Subject librarian definition and duties: Connecting the library and the university

This article reports on a qualitative case study of subject librarians at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Subject librarians considered their main purpose to be connecting the people at the university with library resources. People skills are a key to being successful in their...

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Published inThe Journal of academic librarianship Vol. 50; no. 3; p. 102867
Main Authors Wilson, Duane E., Campbell, Kendall, Beals, Isabella
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Inc 01.05.2024
Subjects
Academic librarians
Academic librarianship
Academic libraries
Subject librarians
Subject librarians
Academic librarians
Academic libraries
Academic librarianship
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Summary:This article reports on a qualitative case study of subject librarians at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library Subject librarians considered their main purpose to be connecting the people at the university with library resources. People skills are a key to being successful in their positions. Their duties of collection development, reference, instruction, liaison, citizenship, professional development, and scholarship are interrelated and work together in important ways. Subject librarians are satisfied with their jobs and corresponding autonomy. They are concerned about librarian stereotypes and want to overcome the ignorance about their positions. They agree that subject knowledge is important but do not agree on a formal degree standard. This study could be used to help develop and improve SL programs. It could inform hiring decisions and improve the practices of current subject librarians by focusing on the key skills of working with others and subject knowledge.
ISSN:0099-1333
DOI:10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102867