Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Faculty Librarian

🎯 Role Definition

As a Faculty Librarian, you are the crucial bridge between the university's vast information resources and the academic community. You will serve as a dedicated liaison to specific faculties, proactively engaging with faculty, students, and researchers to integrate information literacy into the curriculum and support their scholarly pursuits. This is not just a support role; you are an active partner in the educational and research mission of the institution, shaping how knowledge is discovered, used, and created. You will champion intellectual inquiry and empower users to become critical, effective, and ethical consumers and creators of information.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Library Assistant / Paraprofessional
Library Graduate Assistant / Intern
Recent MLIS/MLS Graduate

Advancement To:

Senior Faculty Librarian / Department Head
Associate Dean of Libraries
Director of Public or Research Services

Lateral Moves:

Digital Scholarship Librarian
Data Services Librarian
Instructional Design Librarian

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Serve as the primary library liaison and subject specialist for designated academic departments, fostering strong, collaborative relationships with faculty, students, and staff.
Design, deliver, and assess engaging information literacy instruction sessions, workshops, and for-credit courses, both in-person and online, tailored to specific course and assignment needs.
Provide expert, in-depth research consultations for students, faculty, and visiting scholars at all stages of the research lifecycle, from topic exploration to publication.
Develop and curate the library's collections in assigned subject areas, including monographs, journals, databases, and other scholarly formats, ensuring alignment with the curriculum and research needs.
Create and maintain dynamic online research guides, tutorials, and other digital learning objects to provide asynchronous, point-of-need support to the university community.
Proactively promote library resources, services, and programs to assigned departments through targeted outreach, departmental meetings, newsletters, and orientation events.
Advise faculty and graduate students on scholarly communication issues, including author rights, copyright, open access publishing, and the use of the institutional repository.
Partner with faculty to integrate library resources and information literacy concepts directly into the learning management system (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard).
Conduct comprehensive reference services via multiple modalities, including in-person, chat, email, and phone, to assist the broader university community with their information needs.
Lead and participate in the assessment of library instruction, collections, and liaison activities to demonstrate impact and inform continuous service improvement.
Maintain a high level of professional awareness regarding new technologies, research trends, and pedagogical methods relevant to academic librarianship and assigned subject areas.
Support advanced research methodologies, such as systematic reviews, by providing specialized consultations on search strategy development and documentation.
Contribute to library-wide strategic planning, policy development, and the implementation of new initiatives aimed at enhancing the user experience.
Actively participate in the professional and scholarly life of the library and the university by serving on library and campus-wide committees and task forces.
Manage and allocate collection development funds for assigned subject areas, making data-informed decisions to ensure responsible stewardship of the library budget.

Secondary Functions

Contribute to the development and maintenance of the library's web presence and social media outreach efforts.
Provide guidance to researchers on creating data management plans (DMPs) in compliance with funder requirements.
Collaborate with the technical services department on cataloging, processing, and access issues for materials in assigned subject areas.
Participate in library-wide projects, which may include digital humanities initiatives, repository development, or space planning.
May supervise, train, and mentor student employees, library interns, or graduate assistants.
Engage in professional development activities, such as attending conferences, publishing research, and presenting on topics related to academic librarianship.
Assist with interlibrary loan and document delivery inquiries, particularly for complex or hard-to-find research materials.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Information Literacy Instruction: Demonstrated ability to teach research concepts and skills effectively to diverse audiences in various formats.
Collection Development: Knowledge of principles and practices for selecting, acquiring, and managing academic library collections in all formats.
Research Database Proficiency: Expertise in searching major interdisciplinary and subject-specific databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, ProQuest).
Scholarly Communication Knowledge: Understanding of current issues and trends in scholarly publishing, including open access, copyright, and institutional repositories.
Reference Services: Proficiency in conducting reference interviews and utilizing a wide range of information sources to answer user queries.
Learning Technologies: Familiarity with Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas and library content creation tools like LibGuides.
Citation Management: Competency with citation management software such as Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote.

Soft Skills

Communication: Exceptional oral, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly to various audiences.
Collaboration & Teamwork: A strong collaborative spirit and ability to work effectively with library colleagues, faculty, and students to achieve common goals.
Initiative & Self-Direction: Proven ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
User-Centered Focus: A deep commitment to providing outstanding service and supporting student and faculty success.
Adaptability: Flexibility and eagerness to learn new technologies, methodologies, and adapt to the changing landscape of higher education and libraries.
Interpersonal Skills: Excellent ability to build rapport and establish strong working relationships with a diverse population of stakeholders.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

A Master's degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS, MLS) or equivalent from an American Library Association (ALA) accredited program.

Preferred Education:

An additional graduate degree or significant coursework in a subject area relevant to faculty liaison responsibilities.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Library & Information Science
Education / Instructional Design
Any academic discipline relevant to the institution's programs (e.g., Humanities, Social Sciences, STEM)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1-3 years of relevant experience in an academic library setting, including instruction and reference work.

Preferred: 3+ years of professional experience providing instruction and in-depth research support in an academic or research library. Demonstrated success in a formal liaison role, including outreach and collection development responsibilities.