Edited by Leigh Rupinski, Archivist for Public Services & Community Engagement and History Liaison Librarian
& Jacklyn Rander, Publishing Services Manager

Have you ever heard the term “liaison librarian” and wondered what that means? Has your professor suggested meeting with a liaison librarian for help with an assignment? Have you had a class visit from a librarian to learn more about library resources? University Libraries receives a lot of questions about what exactly a liaison librarian is, what they do, and how they can help students. We asked the liaisons themselves to weigh in on some of these FAQs. If the answers to your questions aren’t here, contact a liaison librarian to learn more.

We promote resources, connect others to the information they seek, engage faculty in conversations about their work and the Libraries’ involvement in it, teach students how to better seek, access, and use the information available to them, and collaborate with colleagues on a variety of projects that help others make sense of the world of information that surrounds them. No other word could better encompass the depth and breadth of this work than liaison, a word that describes the facilitation of communication and understanding between different groups of people. - Gayle Schaub, Liaison to College of Education and Community Innovation, Juvenile Literature, Curriculum Materials Library

The library does not have a standalone curriculum; rather our curriculum is co-created in partnership with classroom faculty who have information literacy interwoven with the course content.  Liaison work within each discipline to meet curricular needs because every department has a different curriculum, set of scholarly conventions, and identity that shapes how faculty/students orient to the library. We approach working with students, faculty, and librarians from a place of empathy. - Emily Frigo, Liaison to Anthropology, Archaeology, Area Studies, Geography, Italian, Sociology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

That students are bothering us when they ask us questions. Every time someone apologizes for reaching out for research help I want to say, “This is the best part of the job!” - Jon Jeffryes, Head of Professional Programs

That we know everything? We don't, but we do our best to find you an answer or point you in the correct direction. - Ashley Rosener, Liaison to Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration, Social Work, and Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Liaison librarians are experts on the databases relevant to their liaison areas and can help students navigate these databases effectively and efficiently. Liaison librarians are also excellent detectives and can help identify resources and search terms for those really tough-to-find articles. - Betsy Williams, Liaison to Allied Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy, Recreational Therapy

We can help students find reliable sources for a paper or project and orient them to various library resources as well as the vast number of publicly available resources, such as government websites. - Ashley Rosener, Liaison to Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration, Social Work, and Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Each librarian has a master’s degree in Library Science and a strong desire to help people. Liaison librarians will come to classes to show students how to use library resources and they’ll meet with students individually to give help tailored to specific questions and projects. Liaison librarians are also happy to help students get started when they’re not sure what exactly they want to research. - Samantha Minnis, Liaison to Geography and Planning, Global Studies and Social Impact, Human Rights, International Relations, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, Psychology

The most effective way to get help from liaison librarian is to reach out and make an appointment. One liaison librarian might be serving hundreds of students – so if you want to talk to *the* subject expert planning out your research and setting up an appointment is the best route. But if you’re in a crunch, librarians are always happy to help out, if we’re free, at any time. - Jon Jeffryes, Head of Professional Programs

Students can stop at the service desk and ask; they can email me with a question or frustration; they can call; they can tell their professor they’d like to meet with a librarian; they can raise their hand or catch my eye in class; they can call my office…so many options, and yet sometimes it can still be hard to know how to contact someone for help. - Gayle Schaub, Liaison to College of Education, Juvenile Literature, Curriculum Materials Library

Too many questions after 30 years to remember just one! One that comes to mind is a graduate student wanted local information about a specific cemetery. - Kim Ranger, Liaison to Music, Theatre, and Dance; School of Communications; and Spanish

The student had identified a technical specification document they wanted, primarily for the drawings in it. The specification document was German, and was not available through any sources I could locate in the U.S. However, a company name (in Germany) was associated with the information I had from the student; I found the company’s website, eventually located contact information for customer support, sent an email inquiring whether the company would be able and willing to share a scan of the particular document, and left work for the evening. By the time I arrived at the library next morning, I had an email with an attachment, and a very cordial note from a customer support representative! - Debbie Morrow, Liaison to Computing and Information Systems, Engineering, Honors College, Mathematics, Occupational Health and Safety, Physics, and Statistics

I was asked if I could find a song that used to play in the background during the local weather report on WZZM Channel 13. The song was no longer in use and the individual looking for this information remembered a string of 4 words and the general melody. Based on that, I was able to locate the song she was looking for. I don’t clearly remember what song it was, but finding it within 5 minutes has been a personal best I haven’t been able to beat. - Sheila García, Liaison to Criminal Justice, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Legal Studies

Helping people be aware of the services we can offer. - Kim Ranger, Liaison to Music, Theatre, and Dance; School of Communications; and Spanish

Needing more time! We try to cram all these ideas, concepts, terms, and skills into 50-minute instruction sessions and 30-minute consultations! - Gayle Schaub, Liaison to College of Education, Juvenile Literature, Curriculum Materials Library

I really enjoy working one-on-one with students whether that's during a consultation or classroom instruction. It's rewarding to help save a student time through showing them how to more efficiently search for and find the information they need. - Ashley Rosener, Liaison to Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration, Social Work, and Johnson Center for Philanthropy

I most enjoy working with graduate students on their final research projects. We usually work together off and on for 6-12 months, so it gives me an opportunity to get to know the students and to get a deeper understanding of the trends and issues in their fields. - Betsy Williams, Liaison to Allied Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy, Recreational Therapy

I am constantly surprised and inspired by the amazing work GVSU students are doing. They are asking good questions, working on interesting projects, and looking for ways to make the world a better place. I feel lucky to get to help connect them with information and give them encouragement! - Samantha Minnis, Liaison to Geography and Planning, Global Studies and Social Impact, Human Rights, International Relations, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, Psychology