Theme: Outreach

The role of liaison librarian is common in UK academic libraries and is changing with shifts in digital technologies and universities’ research agendas. What are the key practices of academic liaison librarianship? Do we embody them at Cambridge? What challenges do we face and how can we improve and overcome them?

In this class, we will explore the nature of academic liaison librarianship through discussion and small-group activities. By the end of the class, you will have an understanding of the practices associated with being a liaison and key areas or services you would like to improve.

The following short articles give different perspectives on academic liaison librarianship. Please read them before the class so that we have a base of shared knowledge to build our discussion on.

Crawford, A. (2009). Academic liaison librarians-where do we stand? SCONUL Focus (45).

Parsons, A. (2010). Academic liaison librarianship: Curatorial pedagogy or pedagogical curation?

Woods, L., & Dunn P. (2016). Relationship management as a tool for engaging with the academic community. SCONUL Focus (67).

Most institutions are now using Instagram as way to connect to their readers. However, keeping your feed full of exciting content can be difficult. Luckily, we have a brand new class to help manage your Institution's page. Barney Brown from the University's central Communications Office and Naomi Polonsky of the New Hall Art Collection at Murray Edwards have kindly offered to host a workshop demonstrating how effective Instagram can be as a social platform. As well as talking about the basics they will be delving into why we use Instagram, what makes Instagram a good platform to connect with readers, what tips and tricks they have to maintain a healthy feed, what mistakes they have made and what to avoid as well as deciding on an institution style.

Do you use Instagram for your Library but would like some pointers how to make your posts more creative? This is the masterclass for you. With the help of the Digital Content Unit, you will learn how to construct photographs and videos that grab readers' attention, and to utilise Instagram tools to give you the best results. Please make sure you have an Instagram account set up and remember to bring your phones! We look forward to seeing you there.

Making LibGuides which are usable, accessible and look great is not always an easy task, but it definitely can be done! This introductory training will cover everything from the basics – how to add text and images, edit and rearrange content – to presenting content in an effective, usable and attractive way. We’ll also discuss how you can ensure that your LibGuides meet accessibility standards.

This course is particularly aimed at people who are new to LibGuides editing or any current editors who feel that they would benefit from a refresher. If you don’t have a LibGuides account, or access to a LibGuide to work on during the session, please contact the course leader (hem37) in advance so that an account and a training guide can be arranged for you.

• Are you completely new to Twitter and struggling to start? Or are you already on Twitter but know you could be making better use of it to promote yourself and your library? Join Librarians In Training for an interactive workshop aimed at helping librarians to make the most of their time online.

• This interactive session will give you the chance to enhance your Twitter skills. For those new to the platform there will be guidance on what Twitter can be used for and how to get started whilst those already using Twitter will benefit from learning how to engage library users, promote their service and enhance their own professional network.

• The session will include both advice and practical exercises so you can put your new knowledge to the test.