Subject librarians, also known as specialist librarians or academic liaison librarians
and sometimes bibliographers in US-English
are librarians responsible for a section of a library in regards to a particular academic subject.
They are mainly in
academic libraries
An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...
and specialist libraries (such as
legal libraries
A law library is a specialist library used by law students, lawyers, judges and their legal assistants, and academics in order to research the law or its history. Law libraries can also be used by others who work in local government or leg ...
or
medical libraries
A health or medical library is designed to assist physicians, health professionals, students, patients, consumers, medical researchers, and Informationist, information specialists in finding health and scientific information to improve, update, as ...
), but are also found in large non-academic libraries such as
national or state libraries. In academic libraries, they work together with the
faculty of their specialist subject to ensure the quality of their collection and manage required recommended course readings.
Subject librarianship as a specific role developed in the 1960s, when many academic institutions began to put more funding into their libraries.
Education
Subject librarians need both academic knowledge of their subject as well as skills in
library science
Library and information science (LIS)Library and Information Sciences is the name used in the Dewey Decimal Classification for class 20 from the 18th edition (1971) to the 22nd edition (2003). are two interconnected disciplines that deal with info ...
. While some argue about whether formal education in the specialist subject is necessary, while others believe it is a vital component of a subject librarian's education.
In Australia, most subject librarians have an undergraduate degree in their specialist subject and further education in an accredited library sciences course, such as a
Master of Information Management.
Responsibilities
While subject librarians would generally not work at the enquiry desk, they may answer online queries related to their specialist topic.
Collection management and development
Having knowledge in a subject gives a subject librarian a strong advantage over a general librarian in knowing what resources are advantageous to have for students and researchers. Their responsibilities for sections of the library collection that fall within their topic may include acquiring relevant materials, based on classes if at a university, cataloguing and classification of topics,
and
weeding
Weed control is a type of pest control, which attempts to stop or reduce growth of weeds, especially noxious weeds, with the aim of reducing their competition with desired flora and fauna including domesticated plants and livestock, and in nat ...
out-of-date or unused resources.
Liaison with academic staff
As suggested in the name "academic liaison librarian", subject librarians play an important role in ensuring good communication between the library and the professors in a university. This can include:
* Choosing required/recommended course readings based on what resources the library already has available
* Analysing cost/benefit for acquiring new resources as requested by faculty members, and acquiring said resources if applicable
* Providing online resources for faculty and students
* Encouraging professors to make students aware of the library's resources
* Help students and researchers find resources in specific topics related to their subject
Education
Having knowledge of a subject, the existing classes relating to it, and what information is available through the library allows subject librarians in universities to assist in creating course plans based on what information is available to students.
References
{{Libraries and library science
Library occupations