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FAQ for Departmental Library Liaisons

Now that I’m the Library Liaison. . .

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?

. . .and other Frequently Asked Questions about the role of
the Departmental Library Liaison . . . with ANSWERS!

What do I have to do? 
Four things, mainly:
        1.  Coordinate book ordering for your department and approve all order requests.
        2.  Monitor the status of the department’s book budget allocation.
        3.  Route some items sent to you monthly among your department colleagues.
        4.  Communicate with library staff about any departmental concerns regarding library resources or services.

How do I “coordinate” book ordering? 
Any way you choose, but the bottom line is this:   You must approve all orders that are to be charged against your departmental allocation.  “Approve” doesn’t imply you must second-guess your colleagues’ judgments.  But you do need to ensure there’s a reasonable balance in acquisitions among department faculty and/or subject areas, or that ordering is in line with any priorities or guidelines adopted by the department.

How do I approve book requests? 
By signing your name in the “Approved By” space on the request card (see example below).  All book requests must be submitted on these cards – whether you fill them out yourself, ask your colleagues to use them to submit their requests to you, or have someone else fill them out.

Should we also allocate funds within the department?  If so, how? 
This is entirely up to each department.  Some allocate internally, others don’t.  If there is any question about how your department wants to handle it, please raise it at a department meeting.  Remember, yours is the key role in ensuring equitable access to available funds as well as sound and balanced development of the collections that serve your discipline.

Can we order books year-round? 
Yes and no.  Each year, we announce two deadlines.  The first is an intermediate deadline usually in mid-January: by this date half of your allocation must be committed.  (Any unspent portion of the first half reverts to library general funds.)  Then there is a final deadline, usually around Spring Break, by which all additional orders against the current year’s allocation must be in. You can, however,continue to submit requests after the final deadline.  We’ll accumulate them and start ordering again after July 1, charging them to the new fiscal year allocation.

Must expensive reference sets or other unusually expensive acquisitions be purchased from our allocation?
Not usually.  Most reference works, and especially pricey sets, are purchased against general funds.  If there’s an expensive work or set you believe the library should own but that would devour an excessive share of your allocation, contact the library’s staff coordinator for your discipline and ask to have it considered for purchase against general funds.  Although we can’t always accommodate such requests or recommendations, we will do our best.
 
May library staff order against our allocation to buy books without my approval?
In principle, yes.  In practice, almost never.   When library faculty select books in your subject area for acquistion, we ordinarily use the general library budget, not your allocation.  We may also send you suggestions or recommendations occasionally for ordering against your allocation., but those are entirely subject to your decision and approval.  Since your allocation comes from the library budget, we do reserve – but seldom exercise – the ultimate right to circumvent normal approval procedure (e.g., if there’s an urgent need and you’re not available).

Can we order new journals, other serials, or online resources against our allocation? 
No.  Since subscriptions, standing orders, and licenses to online resources involve a continuing budget commitment, they require special approval and are charged to separate accounts.  For journals, don’t use book order cards; obtain a Serials Request Form from Debi Kaufman (ext. 4485) or the Library Program Coordinator, Deb Fry (ext. 3207).  For online resources, address requests via email, note, or phone to Hans Bynagle, Library Director (see below).

Can we order videos, DVD’s, or other audiovisual or digital media against our allocation?
Generally not, but there are exceptions.  The library has a separate budget line for AV and digital media.  This budget line is administered for us by Judy Dehle, Manager of Instructional Technology & Media Services.  You can send requests either to Judy (MS #0904) or to Debi Kaufman, our Acquisitions Specialist.  If your request can’t be accommodated from this budget line, your book budget allocation may be used as a “back-up” provided you feel the AV or digital material is a higher priority than library books.  If that’s the situation, contact Hans Bynagle.

How do I monitor the status of our account? 
Periodically, you will receive a status report on your allocation account.  This will show:

- the Allocation (your budget amount for the year)
- the amounts either Expended or Committed (for books ordered but not yet received) to date.
- the current Free Balance (funds remaining for additional orders)

What are those “items” I am to route to my colleagues? 
At this time, the only items we are routing regularly are pertinent subject sections(s) from the monthly journal Choice: Current Reviews for College Libraries.   Formerly, we also routed lists of new library acquisitions, but that’s currently suspended and is under review.

For any item to be routed, we attach a routing slip.  The routing cycle begins and ends with you, so you can make sure it makes its way around.  Contact Deb Fry, ext. 3207 if the routing list needs revision.

What if I have other questions? 
Please contact Hans Bynagle, Library Director, ext. 4482 or hbynagle@whitworth.edu.

Thanks for taking on this important assignment!

Revised 8/28/07