What Exactly does a librarian do?

		Academic librarians at Harper College are exposed to the entire curriculum, from philosophy to fire science, hospitality to anthropology, pharmacology to fashion design. Students and community members ask us to research everything from Assyrian kings to alternative energy resources and we do it! Working with students and the public on a daily basis allows us build a strong collection that meets the needs of the Harper community.

		photo: Dr. William Pankey, Harper College Librarian

I am often asked, "What does a librarian do?"
It is my pleasure to share with you the following responsibilities. Librarians at Harper College:

Assist students with research. We answer students' questions, and teach them how to use electronic and print resources to research effectively. The majority of the questions asked by students relate to coursework. However, students also use the Harper College Library as they would use a public library; they ask general interest questions related to health and medicine for example, or ask about the latest bestseller or perhaps dog training. We also assist community members in their information pursuits. Questions from the general public are also varied; such as, "What perennial plants are native to Illinois?" or "What support groups are are available for parents of disabled adults?" Phone us or email your questions! Read more about Library Reference Services.
Teach research instruction sessions. Librarians at Harper College demonstrate, in hands-on sessions, how to search databases, use print resources, access resources from off-campus and submit online Interlibrary loan and consortium requests. We instruct for all kinds of classes, from ESL to Fire Science, Botany to Shakespeare studies. We customize the instruction based on faculty needs, audience skill level and the assignment. Often instructors tell us that they have also "learned something new" from these sessions. Read more about our Library Instruction Program.
Purchase and deselect. Librarians are responsible for the collection, the physical items on the shelves. Contrary to popular belief, a library does not run itself. J There is a lot of manpower and time invested in maintaining and strengthening a library collection. At the university level, librarians are subject bibliographers--experts in one or two fields, purchasing for a small breadth but large depth. At Harper, each librarian is expected to purchase in several disciplines, large breadth at a smaller depth, to support the community college mission. Purchasing involves reading hundreds of reviews annually for books, DVDs, streaming video, CD-ROMs, and periodicals. We also remove or deselect items that are no longer valuable to the collection, either from age, condition, relevancy or use. Learn more about the Library Collection process.
Library Liaisons. Each librarian is assigned to a College Division: Adult Education/Language Studies, Business and Social Science, Heath Careers/Public Safety, Liberal Arts, Student Development, and Technology Math and Science. Working with the teaching faculty firsthand is very rewarding. We correspond with faculty regarding new and existing library services, but more importantly perhaps, is getting their assistance and input regarding library purchases. The College faculty have been very receptive to this work, each year they send in hundreds of orders. This input is vital to the collection's strength and relevance. Read more about the Faculty Liaison Program.
Manage electronic resources. It is the primary responsibility of the Coordinator of Library Technologies Librarian to develop and maintain the library website; acquire new databases and explore new technology--but each librarian provides input as needed. See Library Technologies.
Administer accounts for materials ordering and receiving. It is the primary responsibility of the Technical Services librarian to manage the budget and supervise the staff that orders, invoices and processes materials. Read more about the Library's Technical Services department.
Manage material lending. It is the primary responsibility of the Coordinator of User Services to manage the borrowing of, and access to, library materials and reserves. Each librarian has input into borrowing policies and as we recently joined the Consortium of Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) we have had enhanced access to not only Harper's materials but 65 libraries in Illinois. Read more about Circulation and Reserves. Interlibrary Loan will retrieve materials from any of the 50 states, even Canada, for you. Read more about Interlibrary Loan.
Maintain the Harper College Archives. It is the primary responsibility of the Collections Librarian to oversee the College archives. The library has a part-time librarian working diligently on indexing Harper's historical records and memoribilia. These records allow Harper to look back and reflect on actions, decisions and accomplishments of the institution as we plan for the future. Read more about the Harper College Archives.
Answer copyright questions. The Collection Librarian fields copyright questions for faculty and staff. It is also the responsibility of the Collection Librarian to maintain the content on the copyright webpage. Review the Library's Copyright and Fair Use Information website.
Write and review policies. Each librarian assures that we are delivering the best services possible by keeping their departmental policies up-to-date and in practice. Read the Library Mission and Policies.
Committee work. Librarians serve on departmental, divisional, contractual, and institutional committees as well as the Faculty Senate.

Library website

Updated March 2007