Conference on Academic Library Management 2026

In this prolonged period of disruption for libraries, old ways of working just aren’t cutting it. At our R1 university library, we had long supported researchers and students using a liaison model, with librarians providing instruction, reference, collection development, and outreach to their assigned college unit. Liaisons were organizationally situated in disciplinary departments with some shared work, but largely liaisons managed and went about their work independently. This approach gave liaisons autonomy, deepened their relationships on campus, and amplified their unique expertise. However, it also came with unequal workloads, isolation, and a scramble when there was staff turnover. Leaner budgets and a bumpy environment for higher education exacerbated these downsides to our existing model. To address these challenges, our library embarked this past year on a significant reevaluation of our liaison model. We wanted to build in greater sustainability, workload equity, and more opportunities for collaboration. We also rejected the model of 'doing more with less'.

The three presenters of this session, department directors overseeing liaison work, led a project to study our current liaison model and propose new ways of working. Our session will share our process, including (1) our initial project brief, (2) how we structured our work, (3) key findings, (4) our recommendations, and (5) our implementation plan. Throughout, we’ll address how we adopted change management principles to earn trust and support from the liaisons most affected. Attendees will come away with ideas for how to ask similar questions and address challenges at their own libraries.