Seeing the Big Picture: Sustaining Success in Liaison Services

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Librarianship
• Information Science
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences has had a liaison program for over 15 years.
• A comprehensive evaluation of this long-standing program has not yet been conducted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the scope and impact of the health sciences library liaison program.
• To assess user engagement and perceptions of the liaison services.

Main Methods:

• Collected descriptive statistics on liaison activities from fiscal years 2012-2016.
• Conducted surveys with both liaisons and users to gather qualitative data on program effectiveness and perceptions.

Main Results:

• Quantitative data indicates high and increasing user engagement with library liaisons.
• Qualitative feedback highlights user appreciation for liaisons supporting educational and research missions.
• Identified a need for improved methods to assess the full impact of the liaison program.

Conclusions:

• The liaison program demonstrates significant user engagement and is valued by the health sciences community.
• Further development of assessment strategies is recommended to fully capture program impact.
• Liaisons play a crucial role in supporting the library's educational and research support functions.