Purpose & goals

This study was a follow-up to a qualitative study of faculty members' opinions of subject librarians. The purpose of the study was to determine faculty member’s opinions of the subject librarians they work with. It sought to understand faculty members' opinions on which subject librarian duties and qualifications were most important and if the findings from the qualitative study were generalizable to a larger group of faculty members on campus.

Design & methodology

The primary author developed survey questions by reviewing surveys in the literature. The supervisor of the subject librarians selected the questions that they thought were most important and these questions were refined to focus on issues pertinent to the findings of the qualitative study. Because of campus restrictions, the sampling followed a quasi-experimental design. Subject librarians were asked to provide lists of faculty members they worked with frequently, occasionally, and rarely. These faculty members were asked to take the survey.

The data was analyzed using Excel, Tableau, and SPSS. To determine statistically significant differences between demographic characteristics, an ANOVA was run on the differences between values. In addition to the overall report, each subject librarian was provided with an individualized report with aggregate findings and anonymized comments from their faculty members.

Findings

Faculty members were familiar with subject librarians and happy with their performance. Helping students find resources and maintaining collections were the most important duties to faculty members. Faculty members contacted subject librarians infrequently, even for the duties that they listed as important. There was no high correlation between the importance of subject librarian duties and the frequency with which faculty members contacted subject librarians about these duties.

Faculty members thought that library knowledge, communication skills, and people skills were the most important subject librarian characteristics. University status, library degree, and subject degree were considered less important. Email was the preferred contact method for faculty members. The findings of this study largely mirrored the findings from the qualitative study.

Action & Impact

This study has helped subject librarians know and understand what priorities are most important for faculty members. As a result, they were able to adjust their focus to working with faculty on the things that are most important to them. Also, it has helped settle a debate in the library where some subject librarians thought that a doctorate was an important qualification for a position. This study made it clear that faculty members didn’t care what degree librarians should have. This study will help with future position creation and hiring decisions since it identifies the most important characteristics that subject librarians should have.

Practical Implication & Value

This study helps support and update the ongoing discussion of the opinion of faculty members on subject librarians. It helps subject librarians know that they need to focus more on faculty members' terminology and agenda if they want to be successful at working with them. The survey can be used as a template by other institutions to evaluate their faculty members’ opinions and priorities related to subject librarians. It can also be used to inform position and hiring decisions at other institutions.

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