College and Research Libraries • THOMAS J. MICHALAK Library Services to the Graduate Community: The Role of the Subject Specialist Librarian A program of dynamic, interactive information service in the aca- demic library is facilitated with direct contact between the user and the subject specialist librarian. This librarian can perform a number of important services: establishing contact with user groups; selection of materials and collection development; instruction in library use; provision of current awareness, reference, and bibliographical ser- vices; serving as a library "'ombudsman" for users; and bringing user perspectives to the technical service departments of the library. THE ACADEMIC LmRARY must be a part of an interactive system in which li- brarians assist in the utilization of in- formation resources and information. The library must have a philosophy of service which requires librarians to reach out to individual users or groups of users in order to: ( 1 ) identify their information needs; ( 2) identify the problems they encounter in attempting to fulfill these needs; ( 3) convey and demonstrate the range of services avail- able in the library; and ( 4) bring back to the library an appreciation and un- derstanding of user needs and the meth- Thomas ]. Michalak is chief, Science and Engineering Division, Columbia University Libraries, New York. This article is based on a talk given at the ACRL University Li- braries Section program on library services to the graduate community at the ALA Conference in San Francisco, July 1, 1975. At that time the author held the position of subject specialist for economics and po- litical science, Indiana University Libraries, Bloomington. ods and tools of scholarship and in- struction. How can this kind of philosophy of academic library service be put into ac- tion? One way to develop an interactive, dynamic information service in academ- ic libraries is to provide direct linkages with user groups through subject spe- cialist librarians. In recent years there has been consid- erable interest in subject specialist li- brarians or, as Maurice Line prefers to label them, information officers.1 In 1968, at the ALA Conference in Kansas City, Robert Haro, Helen Tuttle, and Alan Taylor presented divergent views on the role of subject bibliographers in university libraries.2 At the ALA Con- ference in Dallas in 1971, the ACRL Subject Specialists Section sponsored a program on the "'Subject Specialists in Academic Libraries," at which Eldred Smith, Alan Taylor, and Thomas Kirk discussed the place and role of subject specialists in college and university li- braries. We now know that subject spe- / 257 258 I College & Research Libraries • May 1976 cialists "have arrived" insofar as they have become the subject of dissertations and several fellowship grants by the Council on Library Resources. In June 1975 the Council on Library Resources announced an "Advanced Study Pro- gram for Librarians" to further the de- velopment of subject specialists for the nation's research and academic libraries. Increasing numbers of British and American university libraries have adopted the practice of providing link- ages between academic departments and the library through subject specialists, information officers, and liaison librari- ans. What is important is the function, whatever the terminology, and in ,this article the term, librarian, will be used for this kind of librarian. Through the liaison function of this librarian, the needs and problems of library users and the services of the library are brought together. The librarian is assigned ,the responsibility for communications with a specific academic department or group of academic departments. The librari- an has training, usually at the graduate level, in one or more of the disciplines represented by the academic depart- ment( s); is possessed with communica- tion skills; and has the self-confidence so as to contribute to the research and teaching objectives of academic depart- ments. In addition, this librarian has responsibilities such as book selection and collection development, reference services, bibliographical control, instruc- tion in the utilization of library re- sources, the development of current awareness or selective dissemination of information ( SDI) services, and what can be termed an "ombudsman" func- tion.3 Acting in such ra capacity, the librari- an does not wait for the user to come to the library but actively seeks out the user, not only in the library but also in departmental offices or classrooms. The librarian has a threefold responsibility: first, to identify and communicate the needs of the users in the development and implementation of library opera- tions, services, and policies; second, to identify and interpret bibliographical and informational resources to the users; and, third, to interpret library operations, services, and policies to the users. EsTABLISIDNG CoNTACT Since the librarian is responsible for the delivery of certain kinds of academ- ic library services to discrete groups of users, the librarian initiates the contact with the user. Before a new faculty member sets foot on the campus, the li- brarian should have made first contact. Even preferable to this would be the in- clusion of the librarian as part of the interview process for prospective facul- ty members. In any case, contact should be made before the faculty member's arrival in order to get a clear perception of the faculty member's fields of re- search and teaching interests and, more practically speaking, to solicit reserve or reading lists in advance of arrival. When the faculty member arrives, the librarian should call on him or her in order to explain the library's services and the librarian's role in them. Similar practices can be followed with new graduate students. At Indiana University, the graduate students in the Political Science Department have es- tablished a two-day orientation program for new students, and the librarian meets with these students and conducts a facilities tour. A graduate student's lif~ revolves around the academic de- partment. Establishing initial contact with the liaison librarian personalizes the library's services, and the student be- comes aware that there is a librarian connected with the academic depalt- ment to assist at the proper time. BooK SELEcriON AND CoLLECTION DEVELOPMENT A major responsibility frequently as- signed to subject ~pecialists is that of ~ I j • • Library Services: Subject Specialist Librarian f 259 selection and collection development for specific disciplines or academic de- partments. This responsibility involves not only selection of current materials, but also retrospective purchasing; pres- ervation activities; weeding; decisions regarding conversion of materials into other formats such as microfiche, bind- ing, ~and replacement of missing materi- als; and frequently, particularly in the case of librarians with geographical area responsibilities, establishing con- tacts in foreign countries for the pur- poses of exchange and/ or purchasing. The librarian cannot do selection and collection development in isolation. Col- lection development requires the prep- aration of profiles of the institution's curriculum within the scope of the li- brarian's assignment, the identification of areas of overlap among ·disciplines, and the identification of cross-discipli- nary areas in order to establish collec- tion policy in conjunction with the ac- tivities of users and the objectives of the university. Collection development also requires the development of a pro- file of research interests of the faculty and the students, the identification of their subject interests, and the methodo- logical approaches employed. Existing resources and collections of the library and other units within the university, for example, clandestine or fugitive reading rooms and numerous caches of material stashed in the most · unlikely places on the university campus, must be identified, evaluated, and, if possible, brought under bibliographical control in some way. Strengths, weaknesses, and gaps must be identified, and all these factors must be brought together into a coherent collection policy to guide the decisions of librarians and others in the selection and collection development process.4 The librarian must develop sensors as to the needs of users and the goals and objectives of the library's collec- tions. In developing selection and collec- tion criteria and priorities, the librarian consults with members of the faculty and the chairperson of the academic de- partment to get an idea of current teaching and research and future direc- tions of the department; examines dis- sertations produced by students in the department; examines circulation and reserve lists; reviews the collections; and, in short, seeks any means which will give some insight into the curricular or re- search interests or activities of the li- brarian's publics. In addition, newsletters and journals are primary sources for the identifica- tion of relevant material and, more im- portantly, for keeping abreast of chan- ges and new directions within the field and the development of subfields within disciplines. The librarian in this active role develops the kinds of sensors which ultimately contribute to the satisfaction of the needs of the clientele. Through liaison and interaction with users, the librarian is aided in establishing appro- priate collection policies and priorities. INSTRUCTION The subject specialist librarian can play a vital role in the instruction of all levels of users-faculty, graduate stu- dents, and undergraduate students. In- struction should be interpreted to mean teaching or guiding users in utilizing or obtaining a wide range of materials needed for instruction and research. · Arranging a presentation on the So- cial Sciences Citation Index, explaining the use of a new reference tool to an individual user, bringing a recent acqui- sition to the attention of a student, helping a user become aware of the ex- tension of the library's resources through the Center for Research Li- braries or other cooperative programs are a few examples of instructional ac- tivities which are part of the daily rou- tines of librarians. Instruction can also be more formal- ized. The development of credit or non- 260 I College & Research Libraries • May 1976 credit courses in many libraries is both a response to expressed user needs and an anticipation of the needs of stu- dents. Through instructional activities, the librarian develops additional in- sights into the problems of users and their information needs, insights into how people go about their work, and useful feedback on whether the library is meeting information needs, particu- larly in ways which are not frustrating to the user. Formal instruction can be effective in bringing to the student a wide range of resource materials, meth- ods of access to resources, the intricacies of access tools, and the mysteries inher- ent, so it seems, in the delivery of li- brary services. Librarians can best perform the in- structional function in coordination with academic departments by the de- velopment of formal courses of instruc- tion in the bibliographical and research resources of a specific discipline. Ideal- ly, these courses will be for credit in the student's major department, particularly as the department then views the train- ing in bibliographical and research re- sources as part of the methodological training of graduate students. This af- fects the seriousness with which stu- dents will approach the subject matter. At Indiana University, for example, there are formal courses offered in chemical literature, art history, political science, Latin American studies, Slavic studies, and African studies. The latter course is a required course for all stu- dents in the African Studies Program while the other courses are optional. The range of courses which are possible includes all disciplines, providing the talents of librarians and the support of academic departments are present. Such instruction need not be limited to grad- uate students, but can include under- graduate majors as well. Other forms of instruction may in- clude developing specific lectures or pre- sentations to meet information needs in specific courses, for example, United Nations documentation, legislative trac- ing, census data, ninetee~th century English literature, and folklore. The stimulus for this form of instruction can come either from the librarian or from the faculty member or teaching assistant. A certain diffusion of innova- tions takes place, and the successful li- brarian may be called upon by faculty members to quickly expand the reper- toire of library or bibliographical re- search lectures. CURRENT A w ABENESS SERVICES An important service which librarians can render to faculty and graduate stu- dents is the development of current awareness or selective dissemination of information ( SDI) services. Through collection development, the librarian is in an enviable position of being able to "keep up" on the literature. The librari- an can thus assist users in the arduous task of "awareness." This service can, of course, take many forms, ranging from highly sophisticated systems utiliz- ing MARC tapes or other machine-read- able records, to the very simple and in- expensive mimeographed acquisitions lists depending on the availability of systems, dollars, and time. The system developed to serve users in the departments of economics and political science at Indiana University is at the simple and inexpensive end of the spectrum. Once a month a list of re- cent acquisitions is published in each subject. These lists are selected and com- piled from catalog and other records and are typed in the librarian's office. Copies are reproduced in departmental offices and distributed to faculty mem- bers and interested graduate students. Copies are also made available in the li- brary to anyone interested, and a limit- ed mailing list consisting primarily of ex -students and faculty mem hers is maintained. In order to assist faculty members in • • Library Services: Subfect Specialist Librarian I 261 keeping abreast of periodical literature, each faculty member may submit a list of up to fifteen journals for which he or she wishes to receive the contents pages as journals are published. As the library receives the journals, title pages are photocopied and distributed. In 197 4-75, approximately 2,800 title pages were distributed to participating faculty members in the departments of econom- ics and political science. In addition to these modest methods of current awareness, delivery services for books and periodical articles have been provided to faculty members in economics and political science since the fall of 1972. A faculty member ei- ther sends to the librarian a request slip or leaves it in the departmental office where a student will pick it up and bring it to the library for processing. These requests are processed by the sub- ject specialist's staff, and the book or photocopy of journal article is deliv- ered to faculty mail boxes in the de- partmental offices. Delivery is usually made within two or three days of re- ceipt. If the material is not immediately available, the request is put in a queue, and as soon as the material becomes available, the material is dispatched. Hence faculty members have come to realize that, once an item is requested, they will receive it in due course. The cost of this service is modest. Clerical costs for retrieval and delivery average 51 cents per transaction. The photocopy charge averages 38 cents per article. This latter figure, however, does not include personnel costs in photocopying, but only machine costs. The photocopy charges are paid from book funds. The service has proved so beneficial to the Political Science Department, that the department supplied $1,000 to cover part of the clerical costs, which are about $1,700 a year. The service is justi- fied in terms of user satisfaction, and, more importantly, in terms of the eco- nomics of the faculty member's time.- The development of machine-read- able data bases opens up a whole new area for interaction between librarian and user. The complexity of data bases and the fact that few individuals can master more than several indicates that utilization of these new resources may require the mediation of a librarian. Where subject specialists or informa- tion officers exist, no doubt the responsi- bility will be seized by them. As Mau- rice Line has stated: "The increasing complexity of information systems means that all but the most persistent and sophisticated user will at times, and probably increasingly, find difficulty in using them effectively, or at all."5 The librarian will have to become fa- miliar with relevant data bases in the area of specialization in order to assist faculty and students in the choice of data bases and the construction of searches. In marketing the availability of such data base packages offered by Lockheed and Systems Development Corporation, the academic library can utilize the existing contacts with aca- demic departments already available in subject specialist librarians. After all, computerized data bases are merely an- other tool in the arsenal of available in- formation resources, and it is the li- brarian's responsibility to bring the tool and the user together. REFERENCE AND BmLIOGRAPmCAL SERVICES Another important function that li- brarians perform is to provide refer- ence and bibliographical services to fac- ulty members and graduate students. Without getting into a discussion of the most appropriate place for subject li- brarians in the library organization, i.e., reference, acquisitions, or independent, one may simply state that they have an obligation and responsibility to provide reference services to members of the faculty and the students in the depart- ments which they serve and, further- 262 I College & Research Libraries • May 1976 more, to anyone who has a problem in the area in which they specialize. One distinction between subject specialists or information officers and bibliographers is that the former have a responsibility to share their knowledge and experience with others through reference, biblio- graphical, and other services. The accumulation of experience and knowledge of materials and resources in a discipline are considerable assets in any academic department and must be made available to faculty and students, not in a passive role, but in an active one in which reference and bibliograph- ical services are made available conve- niently to users. This may mean that the librarians may have to be available at the times their prospective clientele use the library rather than at hours of their own choosing. In this regard, the place- ment of the subject specialist librarians in the service, or traffic, pattern of the library can be significant. If the library is mer- chandising its services, then it is impera- tive that the subject specialist librarians be located where the user can readily identify their existence and their ser- vices. The librarian as subject specialist has a command of the available informa- tion resources within the university and beyond the community as well. In this capacity, the librarian does not merely work with the user in the identification of single resources, but helps the user identify the infrastructure of informa- tion relevant to a specific research proj- ect-bibliographical, data, and other re- sources. In assisting graduate students, the librarian can make a significant con- tribution in the development of appro- priate topics for dissertation research, and it may be appropriate for the li- brarian to serve on a graduate student's research committee. The librarian as a bibliographical and research resource is available not only to students, but also to members of the faculty. The librarian can become an important part of a research team by the identification of appropriate materi- als and sources for faculty research. In practice, few librarians have the time, given their other responsibilities, to stimulate faculty members to seek their active participation in research projects, and perhaps it is unrealistic to expect a great deal of activity in this area. But, nonetheless, the librarian should consider the extension of library ser- vices in this area and should attempt to make the library's services known, even if it is no more than the provision of delivery services for books and periodi- cal articles. However, the liaison of li- brarians with faculty research projects can have a payoff in the provision of ad- ditional resources through research grants. The librarian as part of the re- search team can be a valuable asset in the conduct of research, and benefits from such a liaison can accrue to both parties. OMBUDSMAN In conveying services to faculty mem- bers and graduate students, the librarian has the responsibility to interpret li- brary operations, policies, and services to the users. The liaison role will often develop into a sort of library "ombuds- man" function for members of the aca- demic departments. Bibliographical, re- search, and service problems which users encounter will often be brought to the liaison librarian. The librarian must ex- ercise discretion and tact so as not to make unreasonable demands or create undue strains on colleagues. But the li- brarian should do all that is possible to mediate a user problem in attempting to meet critical information needs of the library's clientele. As users experience a receptivity and sympathy for their very real and person- al information problems, the "ombuds- man" role adds a significant dimension to the quality and personality of the li- brary's services. On the other hand, users • • Library Services: Subject Specialist Librarian I 263 must come to a better understanding of the library's problems, objectives, and priorities. The liaison librarian is in a good position to assist in educating the library's users in this regard. A librarian who has the confidence and respect of users can be persuasive in explaining the rationale behind a library policy. These librarians can make an important contribution in conveying to library users the nature of cooperative arrange- ments which are becoming increasingly important even in the largest and rich- est libraries. The faculty and students need to be informed of the existence and resources of such cooperative en- terprises as the Center for Research Li- braries. When a library enters into coop- erative arrangements, the subject spe- cialist librarians can be responsible for supporting these efforts and conveying their importance, use, and means of ac- cess to their academic departments. Another example of this "ombuds- man" activity is the assistance in the re- trieval of materials from the technical processes pipeline. Graduate students often have need of the latest materials in their field, usually stemming from a professor's recommendation, particular- ly around the time for comprehensive examinations; or they may be attempt- ing to "one up" their professor. While libraries usually make materials avail- able on a "rush" basis, obstacles to their retrieval often present themselves to the requesting user; this leads to much grumbling and complaining on both sides. The subject specialist librarian should know the "ins and outs" of the technical departments and can be of great assistance in retrieving needed items. Furthermore, these user contacts are . important sources of feedback about the materials students are using and demanding. By this "ombudsman" function the librarian can be attuned to the problems which users encounter and can convey the nature of these problems to others in the organization in a manner which is collegially supportive of the library's efforts to enhance and increase user sat- isfaction and, consequently, the sense of professional pride and accomplish- ment on the part of each member of the library staff. The liaison librarian should, of course, also report back to members of the library staff instances and expressions of user satisfaction and appreciation. BIBLIOGRAPIDCAL CONTROL AND OTHER TECHNICAL PRocEssEs Within the area of bibliographical control and other technical processes, the liaison librarian can play an impor- tant role in interpreting the needs of li- brary users. It may be unrealistic to ex- pect librarians acting in this capacity to undertake cataloging assignments, given the constraints of their other responsi- bilities. Nevertheless, the subject spe- cialist librarian has the responsibility to work with the technical and support group in bringing user experiences and user perspectives into the technical de- partments. Bibliographical control is an area where extensive cooperation be- tween the subject specialist librarian and the catalog librarian can be devel- oped into a relationship which is mutu- ally beneficial. The subject specialist can convey bits of information regarding the subject matter of the discipline, changes in emphasis, user problems, and cataloging priorities in light of immedi- ate informational needs, to cite just a few examples. The cataloger, on the other hand, can bring to the subject specialist's attention changes in subject headings, cataloging rules, departmental procedures, and gaps in the collection, as well as errors which may occur in the selection process, particularly regarding sets and translations. A specific example in the area of cata- loging can best illustrate the develop- ment of collegial cooperation. Indiana University has an active student Pub- 264 I College & Research Libraries • May 1976 lie Interest Research Group, called InPIRG. Students in this group com- plained that they could not find some "Nader" reports in the card catalog. This complaint was reinforced by the faculty sponsor of InPIRG. A bibliog- raphy was prepared of all the works that could be identified as being, in any way, connected with Ralph Nader or his organizations. The problem was brought to the economics and political science cataloger. The cataloger was sympa- thetic to the students' problem and pro- posed that, using the bibliography, ap- propriate added entries be made for all those publications which did not have Nader, Ralph as a main or added entry. Each time a new .. Nader" item is select- ed, it is flagged; and, when necessary, the cataloger makes the appropriate added entry. Examples of this kind of coopera- tion, particularly in the area of acquisi- tions and serials as well as bibliographic control, are legion. The point to empha- size is that cooperation and liaison must be internal as well as external. In the development of interactive library ser- vices the librarian with liaison or com- munication responsibilities, works col- legially, not only with users, but also with members of the library staff. The perspectives and contributions of col- leagues with the library's technical de- parbnents are vital to the delivery of in- teractive library services. CoNCLUSION Through the development of linkages between academic deparbnents and the library, the faculty and the students view the library as an organization which is making significant contribu- tions to the missions of instruction and scholarship. The administration of the university learns more about the effec- tiveness with which the library operates and the level of satisfaction the users experience from faculty and students than through arguments and elaborate presentations by the library administra- tion. Where interactive and responsive services exist, the library is likely to fare reasonably well in periods of austerity. In an era of budgetary stagnation and retrenchment, subject specialist li- brarians should be able to make addi- tional contributions. They can convey their perceptions of the needs of the li- brary's publics in the reevaluation of library services and operations. They can contribute the user's view as to the effectiveness and need for certain ser- vices. Second, they are in an ideal situa- tion to evaluate honestly and refine the priorities of their collections and make whatever adjusbnents the fiscal situation warrants, not arbitrarily, but in view of the curricular and research needs of the academic deparbnents and the daily in- formational needs of their publics. Last, these librarians can make an addi- tional contribution by interpreting li- brary policies regarding collection devel- opment and library cooperation and sharing to users. Because of their regu- lar user contacts, it should be their re- sponsibility to communicate the impor- tance of these programs and how they can be used to advantage. REFERENCES 1. Maurice Line, "The Case for Information Officers," in John Lubans, ed., Educating the Library User (New York: Bowker, 1974), p.383--91. 2. Robert P. Haro, "The Bibliographer in the Academic Library," Library Resources & Technical Services 13:163-69 (Spring 1969); and Helen Welch Tuttle, "An Ac- quisitionist Looks at Mr. Haro's Bibliogra- pher," Library Resources & Technical Ser- vices 13: 17(}-7 4 (Spring 1969). 3. The following are relevant articles on sub- ject specialists in academic libraries: Cecil K. Byrd, "Subject Specialist in a University Library," College & Research Libraries 27: 191-93 (May 1966), describes the program established at Indiana University; Kenneth Humphreys, "The Subject Specialist in Na- tional and University Libraries," Libri 13: 29-41 (1967); A. Holbrook, "The Subject Specialist in Polytechnic Libraries," New Li- Library Services: Subject Specialist Librarian I 265 brary World 73:393-96 (1972); W. L. Guttsman, "Subject Specialisation in Aca- demic Libraries: Some Preliminary Observa- tions on Role Conflict and Organizational Stress," Journal of Librarianship 5:1-8 (Jan. 1973), describes many of the organizational problems arising from the establishment of subject specialists; Ann Coppin, "The Sub- ject Specialist on the Academic Library Staff," Libri 24:122-28 (1974), provides a brief survey of the literature on subject spe- cialists; Charles A. Crossley, "The Subject Specialist Librarian in an Academic Library: His Role and Place," Aslib Proceedings 26: 236-49 (June 1964), provides· an excellent list of objectives for subject specialists; Selby U. Gration and Arthur P. Young, "Refer- ence-Bibliographers in the College Library," College & Research Libraries 35:28-34 (Jan. 1974); Eldred Smith, "The Impact of the Subject Specialist Librarian on the Organi- zation and Structure of the Academic Re- search Library," in Evan Ira Farber and Ruth Walling, eds., The Academic Library; Essays in Honor of Guy R. Lyle ( Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1974), p.71-81, summarizes the results of a survey conducted while Mr. Smith was a CLR fellow; Peter Woodhead, "Subject Specialisation in Three British Uni- versity Libraries," Libri 24:30-60 (1974), describes the arrangement at the University College, London; University of Leeds; and the University of Bradford. 4. For a good survey of the collection develop- ment role see J. Periam Danton, "The Sub- ject Specialist in National and University Libraries, with Special Reference to Book Selection," Libri 17:42-58 (1967). 5. Line, "The Case for Information Officers," p.386.