Study: Academic Librarians and Faculty Need More Collaboration

From the infographic at http://blog.gale.com/bridging-the-libraryfaculty-gap

A new survey by Library Journal and Gale (part of Cengage Learning) has found that librarians and faculty members at colleges and universities need to collaborate more closely to successfully embed libraries into campus culture. The survey of roughly 500 faculty members and 500 librarians revealed the need to communicate better about libraries’ role on campuses. The report is called "Bridging the Librarian-Faculty Gap in the Academic Library."

“The findings support what academic librarians already know anecdotally: Proactively engaging librarians in the work of teaching faculty, including research and curriculum development, is key to a robust working relationship that leads to better outcomes for students,” says Meredith Schwartz, executive editor at Library Journal.

“As more pressure is put on higher education institutions to measure outcomes, there needs to be greater recognition of the value the library brings to the table,” says Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager for Gale.

Roughly one-quarter (27%) of faculty think there is no need for campus librarians and faculty to consult one another. Such statistics point to the need for librarians to do more effective promotion. Feedback and survey comments prove that everyone on campus should gain a better understanding of the library and the value it provides.

See the complete results at www.tinyurl.com/oycvs45, or see highlights in an infographic at www.tinyurl.com/qe8zqhs.

AND GUESS WHAT? There will be a free, 1-hour webcast about this on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Register in advance -- even if you're not free then, you'll get a link to view the archived event.