let’s call [my librarian]!”‘

Background

I’ve only had a librarian for 3 years, since I arrived at East Central University in 2016. I had never used a library before, but the experience here has been great.

Expectations

I need my librarian to be the bridge between me and the library at large by curating a more personalized experience and forging a one-on-one relationship. While I did not have expectations coming into this job, I definitely will for my next position, because I have been pleased with my librarian here.

What Works

My librarian and I work well together to develop accurate resources that students actually need.

Advice

Be open! What helps most is my librarian’s positivity, friendliness, and willingness to help. Her servant-leadership makes me want to collaborate.

Destany Schafer-Morgan, DSW, is the field director of the Social Work Program at East Central University in Ada, OK.

July 2019

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Image of July blog post

Sarah Peters, PhD.

My librarian re-energizes me and keeps
me from getting in an instruction rut.

Background

I’ve had positive experiences working with librarians since I was a graduate assistant at Texas A&M in 2003, but I really appreciate the collaborative nature of the ECU Library, which emphasizes customization, as opposed to “canned” sessions.

Expectations

  • Develop information literacy curriculum for instruction sessions specific to departmental strategies
  • Communicate with us about discipline specific resources
  • Teach us to use unfamiliar tools

What Works

We have conversations about goals that are not just one-sided, with back-and-forth discussions about approaches and post-session reflections for improvement. We have professional respect for each other and engage before, during, and after instruction sessions.

Advice to Librarians

  • Maintain open discussion and display willingness to adapt and experiment.
  • Focus on evaluation techniques and embed in interactive instruction sessions.
  • Try to have consistent face-to-face conversations, as faculty are overwhelmed with emails and seeing their librarian’s face helps reorganize priorities.
  • Conduct brainstorming sessions with faculty to create learning goals, as opposed to focusing on specific tools.

Sarah Peters, P hD, is the Chair of the English & Languages Department at East Central University in Ada, OK.