Patron and Librarian Perspectives of a Long-standing Health Science Liaison Librarian Program

Objectives: The Health Science Center Library (HSCL) at the University of Florida has operated a liaison program since 1998, with each health-related college or department assigned a liaison librarian as their primary point of contact for library and information services. An extensive assessment of this service model took place in 2003; the current study provides an update to this previous work, using similar data collection tools. This is part of ongoing efforts to periodically request input from faculty, students, and staff about their information needs and whether library services are meeting them. Such input is used to improve library services and the user experience.

Methods: A team of librarians updated the two surveys from the 2003 assessment: one for the faculty, students, and staff the HSCL serves (patron survey) and one for HSCL liaison librarians (librarian survey). The patron survey consisted of 13 questions about participants’ experiences and preferences related to liaison services and 6 demographic questions. The librarian survey consisted of 20 questions about experiences offering liaison services and needed supports from library administration. A number of questions appeared on both surveys, allowing comparison of patron and librarian perceptions of the same issue. Both surveys were approved as exempt by the IRB02 (Behavioral/Non-medical Institutional Review Board) and distributed via email by librarians posting to departmental and college email lists, links on the library website and Facebook page, and email distribution by trusted administrators (e.g., Associate Deans for Education). At MLA’s annual conference in 2022, we highlighted results from the survey of liaison librarians. This presentation will concentrate on results from the patron survey, as well as comparisons of patron and librarian perceptions.

Results: Data from the patron survey indicates that while the majority of patrons are aware of the liaison librarian program, there is a significant number who are not aware of the service, or do not understand how liaison librarians can support their information needs. Patrons find a number of liaison services very useful, especially assistance with database searches, help using electronic resources, and support for systematic reviews.

Conclusions: The team expects that survey responses will yield valuable insights into how effectively our liaison librarian services meet the needs of our patrons, from the perspectives of those patrons and the liaison librarians themselves. Results will guide any future changes to liaison librarian services at our institution.