@article{8085c97137d242e1ad0df8cd7ced4f4e,
title = "Exploring the Culture of Engagement for Liaison Librarians at a Research University",
abstract = "Outreach and engagement activities are increasingly central to the work of liaison librarians. This qualitative study explores the culture of engagement at the University of Illinois. Based on a series of interviews, the authors learned what types of outreach and engagement activities are happening across units, the barriers and motivations for undertaking these activities, how engagement is assessed, and the needs of librarians doing engagement in order to further their work. This research advocate for a broader culture shift in which professional values will better align with the practices of liaison librarians.",
keywords = "assessment, engagement, library liaisons, outreach",
author = "Mara Thacker and Sarah Christensen and Eleanor Dickson",
note = "Curiously, almost 30\% of interviewees mentioned funding as a resource need, while almost 20\% of interviewees mentioned that activities cost very little to develop. Several other interviews mentioned paying for resources themselves, with participants 8 and 12 saying {\textquotedblleft}Largely, anything I{\textquoteright}ve done has been out of pocket … for bigger stuff I{\textquoteright}ve had to solicit money{\textquotedblright} and {\textquotedblleft}A lot of that I{\textquoteright}ve just taken on.{\textquotedblright} Other resources for funding that interviewees mentioned include departmental funds, donor funds, ad hoc requests from library administration, local business partners, and campus sponsors. Notably, there is no single source of funding that the interviewees mentioned to support public engagement activities. Participant 25 said that {\textquotedblleft}Outside of general unit funding … generally, because there wasn{\textquoteright}t a fund, we{\textquoteright}ve avoided things that would involve cost.{\textquotedblright} Staff support was the third major resource that interviewees cited that they needed, alongside graphic design and funding support. Graduate assistants and graduate hourlies are currently heavily relied upon to implement engagement activities, though they are not permanent employees. Only one interviewee expressed the need for more time to develop and execute engagement activities, versus the need for staff to perform these activities. This reliance on pre-professional, temporary employees underscores the dichotomy of public engagement as a professional activity, discussed later in this article.",
year = "2018",
month = aug,
day = "18",
doi = "10.1080/01930826.2018.1491185",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "58",
pages = "561--582",
journal = "Journal of Library Administration",
issn = "0193-0826",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "6",
}