Presentation in conjunction with slides of the same title.

1. The Library’s Connection to Faculty and Staff
Faculty Academy Presentation
Webinar, March 7, 2013
Marla K. Roberson, Tri-County Technical College
I’m Marla Roberson, the library director at Tri-County in Pendleton.
First off I want to give you a little test. Just use the hand raising feature.
How many of you know where your library is located on your primary campus? (hand raising
feature)
Now how many of you know where your library is located on any community or branch
campuses? (hand raising feature)
Now how many of you actually go in your library at least once a semester and check out a book?
(hand raising feature).
And finally, how many of you have library assignments in your class syllabus?
(SLIDE 1)Today’s academic library is a very vibrant place that, similar to a spider web, is connected
across campus to faculty and staff in a myriad of ways.
I see that one of the missions (SLIDE 2) of the library is to communicateto the faculty our various
services so that they can recommend us to their students for research assistance.If the library is not
successful with this very basic concept, then the services it provides will not be utilized in a successful
manner. But a college library has more than just faculty and students as its patron base. We have staff
that work at the college. We need to remember those folks also in our operations.
In order to strengthen the library and faculty partnerships, we need tocommunicatewith you. Obvious
ways to get our message out is by utilizing the electronic networks and social media that already exist.
(SLIDE 3). This slide represents a few of those ways. Hopefully you are receiving some notices from your
library in some form or fashion – either electronic or in paper.
Additionally the library can connect by other means:
Each library can develop a liaison program. (SLIDE 4)A liaison program (also known as a friend’s
program, etc.) develops relationships between the library and other divisions on campus. The
relationship can grow in a variety of ways. At TCTC, the liaison program (25 members) meets once or
twice a semester to discuss the process of the library’s acquisitions. By this I mean that we share what
we have purchased for each department (books, periodicals, and databases) and in turn, we solicit ideas
from each of the liaisons on what their departments need in the way of library resources. Librarians rely

2. on their subject matter expertise for the majority of purchases. But we can’t be subject specialists in all
fields. For instance I am more than happy to have suggestions from the Engineering faculty regarding
material that we need to have in the book collection. In addition to faculty, our liaison program also has
some staff members. Remember the mission statement for TCTC includes “staff”. (SLIDE 5)
Libraries can offer training and workshops for staff and faculty. (SLIDE 6)As with any discipline,
training and workshops can encompass a vast array of ideas and subjects. At Tri-County, our workshops
usually deal with the databases that we own. We make ourselves available for Professional workshops
at least once a semester. Most faculty and staff assume that a library has academic databases so we like
to present on unexpected resources. These include Chilton’s Automobile, Films on Demand which is
streaming video database, Mango foreign language databases, and music databases that can stream to
their computer or iPod. We have over 50 databases which should mean there is usually a little
something for everyone to use. However, databases are not the only thing that the library offers. The
library service offering has evolved over the decades. Some of our sister institutions offer Kindles and
laptops for checkout. (SLIDE 7) Two programs I would like to highlight is the Embedded Librarian
program and the Roving Librarian programs. In the Embedded Librarian program, a librarian or
associate is a point of contact person in the on-line courses. This helps the students and the faculty
members by actually being more familiar with how the actual class is interacting. The Roving Librarian
program has the librarian scheduled to be stationed at various places on campus. This reminds both
students and faculty that we are not just stationed in a brick and mortar building.
Libraries can communicate by being integrated into the system of the college (SLIDE 7). What exactly
does this mean? It means that the library is added to pertinent committees as a permanent member –
whether voting or non-voting. Membership on thecurriculum committee helps the library to be aware
of changes to classes that can impact what the library purchases. Membership on the faculty senate
assists the library in being aware of procedure changes. If the library is aware of any of these changes, it
can roll with the punches to make sure that all the research needs of the college are met with little or no
loss of resources. A byproduct of the library being a member of these committees is thata
communication pattern can be created between the individuals. It is a valuable resource to be able to
remember the face of a person when you hear their name. This is useful on both ends of the spectrum –
librarian, faculty, or staff. Having a contact point is a valuable resource that helps the library help the
college. Another useful committee assignment would be any program development committees which
might be different from the curriculum committee. This could be at the division’s level or at the college
level. I have listed other possible committees that a library staff person could be on. Remember the
librarian is not just a position but a member of the campus community.
Your library should be connected to your faculty and staff in a variety of ways, if for no other reason
than because of accreditation agencies. (SLIDE 8) One of the other presenters will go more into the

3. issue of accreditation. However, I did want to go ahead and remind you that the library is addressed in 4
specific areas of SACS. These are:
CR 2.9 which highlights the library collections. The institution, through ownership or
formalarrangements or agreements, provides and supportsstudent and faculty access and user
privileges to adequatelibrary collections and services and to otherlearning/information resources
consistent with the degreesoffered. Collections, resources, and services are sufficientto support all its
educational, research, and public serviceprograms.
CS 3.8.1 which highlights the physical buildings and resources. The institution provides facilities
andlearning/information resources that are appropriate tosupport its teaching, research, and service
mission.
CS 3.8.2 which highlights instruction in the use of the library’s material. The institutionensures that
users haveaccess to regular and timelyinstruction in the use of thelibrary and
otherlearning/informationresources.
CS 3.8.3 which highlights qualified staff. The institution provides a sufficient numberof qualified staff—
with appropriate education or experiences in library and/or other learning/informationresources—to
accomplish the mission of the institution.
(SLIDE 9) The library is also addressed in other accreditation agencies such as paralegal, nursing, and
engineering. Usually we provide information on how many books in the subject area we have. We also
include the date of publication. Some ask for journal information and database information. Some ask
how many library instruction classes are taught to the students. Each accreditation body has different
requirements that need to be answered before approval is gained for the programs.
Once the library is connected to the faculty and staff in a variety of ways, it is assumed that the faculty
and staff will use the resources for research and personal use. With the tools the library has available,
you should be able to find data to support any of your research. Remember, like a spider web, we
connect across campus. (SLIDE 10)
Now I want to ask you one more question:
Poll question
What ways do you think it is best for the library to reach out to the faculty and staff at your institution?
A. Email
B. Announcements on the campus intranet
C. Face to Face such as committee meetings
D. All are needed so that all faculty and staff are aware of library services.
E. Other – please type in suggestions.
Feel free to contact me or your campus librarian any time with questions. Thank you.