My team journal club discussed the following paper this week

Strategic engagement: New models of relationship management for academic librarians

Jeanette Eldridge , Katie Fraser , Tony Simmonds , Neil Smyth . (2016) New Review of Academic Librarianship.

Very much hot off the press having been published earlier this month!

We had a highly productive discussion reflecting the paper echoing our own ongoing work on development of new models around liaison and engagement.  I found the concept of “bridging conversations” helpful as an alternative way to present what I have always thought of as the translation service I operate between HE and the NHS. The focus on senior academics and professional services colleagues was greater than in our approach and we were left wondering who does carry out the liaison that is no longer covered by the team in the article?

It would be good to have seen more robust research around the extent of engagement roles in Russell Group (and beyond) institutions.  Investigation focused on information from websites when a conversation might have been both more straightforward and useful. We do not use engagement as a term in either our team name or job titles so may have slipped through the net.

The importance of resolving ambiguities within the library about the new model chimed and prompted discussion of how we might need to continue this work locally.  Also interesting was that the model appeared to have been compromised by the subject related needs of some disciplines.  I am very aware of some of the tensions around this in health with specialist knowledge around systematic review valued by those we work with.

There would be definite value in meeting with the team at University of Nottingham to share experience.