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'So, That Would Have Been Useful': Curriculum in LIS in Support of Liaison Librarian Preparation

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Title: 'So, That Would Have Been Useful': Curriculum in LIS in Support of Liaison Librarian Preparation
Language: English
Authors: Mónica Colón-Aguirre, Kawanna Michelle Bright
Source: Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. 2024 65(4):373-389.
Availability: Association for Library and Information Science Education. Available from: University of Toronto Press. 5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T8 Canada. Tel: 416-667–7929; Fax: 416-667–7832; e-mail: journals@utpress.utoronto.ca; e-mail: office@alise.org; Web site: https://www.utpjournals.press/loi/jelis
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 17
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Library Science, Library Schools, Information Science Education, Foreign Countries, Cooperative Planning, Librarians, Librarian Teacher Cooperation, Academic Libraries, Curriculum, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Evaluation, Career Readiness, Course Selection (Students), Instructional Effectiveness
Geographic Terms: Canada, United States
DOI: 10.3138/jelis-2023-0022
ISSN: 0748-5786
2328-2967
Abstract: LIS education has historically come under fire for what some perceive as a disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and what the job really entails. This study is part of a larger research study that used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to investigate liaison librarians' perceptions of their academic preparation to take on the liaison role, specifically whether and how their LIS program curriculum prepared them for this role. This qualitative strand of the study relied on in-depth semi-structured interviews of survey participants to explore two research questions: What are the perceptions of academic liaison librarians regarding the degree to which their programs prepared them for their current role? And which factors influenced these perceptions? This research identified the main reasons hindering the effectiveness of LIS education for preparing librarians for the liaison role to be a range of complex issues that LIS programs and educators should consider, such as changing career plans among students who did not initially plan to become liaison librarians, students not taking certain courses due to scheduling or course timing issues, and the abstract nature of some course content which obscures connections to real-world practice. Participants also identified courses in collection development, reference, instruction, and research methods as those that should take center stage when preparing liaison librarians. These results have the potential to inform various aspects of LIS program curriculum planning and design and provide course-selection guidance for LIS students considering a career in academic libraries.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1444731
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0180361923;lii01oct.24;2024Oct22.04:50;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0180361923-1">"So, That Would Have Been Useful": Curriculum in LIS in Support of Liaison Librarian Preparation </title> <p>LIS education has historically come under fire for what some perceive as a disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and what the job really entails. This study is part of a larger research study that used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to investigate liaison librarians' perceptions of their academic preparation to take on the liaison role, specifically whether and how their LIS program curriculum prepared them for this role. This qualitative strand of the study relied on in-depth semi-structured interviews of survey participants to explore two research questions: What are the perceptions of academic liaison librarians regarding the degree to which their programs prepared them for their current role? And which factors influenced these perceptions? This research identified the main reasons hindering the effectiveness of LIS education for preparing librarians for the liaison role to be a range of complex issues that LIS programs and educators should consider, such as changing career plans among students who did not initially plan to become liaison librarians, students not taking certain courses due to scheduling or course timing issues, and the abstract nature of some course content which obscures connections to real-world practice. Participants also identified courses in collection development, reference, instruction, and research methods as those that should take center stage when preparing liaison librarians. These results have the potential to inform various aspects of LIS program curriculum planning and design and provide course-selection guidance for LIS students considering a career in academic libraries.</p> <p>Keywords: academic librarians; liaison librarians; LIS curriculum; LIS education; student advising</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-2">Key points:</hd> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Liaison librarianship is a common career path in LIS; however, there is limited information regarding the ways in which LIS programs can assist students to be better prepared in this professional realm.</item> <p></p> <item> To better support the preparation of liaison librarians, LIS programs should consider ways to increase flexibility of course plans to accommodate students with changing career plans, ensure that courses of interest to future liaisons are offered in an accessible manner, and increase connections to real-world practice in the current curriculum.</item> <p></p> <item> LIS programs and educators can assist students with their preparation by empowering them to take ownership of their educational experience and encouraging them to do their own research into career paths and to engage in professional development to further develop skills.</item> </ulist> <p>The conversation around library and information science (LIS) curriculum and its perceived shortcomings is not a new one in the field. According to [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref1">22</reflink>], criticisms of LIS programs, particularly the effectiveness of their curriculum at responding to the needs of the LIS practitioner, go back all the way to the advent of LIS education in the late nineteenth century. [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref2">32</reflink>] remind us that the goal of LIS programs is not to provide training intended to prepare students for specific positions but to give students a foundational education that will guide them in any chosen career path. [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref3">18</reflink>] indicate that "employers may recognize the limited amount of specialized training possible within the typical one- or two-year MLS/MLIS/MSLIS timeframe" (p. 72), suggesting that employers may have little to no expectation that new graduates will be fully prepared to take on specific and specialized roles.</p> <p>These statements lend credence to the complexities faced by LIS educators, which are further exacerbated by the nuances of a field that is heavily influenced by, and adjacent to, technological concerns yet maintains a strong focus on social considerations of how those aspects affect or influence humans ([<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref4">12</reflink>]). This is the case with academic librarianship and, more specifically, liaison librarianship. This work presents contributions to this long-standing argument from the point of view of those directly engaged in the work, identifying areas in which LIS education has succeeded in preparing participants for their liaison role as well as those areas where there is still room for improvement.</p> <p>This work builds upon a previous study of the preparation of liaison librarians, which demonstrated some significant relationships between liaisons' perceptions that their programs prepared them for their job as liaison librarians and aspects such as completing a specific academic library track and having the opportunity to complete hands-on work as part of the curriculum ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref5">4</reflink>]). The aim of this research is to further explore the perceptions of the professionals in the field who do the work, with the ultimate goal of informing LIS education. The focus here will be on the ways in which LIS education prepared or did not prepare liaison librarians for their role, as perceived by those employed as liaison librarians.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-3">Literature review</hd> <p>The academic liaison librarian role carries a wide array of responsibilities which add up to great complexity. [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref6">9</reflink>] defines liaison librarians as those who are "assigned to a specific client base (a school, department, college, research center, or co-curricular unit) in a personalized, relationship-centered system of service delivery" (p. 258). This is the definition used in the current study, as it offers an encompassing view of the liaison role without specifically defining the activities included within the realm of "service delivery."</p> <p>Additional literature offers clarification of the various activities that are associated with this role, including keeping contact and establishing relationships with a user group, collection management for a specific disciplinary area, conducting instruction related to that disciplinary area, communicating information about library policies and programs, eliciting information about curricular changes, providing reference and bibliographic services, serving as the library ombudsman for users, and bringing user perspectives to the technical services department, among others ([<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref7">28</reflink>]). The following sections explore works focusing on various aspects of LIS teaching which account for preparation in these areas.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-4">Teaching the liaison role in the LIS curriculum</hd> <p>LIS education has come under fire for what some perceive as a disconnect between what is taught and what the job really entails. This disconnect is seen as mainly a curricular problem, where the core curriculum in LIS is failing to address the most important issues that students will encounter as they become information professionals. A more recent example of this perceived failure is illustrated by [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref8">14</reflink>], who highlight how a group of academic and public librarians expressed their impression that the LIS curriculum was lacking in representing a field that is in constant flux and was leaving essential skills to be learned on the job. Their study presents results in which their participants characterize the completion of the degree as "the ticket that you get punched in order to get a job" (p. 26). This kind of attitude among LIS degree holders should be thoughtfully considered by LIS program administrators and faculty, as it highlights the importance of identifying opportunities for LIS to create a curriculum that responds to the needs of the field and provides students with the skills and know-how that will allow them to be better prepared to undertake their professional roles.</p> <p>The main problem faced by LIS education is identifying, among all the possible topics and skills that can be taught, which ones are perceived to be the most valuable. The [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref9">24</reflink>] most recent report on the trends in LIS job postings offers some suggestions for the "most in demand" general, LIS, and soft skills required for successful employment in the field: "Research, Reference Readers' Advisory," "Instruction," and "Computer Technology" were the top three out of 10 LIS skills most in demand (p. 13). In terms of general skills, "Research, Reference Readers' Advisory" was again in the top three, though "Communication" and "Managerial" skills were both ranked higher and also represented the top two most in-demand soft skills (pp. 12, 14). The liaison role appears in the report only three times—once in the Information Management sample job duties description and twice in the Reference and Research sample job duties and sample job skills—and there are no recommendations for specific courses to take to gain these skills.</p> <p>The broadness of the suggestions offered by resources such as the [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref10">24</reflink>] leaves LIS programs with the problems of identifying which areas to highlight in the curriculum and ensuring that students do not bypass specific courses addressing these areas. In their study of liaison librarian jobs and LIS students' knowledge of liaison job duties, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref11">1</reflink>] acknowledge the difficulty for library schools in identifying what should be taught, but they also recommend that curriculum developers include discussions of the liaison role in their courses. Interestingly, Attebury and Finnell do not recommend these discussions for all LIS courses; rather, they suggest that programs focus on elective courses targeted to students planning to work in academic libraries, as these are "more appropriate places for liaison training than subject specific reference courses or even collection development courses" (p. 327). Recommending a reliance on elective courses to prepare librarians for the liaison role rather than courses that are more likely to be core or required within an LIS program, such as reference and collection development courses, means that librarians run the risk of not being exposed to the liaison role simply by choosing not to take an elective course.</p> <p>The work of [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref12">1</reflink>] underscores the importance of preparing librarians for liaison work through courses that focus specifically on the role of academic librarians due to the tendency of most jobs advertised for academic librarians to revolve around the tasks that liaisons perform in academic institutions. Nearly 30% of the academic library positions reviewed by the authors included liaison responsibilities, with many of those positions focused on public services, reference, and instruction. Attebury and Finnell also note that despite the connection between liaisons and collection development work, none of the reviewed positions within collections or acquisitions included liaising as a responsibility. These findings bring into question the importance of the collection development course for preparing librarians for liaison work and help to explain Attebury and Finnell's recommendation to not include discussions of the liaison role within core courses.</p> <p>Beyond the basic librarian and liaison-related skills discussed in the literature, studies of skills and competencies needed to succeed in the LIS profession indicate that soft skills such as customer service, good communication, flexibility, and a commitment to continuous learning are essential ([<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref13">26</reflink>]). [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref14">18</reflink>] recommended that library science programs focused on the preparation of health information professionals motivate their students to gain "transferable 'soft skills,'" as these were highly desired by employers (p. 81). Teaching these skills can be complicated and requires teaching strategies that move beyond the traditional lecture; however, a study by [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref15">27</reflink>] found that faculty are relying on passive methods for teaching these skills, such as discussions, lectures, and readings. Yet these popular methods of teaching run contrary to students' preference for more active, hands-on methods of learning ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref16">4</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref17">13</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-5">Students entering the profession</hd> <p>It is important to keep in mind that curriculum adaptations should respond to preparing LIS professionals to start a successful career in the profession and it is not feasible to prepare them for every situation they will encounter in their jobs. One aspect of this preparation is ensuring that students understand the nature of the work they will undertake in their new profession, something that may not be clear upon LIS program entry. In a study of new academic librarians' perceptions of the profession, [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref18">25</reflink>] found that among the participants' descriptions of their chosen career path, all centered on the library's appeal to them as readers, with all 12 participants describing themselves as "book lovers." A 2017 study by Lo et al. found the persistence of a love of books and a general sense of librarianship as a helping career to be key reasons for choosing librarianship, but they also found no overall sense of what work in a library truly entailed and a stereotypical view of libraries as quiet, stress-free workplaces. These perceptions of LIS are not reflective of the work that academic librarians, including liaisons, are engaged in.</p> <p>This propensity to attract those interested in reading brings forward an important consideration regarding the preparation of liaison librarians for academic library jobs: that of the LIS students' educational background. [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref19">10</reflink>] found that most LIS programs have a strong representation of English and history majors. This is in keeping with historical trends in a field that was closer to literature, reading, and print materials as it developed ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref20">10</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref21">23</reflink>]); however, it is not in keeping with the trend for the general population, which, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), has stronger representation in business and health-related fields of study ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref22">10</reflink>]). This can possibly demonstrate a lag in adaptation to new forms of data and information representation which place LIS closer to the social sciences ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref23">10</reflink>]). This disconnect brings some challenges to LIS education, especially for faculty who must train students with a high representation of humanities-focused undergraduate experiences in the epistemology and methodologies of the social sciences ([<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref24">10</reflink>]), a field that better defines LIS due to the shared research methods as well as concepts and subjects covered ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref25">5</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref26">6</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-6">Academic librarians and their educational experiences</hd> <p>The degree to which LIS programs are successfully enculturating and preparing future information professionals is still up for debate. A survey of new librarians, the majority of whom self-described as academic librarians, found that these professionals felt that their programs could have been more effective had they provided them with the opportunity to gain more experience. The same group mentioned that their programs were inadequate in terms of offering them the needed knowledge on topics such as instruction and research methods ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref27">16</reflink>]). [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref28">2</reflink>] noted in their sample of 82 UK academic librarians that the majority developed their instructional skills in postgraduate courses and in informal ways, "namely on the job or via trial and error" (p. 102), suggesting less preparation from their graduate programs. Similarly, [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref29">29</reflink>] surveyed 495 librarians about copyright instruction, and while 55% reported taking a class during their MLS studies that addressed copyright, most indicated that the coverage was brief, limited, or minimal and less than what they needed to know for their jobs; open comments indicated that many felt their knowledge of copyright and IP law came from outside of their LIS education. The findings from these studies align with a progression in the LIS field in which instructional roles for academic librarians are becoming more prevalent ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref30">30</reflink>]) and the role of librarians has evolved from supporters and facilitators of research to that of research partners ([<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref31">3</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref32">8</reflink>]).</p> <p>The LIS literature seems to indicate that in addition to instruction centered on specific topics, students value curricular opportunities that allow them to gain experience in various areas of library work. In turn, this experience with library work seems to be central to their feeling prepared for future work in libraries. In a study of practicum students and site supervisors in academic libraries, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref33">13</reflink>] found that, in a small sample, the majority of those surveyed thought the practicum was a major factor in successfully securing a job and giving them the confidence and knowledge to perform their jobs. The [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref34">24</reflink>] report even encourages MLIS students to engage in "an internship, volunteer work, or a side-gig" during their degree program in order to gain that "practical experience employers are looking for" (p. 18). A survey of health sciences librarian employers identified a preference for graduates who had either internship or work experience in either health sciences or any other type of library ([<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref35">18</reflink>]). Practicums, and other hands-on experiences, seem to be the most valued parts of the LIS curriculum; however, research indicates that other courses and predetermined tracks might exert a positive influence on the level of perceived preparedness among academic librarians ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref36">4</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-7">Problem statement</hd> <p>LIS education has historically been perceived to be out of touch with real-world practice in the information professions and is sometimes characterized as just a superfluous requirement needed to secure a librarian job ([<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref37">14</reflink>]). Many studies have explored the role curriculum has in preparing librarians for different functions and for work in various library scenarios ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref38">2</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref39">18</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref40">29</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref41">31</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref42">34</reflink>]). One role that has not garnered as much attention is also one of the most common in the field: the liaison librarian. This role is complex and multifaceted, characteristics that in turn complicate the way in which the LIS curriculum can be designed to prepare students for work in this function.</p> <p>The present research focuses on the perceptions that liaison librarians currently employed in the United States have regarding how their programs prepared them for their positions. This focus will allow further understanding of the role, which will lead to deeper connections being established between the work performed and the curriculum that is intended to prepare those who perform it—all from the perspective of professional liaison librarians themselves. The main questions explored here are the following:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> RQ1: What are the perceptions of academic liaison librarians regarding the degree to which their programs prepared them for their current role?</item> <p></p> <item> RQ2: Which factors influenced these perceptions?</item> </ulist> <p>The emphasis of this work is on identifying areas in which LIS education succeeded in preparing participants for their liaison role, as well as those areas where there is still room for improvement. The perspective of the participants is valuable, as they are the professionals in the field performing the work on a day-to-day basis and are intimately familiar with both the functions and the issues faced by liaison librarians. Their insights will provide valuable information that LIS programs can use when planning initiatives aimed at making their degree more reputable, by preparing their students for one of the most common professional identities in the ever-changing information profession.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-8">Methodology</hd> <p>This article reports on data collected as part of a larger research study that used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to investigate liaison librarians' perceptions of their academic preparation to take on the liaison role, specifically whether and how their LIS program's curriculum prepared them for this role. The initial strand of the study utilized a survey of liaison librarians currently working in US and Canadian academic libraries to quantitatively investigate the extent to which they felt their LIS programs prepared them for their liaison role and how much of that preparation they attributed to their program's curriculum ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref43">4</reflink>]). The second, qualitative strand of the study relied on in-depth, semi-structured interviews of participants who completed the survey and indicated interest in further participation. This article focuses on the results of that second strand, delving into the liaisons' perceptions of preparedness and contextualizing the initial findings of the survey.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-9">Sample</hd> <p>The initial, larger sample of the study consisted of 366 librarians working in US and Canadian academic libraries who indicated having liaison responsibilities as part of their positions. These participants were recruited through open calls posted to LIS listservs (i.e., collib-1, ili-l, infolit, lirt-l, lita-l, nmrt-l, uls-l, and acrl-rig) and posts to the researchers' Facebook and Twitter accounts in summer 2020. As part of the survey, respondents were asked if they would be willing to be contacted for a follow-up interview to further discuss their perceptions of their liaison preparedness. Of the 366 respondents, 162 (44.3%) provided contact information indicating their willingness to participate in the qualitative portion of the research.</p> <p>To determine which participants to interview, the researchers first divided potential interviewees into groups based on the length of time they had served in a liaison role, as noted in their submitted surveys. While there were no significant statistical associations found between the length of time a respondent had been a liaison and their perceptions of preparedness ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref44">4</reflink>]), the researchers were interested in ensuring a variety of experiences were included in the qualitative strand of the study. Length of time as a liaison was selected as a logical proxy that would serve to surface a range of experiences. This created eight groups (less than 1 year, 1 to 5 years, 6 to 10 years, 11 to 15 years, 16 to 20 years, 21 to 25 years, 26 to 30 years, more than 30 years), with the goal of identifying 16 total interviewees (two per group).</p> <p>Each potential interviewee was included on a list based on years of experience. The list information also noted whether the participant identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; as LGBTQ+; as female, male, or non-binary; and their MLS program. The researchers used Excel to assign each potential interviewee on each list a random number, and the lists were then sorted from smallest number to largest number. The first two names on each list were identified for interviews, with the caveat that if multiple respondents from the same MLS program were identified, regardless of years of experience, the second participant from the same program would be skipped and the next participant on the list would be selected instead.</p> <p>Sixteen participants were initially identified and invited to interview, with 12 responding to the invitation and arranging times to participate in virtual semi-structured interviews to be conducted via WebEx video-conferencing software. Of the 12 scheduled interviews, the researchers were able to complete interviews with 11 participants, with the 12th participant missing their interview and not responding to invitations to reschedule. All interviews were recorded with participant permission, and participants were assigned pseudonyms. Table 1 shows the assigned pseudonyms and participants' length of time as a liaison.</p> <p>Table 1: Participants' pseudonyms and length of time as a liaison</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><colgroup span="1"><col align="left" span="1" /><col align="left" span="1" /></colgroup><thead><tr><th align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Participant pseudonym</th><th align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Time as a Liaison</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Rory</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Less than 1 year</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Taylor</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Less than 1 year</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Blair</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">1 to 5 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Quinn</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">1 to 5 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Casey</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">6 to 10 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Robin</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">6 to 10 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Emily</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">11 to 15 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Jessie</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">11 to 15 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Morgan</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">16 to 20 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Reese</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">21 to 25 years</td></tr><tr><td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Adrian</td><td align="center" rowspan="1" colspan="1">26 to 30 years</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>1 Source: Authors' work</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-10">Interview protocol development</hd> <p>The interview protocol was reviewed and received approval as part of the larger IRB approval process for the study. The protocol for each of the participants was personalized with their answers to the survey questions related to the following: which courses, if any, talked about the liaison role; the courses they felt were most useful for supporting their liaison responsibilities; whether there were courses offered by their program that they did not take but that would have supported their liaison role; and their level of agreement to the statement "My LIS program's curriculum prepared me to be a liaison," along with the key things their program did or did not do to warrant the rating. This allowed participants to provide more focused information regarding their answers to the survey questions, and for the researchers to gather information from participants who expressed a variety of points of view, thus expanding researchers' understanding of the initial survey results.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-11">Data analysis</hd> <p>Transcripts for the recorded interviews were automatically generated by WebEx and cleaned by the researchers. Interviews were analyzed inductively, starting with a round of open coding through constant comparative analysis. After the list of initial open codes was gathered, they were collapsed into axial codes which formed a master list of codes chosen in mutual agreement by both researchers. These codes were then collapsed to create the categories that related to the various aspects of the program experiences mentioned by participants.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-12">Findings</hd> <p>Analysis of the data led to the creation of categories related to the participants' perception of how their program's curriculum prepared them for their current positions as academic library liaisons. In this section, the findings are divided into four distinct categories: <emph>The Degree</emph>, <emph>Course Offerings and Selection</emph>, <emph>Course Structure</emph>, and <emph>A Dedicated Course on Liaison Librarianship</emph>. The first section expands on the first strand of the research related to the participants' perception of how their programs' curricula fared in terms of preparing them for their jobs as liaison librarians. This is followed by <emph>Course Offerings and Selection</emph>, where aspects related to the mechanics of curricular offerings and how they affected the participants' choices of courses are explored. The third section, <emph>Course Structure</emph>, tackles issues related to how topics are presented in the curricula offered, as well as areas where participants think the programs could have done better. The fourth category, <emph>A Dedicated Course on Liaison Librarianship</emph>, relates to what participants would do if they could design a specific track or course exclusively for liaison librarian preparation.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-13">The degree</hd> <p>In the first strand of the research project, while 44.8% (<emph>n</emph> = 164) of participants responded "Yes" when asked if their LIS program courses were useful in preparing them for their liaison responsibilities, a significant number of participants answered "Maybe" (30.6%, <emph>n</emph> = 112) or "No" (24.6%, <emph>n</emph> = 90) ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref45">4</reflink>]). Here, we explore which aspects were mentioned by participants as reasons for their Master's programs' shortcomings in preparing them for their work as liaison librarians, and which aspects they identified as important, given their position as insiders into the academic liaison librarian role.</p> <p>One important consideration was the prevalence of the liaison role as a consideration for employment, given when they attained their degrees. In terms of discussions of the liaison role, some participants expressed that this role was not part of the degree, or at least that it was not something that was considered as a career at the time they were completing their degree. Reese, a seasoned liaison librarian and one of two participants with more than 20 years of work in this capacity, mentioned that during completion of their LIS degree in the late 1980s, the idea of liaison librarianship was not fully developed in their program, or in the profession in general:</p> <p>I came back here in 1996 and that was when I think the idea was kind of starting to take hold at least here that we were going to be working a little bit more specifically as very specialized very, very much identified liaisons in different departments. And then those roles would expand over the years. (Reese)</p> <p>Besides the prevalence of the liaison librarian role in their programs' curricula, participants were prompted to provide information regarding courses they found useful in preparing them for their current jobs. In this realm, participants mentioned courses close to those described as central responsibilities to liaison librarians: collection development, instruction, and reference. It is important to point out that not every participant interviewed could recall any particularly useful courses, something that was not surprising given the sampling approach that ensured representation of participants who both did and did not feel the curriculum supported their liaison work. Of the six participants interviewed who had indicated on the survey that they did not feel their programs prepared them for their liaison work, their responses related to usefulness of courses was attributed to the courses not being tied to liaison skills, not that the courses themselves were not useful. These participants were able to talk about courses that could have been useful based on what they now know about working as a liaison. Some of these participants also moderated their answers by stating that perhaps certain circumstances prevented them from taking courses that would have been useful. For example, Rory mentioned that their original plan while completing their degree did not include becoming an academic librarian: "I was a data science concentration student, and I ended up fulfilling the requirements for the LIS concentration as well by the time I had graduated, but I wasn't doing that [LIS] concentration."</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-14">Course offerings and selection</hd> <p>As exemplified by Rory, participants noted that they overlooked some of the courses they did not take because they were uncertain about which library career they wanted to pursue; this led to picking courses out of convenience, rather than an intentional plan of preparing themselves for a future career as liaison librarians. Emily mentioned that during their degree, "I'm not sure that I really knew what I was gonna do," and that this lack of direct planning led them to pick courses which were familiar to them or responding to their interests, rather than useful courses that would have helped develop skills for a future job. As Emily expressed it, "I guess I gravitated towards what I knew because that's what I did in college instead of getting these firm skills that would have actually helped me in the job."</p> <p>Others mentioned issues related to scheduling which made enrolling in courses difficult or impossible, even if they were interested in them, since the courses were not available when they could take them. This idea was expressed by Quinn, who stated, "But they [courses] weren't always offered, maybe only one time a year ... it [taking the course] just didn't happen to work out."</p> <p>This situation with scheduled course offerings was, in part, one reason that participants were prevented from taking certain courses. The courses offered in their programs that they wished they had taken, but did not, included instruction, management, academic librarianship, and research methods. When the researchers inquired about the reasons these courses were overlooked, some participants mentioned making the connection between certain course topics and the role of liaisons only after starting their work in that capacity. This was the case of Blair, who did not take research methods courses during their archives-focused Master's degree, only to find themself in need of publishing original research as a job requirement. This requires knowledge of research methods and processes but also has applications beyond liaison and academic librarianship, so it is of potential value to most LIS students:</p> <p>I would say in academic libraries, people are ... encouraged to publish. So that would have been useful. And then there's so much assessment in public librarianship that's required and ... evaluation that it would have been useful for them as well. (Blair)</p> <p>Participant Taylor echoes this position regarding research methods, but in connection to the elements of research consultations, which are inherent to their role as an academic liaison librarian:</p> <p>research methods should be a required course.... I guess the argument was that this is a professional degree ... but there are people doing research. There are people who are going to go get a PhD ... and if you are working in an academic library, even if you are not in a tenure track position, you are helping people who are doing research. So, to at least understand, at least have an overview, right? (Taylor)</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-15">Course content and structure</hd> <p>Participants were also asked to provide their insights into what they thought their programs could have done better to prepare them for their careers. Although their views were varied, most of the suggestions concerned providing more opportunities for real-world exposure to the work that liaison librarianship entails. Some strategies mentioned by participants to achieve this connection included employing faculty with library work experience, providing opportunities for shadowing librarians at work, and having liaison librarians as guest speakers in classes.</p> <p>Other ideas discussed by participants included the need for more depth in the curriculum. One example was offering sequential foundational courses where required courses are taken in a specific order, which allows students to build up content from one course to another and establish connections among various courses' content. Robin mentioned the need for some courses to move beyond the basics or simply introducing topics if the courses are to be of any real use to future liaison librarians:</p> <p>maybe a one-year, two-part course on instruction and talking about specifically tailoring not just talking about "Here's some basics on how to teach about librarianship" and then you'll do an example ... workshop about statistics or something with five people. But [rather] "Here's how you can scaffold a course." (Robin)</p> <p>Another issue mentioned by participants was courses that were taught with an abstract approach rather than a practical application of the principles. This meant that the participants saw limited usefulness in the courses to prepare them for their jobs. This idea was indicated by some participants such as Jessie, who expressed,</p> <p>I also had a course on collection development. It was okay. I don't remember ... it was a little bit too.... I wish it was more extensive than what it was.... I think that was at least one of the things that was kind of lacking ... explaining approval plans and how that works. (Jessie)</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-16">A dedicated course on liaison librarianship</hd> <p>Participants were asked how they would feel about creating a course in the LIS curriculum designed exclusively to teach the liaison role in academic libraries. The reception to the idea was mostly enthusiastic and unanimously positive. Similarly, participants were asked to create a course path in LIS for any student interested in pursuing a career as a liaison librarian.</p> <p>The specific courses mentioned by the participants as necessary for a course path in liaison librarianship included those that are traditionally related to the defining tasks of liaison librarianship: collection development, reference, instruction, and research methods. However, the most telling aspects of the answers to these queries were the topics that participants found to be essential. Almost unanimously mentioned were topics that revolve around traditional management education, including effective communication with various stakeholder groups, the organizational structure of academic libraries and academia, leadership skills, community engagement, and budgeting.</p> <p>Even issues traditionally associated with existing courses in the LIS curriculum were identified by participants as needing more focus or expansion in order to be useful in terms of preparation for work. Such is the case of collection development, which, although mentioned by all participants as an important course in the pathway to becoming a liaison librarian, was accompanied by moderating comments calling for more specific discussions on the practice of collection development, including dealing with approval plans, subscription databases, and budgets. Another example of a course that already exists in the LIS curriculum but, according to our participants, could benefit from a refocusing of the main topics discussed was the reference course. Rory indicated that, due to the inherent differences in the type of work performed in different library settings, they would have benefitted from courses with more focus on how the topics manifest in academic libraries, including "reference in the academic library setting, instruction in the academic library setting, collection.... Because it is very different, depending on the type of library you want to work in." Participants also highlighted the need to address certain aspects of the work that fall under the realm of soft skills; these included diplomacy, assertiveness, and self-advocacy or the ability to properly present one's own accomplishments and defend one's knowledge in the professional arena.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-17">Discussion of findings</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0180361923-18">Curriculum needs</hd> <p>Participants in this study provided insights that can be pieced together to complete a more thorough picture of academic liaison librarian preparation. In their assessment of how their program prepared them for the liaison role, they elaborated on aspects that could have contributed to a more holistic preparation for their profession. Participants indicated that the most useful courses they took during the completion of their LIS programs included collection development, instruction, and reference. This should not come as a surprise, since the literature on liaison librarianship identified some of these activities as central to the academic liaison role ([<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref46">28</reflink>]). Similarly, instruction and research methods were the courses that participants indicated as essential in a course path designed to prepare academic librarians. These courses' content matches the requirements of the job and the responsibilities of academic and liaison librarians who are expected to teach, in some cases credit-bearing courses, and keep a record of publication as a requirement of their employment ([<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref47">33</reflink>]). These courses also align with the top two LIS skills most in demand within LIS position descriptions ([<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref48">24</reflink>]).</p> <p>In terms of which topics participants felt were not developed enough in their curriculum, but are essential to preparing future liaison librarians, participants identified those that revolve around traditional management education. These topics included effective communication with various stakeholder groups, organizational structure of academic libraries and academia, leadership skills, community engagement, and budgeting. This is an area LIS curriculum often neglects, as the tendency is to conflate leadership and management education ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref49">21</reflink>]), when leadership itself is a function of management ([<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref50">20</reflink>]). So, while administration and management courses are offered by a majority of LIS programs, a lack of advanced courses that delve into the differences between leadership and management is seen as a detriment for students in LIS programs ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref51">31</reflink>]). Given the echoing emphasis on managerial skills within LIS job descriptions ([<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref52">24</reflink>]), the lack of focus on management within LIS curriculum may be indicative of another disconnect between what programs are preparing students to undertake and the skills new librarians need to succeed.</p> <p>This finding is also in line with participants' calls for programs to focus on teaching more on aspects which can be represented as soft skills including diplomacy, assertiveness, and self-advocacy or the ability to properly present one's own accomplishments and defend one's knowledge in the professional arena. These skills have been identified both as essential for LIS professionals and as some of the most desirable skills according to employers ([<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref53">26</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref54">24</reflink>]). The importance of soft skills is more salient in the realm of liaison librarians, especially due to the focus of this position on aspects of relationship creation and development. As Taylor noted, "so much of it is relationship building. I think ... a course can talk about maybe how to do that.... But I'm not sure that's something ... I think that's something that has to be kind of practiced."</p> <p>The topic of teaching soft skills has been explored in the LIS literature, especially highlighting the difficulties faced when attempting to teach these skills, which often means employing passive learning strategies focused on lectures and readings ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref55">27</reflink>]). The [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref56">24</reflink>] report even encourages students to "seek out opportunities" to showcase their soft skills within their courses, rather than encouraging faculty or programs to explicitly and intentionally provide these opportunities. Programs must consider that, as indicated by some participants in this study, the functions performed by liaison librarians are not exclusive to academic librarians' work and transcend to other library scenarios quite seamlessly. Therefore, a more complete education and introduction to the topics mentioned here throughout the LIS curriculum will benefit all students, not just those who become academic liaison librarians.</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-19">Challenges for LIS programs</hd> <p>Another issue LIS programs must grapple with is role awareness and the academic plans of students. Participants mentioned not taking certain courses that are in direct alignment with their current functions as liaison librarians, including courses on instruction, management, academic librarianship, and research methods. The main reason cited for not taking these courses was not planning to become a liaison librarian when joining their program. Participants were often enrolled in programs focusing on specific aspects of LIS work, such as data science and archives, tracks with courses not specific to the liaison librarianship role.</p> <p>When considering the usefulness of courses as part of the curriculum, LIS programs should recognize the possibility of students both following a plan that does not include becoming a liaison or even an academic librarian and skipping useful courses that are not required for all tracks or concentrations that are possible in LIS. Participants pointed to this as one of the possible reasons they did not feel comfortable with their programs' ability to prepare them for their work. Programs must plan for the inevitable issue of students changing career goals and modifying their professional aims throughout their programs. To respond to this situation, programs could incorporate advising which considers students' interests and future goals by providing career planning, integrating liaison work topics throughout the core curriculum, and introducing discussions in foundational courses about the work done in different library environments and a variety of library functions ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref57">7</reflink>]). Programs should also consider how courses are scheduled and sequenced, since participants mentioned not being able to take courses they were interested in due to those not being offered during times participants could have fitted them into their schedule.</p> <p>Participants also mentioned that their more abstractly focused courses, with an inclination toward presenting theories and empirical approaches to information science, were not quite effective at preparing them for the day-to-day practice of liaison librarianship. This ongoing debate is not exclusive to LIS, as other practitioner-based fields such as education ([<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref58">15</reflink>]) and nursing have faced similar challenges. In the field of nursing, a balance between theory and practice seems to have been reached through the development of evidence-based practice ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref59">11</reflink>]; [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref60">19</reflink>]). This field suggests approaches to evidence-based teaching including reflection, simulation, work in small groups, case-based learning, and problem-based learning as useful in accomplishing the incorporation of theory and empirical research into the curriculum ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref61">11</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0180361923-20">Conclusion</hd> <p>This article has presented the results of the second, qualitative strand of a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study, focusing on the coding and analysis of semi-structured interviews. Based on the results of these interviews, we can conclude that, overall, academic liaison librarians in the study thought their programs mostly gave them an adequate educational foundation that helped prepare them to become academic liaison librarians, but some areas needed improvement.</p> <p>The interviews yielded a useful template from which programs can identify areas that their curriculum supports, as well as those that need further development. LIS education faces numerous challenges, and in this research we have identified various issues to be considered by LIS programs and educators, such as changing career plans among students who did not initially intend to become liaison librarians at the start of their education, students not taking certain courses due to scheduling or course timing issues, as well as the abstract nature of some course content, which obscures connections to real-world practice.</p> <p>But the onus is not solely on LIS programs to ensure that students are fully prepared for the roles they will take on when entering the field as professionals. Students can take more ownership of their educational experience, including researching both the possible paths that they can follow and the best courses to take to help them achieve their academic and career goals. Students should also develop an understanding that continuing education will be needed, as they are entering a fast-changing and evolving profession. They will need to constantly acquire new skills and further develop the skills they already possess to be successful throughout their careers.</p> <p>As with any research endeavor, this study has some limitations. Many participants admitted that they simply did not remember if the liaison role was covered in specific courses. This was seen whether the participant had been in the field for less than five years or more than 20 years, though those who graduated more recently offered clearer views of their programs' curriculum. One method to improve understanding of how the liaison role is taught in the curriculum could be a syllabus review, particularly of courses included within an academic track or concentration and any courses focused on academic librarianship.</p> <p>There is value in creating courses that respond to the specific needs of liaison librarians, even when the goal of LIS education is to provide students with a foundational education that will guide their career in any chosen career path instead of providing specific training for a defined position ([<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref62">32</reflink>]). Programs should consider their curriculum and how it fares in preparing students for the jobs and roles that they will undertake. Therein should lie the value of LIS education.</p> <ref id="AN0180361923-21"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref11" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Attebury, R. I., & Finnell, J. (2009). 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Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 58(4), 202–218.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Mónica Colón-Aguirre and Kawanna Michelle Bright</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author</p> <p></p> <p>Mónica Colón-Aguirre is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, School of Information Science. She is a recipient of the Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship (2008) and has more than 11 years of experience as an instructor and researcher. Her areas of research include library management, services for underserved populations, information behaviors of Spanish speakers, and social justice approaches to information.</p> <p>Kawanna M. Bright (she/her) is assistant professor of library science at East Carolina University. Her current research focuses on assessment in libraries; equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in libraries; the application of research methodology to the study of library and information science; and the liaison librarianship role in academic libraries. Dr. Bright teaches courses on a number of topics, including research methods, academic libraries, and outreach and community engagement.</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib32" firstref="ref2"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref4"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref8"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref17"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref18"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref19"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref21"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref27"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib29" firstref="ref29"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib30" firstref="ref30"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib31" firstref="ref41"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib34" firstref="ref42"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib33" firstref="ref47"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl20" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref49"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl21" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref50"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl22" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref58"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl23" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref59"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl24" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref60"></nolink>
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  Group: Ti
  Data: 'So, That Would Have Been Useful': Curriculum in LIS in Support of Liaison Librarian Preparation
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mónica+Colón-Aguirre%22">Mónica Colón-Aguirre</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kawanna+Michelle+Bright%22">Kawanna Michelle Bright</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Education+for+Library+and+Information+Science%22"><i>Journal of Education for Library and Information Science</i></searchLink>. 2024 65(4):373-389.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Association for Library and Information Science Education. Available from: University of Toronto Press. 5201 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T8 Canada. Tel: 416-667–7929; Fax: 416-667–7832; e-mail: journals@utpress.utoronto.ca; e-mail: office@alise.org; Web site: https://www.utpjournals.press/loi/jelis
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 17
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Science%22">Library Science</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Library+Schools%22">Library Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Science+Education%22">Information Science Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperative+Planning%22">Cooperative Planning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Librarians%22">Librarians</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Librarian+Teacher+Cooperation%22">Librarian Teacher Cooperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+Libraries%22">Academic Libraries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum%22">Curriculum</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+Development%22">Curriculum Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+Evaluation%22">Curriculum Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Readiness%22">Career Readiness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Course+Selection+%28Students%29%22">Course Selection (Students)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Instructional+Effectiveness%22">Instructional Effectiveness</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Canada%22">Canada</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.3138/jelis-2023-0022
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0748-5786<br />2328-2967
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: LIS education has historically come under fire for what some perceive as a disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and what the job really entails. This study is part of a larger research study that used a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to investigate liaison librarians' perceptions of their academic preparation to take on the liaison role, specifically whether and how their LIS program curriculum prepared them for this role. This qualitative strand of the study relied on in-depth semi-structured interviews of survey participants to explore two research questions: What are the perceptions of academic liaison librarians regarding the degree to which their programs prepared them for their current role? And which factors influenced these perceptions? This research identified the main reasons hindering the effectiveness of LIS education for preparing librarians for the liaison role to be a range of complex issues that LIS programs and educators should consider, such as changing career plans among students who did not initially plan to become liaison librarians, students not taking certain courses due to scheduling or course timing issues, and the abstract nature of some course content which obscures connections to real-world practice. Participants also identified courses in collection development, reference, instruction, and research methods as those that should take center stage when preparing liaison librarians. These results have the potential to inform various aspects of LIS program curriculum planning and design and provide course-selection guidance for LIS students considering a career in academic libraries.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2024
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1444731
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1444731
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3138/jelis-2023-0022
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 373
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Library Science
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Library Schools
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Information Science Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cooperative Planning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Librarians
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Librarian Teacher Cooperation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Academic Libraries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Curriculum Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Career Readiness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Course Selection (Students)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Instructional Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Canada
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United States
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: 'So, That Would Have Been Useful': Curriculum in LIS in Support of Liaison Librarian Preparation
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mónica Colón-Aguirre
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kawanna Michelle Bright
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 10
              Type: published
              Y: 2024
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0748-5786
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2328-2967
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 65
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Education for Library and Information Science
              Type: main
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