Connect, build, develop: Forming effective liaison strategies through peer mentoring and partnership

摘要

After years of engaging in academic and library careers that centered on instruction, I became the business and economics liaison at Auburn University during the summer of 2015. It was an unexpected change in focus, and my initial reaction was a feeling of fear: fear that I would be unable to answer detailed reference questions related to companies and finance, fear that my liberal arts background was not adequately corporate minded or professional, and fear that I would be unable to offer helpful information literacy instruction for a subject with which I was only slightly familiar. Unlike many other liaisons who must figure out how to navigate these issues alone, I have been lucky enough to have guidance from an experienced liaison. Bridget Farrell, the current marketing liaison and previous business and economics librarian at Auburn University, has served as a peer mentor as I make the transition from instructor to liaison, and together we developed a plan to help me connect with faculty and students in my subject area, build effectual and productive relationships with them, and develop my own skills and knowledge in this new role.