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The NHA Annual Meeting brings together faculty, administrators, and representatives from scholarly societies, museums, archives, libraries, and other humanities organizations to build their capacity to advocate for the humanities. On Humanities Advocacy Day (this year on March 21, 2023), state-based delegations, including Maryland's, traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Members of Congress and their staff to ensure federal humanities funding in 2023.

This presentation discusses the University of Maryland Libraries' response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the immediately following period of resuming operation. Did the pandemic teach us anything? Are there things that have changed us forever? Libraries all over the world have had to deal with these issues. We are one example of many. But coming this far, we are happy to share our experiences and learn from others in hopes that we can help each other cope and serve our users to the best of our abilities.

Prepared for the Interdisciplinary Dialogues Presents: War in Ukraine, March 16, 2022. The program featured campus scholars talking about different aspects of the Russian war in Ukraine.

University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries has a large teaching program that serves between 16,000 and 20,000 students per academic year. This chapter documents the transformation of UMD Libraries’ teaching program from an individualistic approach to a strong community of practice based on the mutual affirmation, support, and respect of library teachers, and includes the following sections: (1) history of the UMD Libraries’ teaching program, with special attention to how the program has been shaped by the Libraries’ partnership with the UMD Academic Writing Program (ENGL101); (2) overview of the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice (COP); (3) exploration of COP at UMD Libraries, including analysis of two teacher training programs, the Research and Teaching Fellowship, and Fearless Teaching Institute; and (4) recommendations for practice.

Over the past decade, there has been an increased focus on liaison librarianship in response to changes in the higher education landscape. Within higher education, there have been significant shifts in student learning, assessment methods, technologies, scholarly communications, the management of research data, and the impact of “big data.” In ongoing efforts to broadly support initiatives and changes in higher education, academic libraries began examining the roles of liaison librarians and to develop strategies to support emerging changes. This article discusses the University of Maryland Libraries' experience in developing, assessing, and continuing a successful liaison model.

A conversation about a recent book: Luckert and Carpenter, eds. The globalized library: American academic libraries and international students, collections, and practices. ACRL, 2019

This chapter covers the developments arising from two major task forces at the University of Maryland Libraries, a Liaison Librarian task force and the Research Commons task force. Using Kotter’s Eight Stage Process, the authors discuss the planning and initial phases of these ideas, the work of the task forces, and communication to the library organization about the need and urgency for this work, as well as the subsequent steps taken since the final reports were submitted.

In 2014, the University of Maryland Libraries adopted a subject liaison librarian model to proactively deliver a full range of services to its faculty and students and move the Libraries into the future. Subject liaison librarians are Public Services librarians, responsible for developing and managing collections, reference, instruction and outreach in their assigned disciplines. They are required to be recognized specialists in their subject areas, and at the same time be professional librarians, skillful in libraryrelated operations. Challenged by severe changes in the academic environment, such as rapidly developing technology, proliferation of information, shifts in research and teaching priorities and methods, and consistently difficult budgets, subject liaison librarians must continually improve their skills and knowledge to keep current with the needs of the campus community, library profession, and their subject areas. To this end, the University of Maryland Libraries developed a professional development program for their subject liaison librarians, which combines internal and external learning and training opportunities, both individual and group based. Many academic libraries are embracing liaison systems as a way to provide better services and engage deeper with the campus community. Many think that this is the future of librarianship, and perhaps even survival of libraries. However very few institutions have been able to develop and implement a full-scale training program for liaison librarians, which is necessary to ensure the success for the program. This paper will bring all elements of developing and implementing a liaison training program, providing members of the audience with valuable ideas and tools that they can use in their own settings.

PechaKucha report detailing the progress of liaison librarianship at the University of Maryland since the Liaison Librarianship Task Force Report of 2012 defined liaison librarianship at the University of Maryland.

The article discusses the library and information studies Study Abroad class to St. Petersburg, Russia, detailing both the lead faculty and student perspectives. It discusses the goals, organization, curriculum, resources, challenges, and positive outcomes through the eyes of the person who made it happened and through the eyes of the student who took it.

An introduction to the edited book by the same authors, The Globalized Library (ACRL, 2019). This article puts in perspective the historical development of American libraries and the current trends as they relate to the internationalization of collections, digitization, instruction, services, and development of library professionals. The authors argue that the American academic libraries have always been international in nature due to their external and internal environments, and will continue to be so in a foreseeable future.

As needs of faculty and students are evolving, the University of Maryland Libraries respond by changing many of the library priorities. The role of subject librarians has been redefined, along with CORE competencies, annual reviews, and training needs for subject librarians. We developed Research Commons, an innovative service model, which offers both traditional and non-traditional library services in partnership with other campus units, to address emerging needs of campus researchers of all disciplines and levels (from undergraduate students to faculty) with their research, from initial concept to final product. We completely revamped our reference services, moving away from a traditional reference desk to a multidimensional mixed-model delivery of information needs, which allows us more flexibility and agility. We changed our instructional practices, centering on curricular development and evidence-based learning, including a robust student learning outcomes assessment program and a peer training program for librarians, Fearless Teaching Institute. In response to campus priorities and student needs we re-configured and improved physical and virtual spaces, including multifunctional flexible classrooms, dedicated areas for social needs, and even a biowall, which now adorns the entrance to our main building. In addition to our traditional services, we are offering non-traditional services, such as makerspaces, equipment loan, and stress relieving activities for students. These changes have benefited our users and our librarians. We have seen a significant increase in library use across the board, as well as increased participation in collaborative work among our librarians and faculty, and deeper embedment with departments. This presentation will concentrate on our achievements and challenges over the past year, and cover some of the changes described above, how they were designed, implemented and worked through difficulties.

As needs of faculty and students are evolving, the University of Maryland Libraries responds by changing many of the library priorities. We completely revamped our reference services, moving away from a traditional reference desk to a multidimensional mixed-model delivery of information needs, which allows us more flexibility and agility. In response to campus priorities, the STEM branches are being consolidated to provide more robust, experimental and multifaceted services which promote innovation and team learning. We changed our instructional practices, centering on curricular development and evidence-based learning. We developed Research Commons. The role of subject librarians has been redefined, along with CORE competencies, annual reviews, and training needs for subject librarians. These changes have benefited our users and our librarians. We have seen an increased participation in collaborative work among our librarians and campus units, and deeper embedment with departments. This presentation will cover the changes described above.

In 2014, the University of Maryland Libraries adopted a Subject Liaison Librarian model to proactively deliver a full range of services to its faculty and students and move the Libraries into the future. Subject liaison librarians are Public Services librarians, responsible for developing and managing collections, reference, instruction and outreach in their assigned disciplines. They are required to be recognized specialists in their subject areas, and at the same time be professional librarians, skillful in library-related operations. Challenged by severe changes in the academic environment, rapidly changing technology, the proliferation of information, and consistently difficult budgets, subject liaison librarians must continually improve their skills and knowledge to keep current with the needs of the campus community, library profession, and their subject areas. To this end, the University of Maryland Libraries developed a professional development program for their subject liaison librarians, which combines internal and external learning and training opportunities, both individual and group based. This paper will discuss the professional development program for subject liaison librarians at the University of Maryland Libraries. Note: subject liaison librarians are being also referred to here as liaison librarians, or subject librarians.

Discusses the implementation of an assessment program for subject specialists liaison librarians at the University of Maryland. The framework for the subject specialists liaison librarianship at the University of Maryland was put in place in 2014. 2015 was the first full annual review cycle under the new guidelines. The assessment program includes procedures for assessing the liaisons’ research services, collection development activities, teaching and learning services, scholarly communications and outreach and engagement activities. This paper will discuss practical steps towards implementation, outcomes, challenges, and successes of the new program.

The Check List is an effort to orient both the new liaison librarians and their supervisors to the things they will need in the initial period of employment at the University of Maryland Libraries.

This document is based on the Liaison Task Force Final Report and identifies core competences necessary for subject librarians to perform their duties. Subject librarians at the University of Maryland Libraries should consistently work toward achieving basic levels of these competences and excelling in them as they are building their skills and professional knowledge. This document was widely circulated and vetted among all subject librarians and approved by subject librarians in the Research and Learning department.

This article reports on the progress of the study-abroad class at the University of Maryland to St. Petersburg, Russia designed for students in library and information sciences in the United States. It took place in May 2012 and then was repeated in 2014. The development of this class has led to other partnership opportunities between the University of Maryland Libraries, the University Of Maryland School Of Information Studies, the St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts and the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Although this has been a major step forward, much work remains to be done.

In compliance with the Liaison Services Task Force Final Report, http://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/17456, the Director of Research and Learning with Research and Learning Heards developed these guidelines and forms for annual work plan developments and annual assessments and performance review of liaison librarians at the University of Maryland, College Park. These guidelines for Librarianship closely follow the findings of the Liaison Services Task Force.

In the Summer of 2012 a University of Maryland course, LBSC729: International Opportunities in Information Studies, went to St. Petersburg with two instructors, one assistant and thirteen graduate students majoring in Information and Library Sciences, to immerse American library science students in the libraries and other cultural institutions of Russia. They met with librarians, students, educators and even Russian readers; saw the interworking of different libraries and archives in Russia, including national, public, academic, and children libraries, enjoyed museums, performances and other places of cultural heritage. Why is this important? What does it take to organize such a course? Who benefits? This paper will talk about the thinking and process behind the development, implementation and future of this course, and its implications on international librarianship.

This report examines the role of subject librarians in an academic environment, specifically at the University of Maryland. The Liaison Task Force offers several recommendations. These recommendations center on the creation of formal policies, guidelines and programs for liaison librarians. The bibliographies and other supplementary materials to this report include documentation for implementing the recommendations.

In spring 2011 Public Services Division Mangers charged the Information and Research Services Team (IRST) to analyze and make recommendations for service improvement for all areas of Information and Research Services. IRST conducted surveys, interviews, literature review and an environmental scan of University of Maryland Libraries and other institutions in order to assess and evaluate the current information services situation and collect information for the following recommendation. In the ‘Considerations’ and ‘Recommendations’ sections, IRST identified the following areas that need to be modified: staffing, technology and physical spaces. The appendices section of this report contains the charge and a summary of findings.

Building strong relationships between libraries and librarians on one hand and departments on campus and teaching faculty on the other has been one of the most challenging priorities to many academic librarians in the United States. The goal in both cases is to build a strong partnership between the librarians and teaching faculty in order to advance the educational experience of students and research capabilities for faculty. However too often these goals do not develop properly and reach their desired potential. How does one begin building liaison relationships with faculty? What kind of educational and professional background can help a subject librarian in such a position? How does one develop further skills? And what are some of the results can one expect to achieve from such partnerships? These issues will be examined in relationship to collection development, instruction, and reference, based on the University of Maryland experience.

University of Maryland Libraries’ Judaica collections have been built in part with donations and purchases of second hand collections from private individuals and larger institutions. In a little over ten years it has grown from a relatively small Judaica collection to one of the largest in the Mid-Atlantic Region, second only to the Library of Congress. These donated and purchased materials pose numerous challenges in the realms of preservation, cataloging and collection management. This paper will examine these issues and the ways in which the University of Maryland Judaica librarians work to resolve these issues from the cataloging and the collection management perspectives.

Before 1990 the Judaica collection at Maryland was small and insignificant. Today it is large and growing, and increasingly important. Aided by generous donations from local Jewish philanthropists, we have been able to purchase Israeli publications, large numbers of old, rare, and out-of-print materials from estates and other libraries, the latest electronic resources, and microform collections of primary documents. Indeed, the University of Maryland Libraries is building a Judaica collection that will be a major resource for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The challenges of building a collection include finding pioneering ways of processing large amounts of material and handling the backlog; disposing of unwanted duplicates; working within space constraints; teaching students (and sometimes teaching faculty) to use library resources effectively, among many others. The great opportunities have come in the collaboration between the Libraries, donors, and Jewish Studies faculty on campus. The collection is strong because it is the result of a fruitful partnership. My paper will describe how the University of Maryland Libraries, meeting challenges and taking advantage of opportunities, have assembled one of the best Judaica collections in the mid-Atlantic region.

In December 2013, the Public Services Managers charged the McKeldin Merged Desk Subgroup to assist with the planning for a single service point on the first floor of McKeldin Library. The group was to review the operations of the Circulation, Information and TLC Tech Desks and produce a report that included the following: - Recommendations for a service model at the 1st-floor service desk. - Develop complete schedules for all suggested models, as if we were implementing them. - Do we need a separate TLC? - What is the role of librarians at the desk(s)? - What are the training needs for staff at each desk (dependent on the service model recommended above)? The appendices section contains the charge. The report was due to Yelena Luckert, and Tim Hackman by Friday, March 28, 2014. The charge was revised in January 2014 to focus the report on the new desk scheduled for 2015/2016. Initially, the members of the group were to also look at the merged desk for the first floor after a redesign/construction on the Access Services Desk. It was decided that the Access Services Desk would not have a redesign or construction.

Virtual information and reference services, be they synchronous or asynchronous, are offered by libraries of all kinds. They have been adopted and adapted to suit the needs of many institutions of higher education. The University of Maryland Libraries have been offering such services for more than ten years. Very little has changed in how the service is provided since 2003, when UMD became a member of the Maryland AskUsNow! cooperative. The Virtual Information Services Task Force set about examining the effectiveness of our current virtual reference model, considering both our staff providers and our users. We looked at whether our current staffing model is appropriate for our staff and at the same time, how it might be adjusted to deliver better service to our users. We conducted a survey of library staff, an analysis of the statistics available on UMD virtual reference activities, an environmental scan of the virtual reference activities of Committee on Institutional Cooperation libraries, an analysis of popular chat software products, and a review of the literature. The Report provides 10 general recommendations and two possible service models, which have been adopted into practice since.

Higher education institutions are undergoing a fundamental transformation in their role in our society, economic structure, and value system. The University of Maryland (UMD) Libraries find themselves in the midst of this constantly changing environment where new technologies, new pedagogies, new publishing models, and new environments evolve every day. Librarians are being challenged to undertake new roles in order to support the research activities of their user population and to foster research and teaching initiatives across the university. With these trends in mind, the Research Commons Task Force was charged to research and plan for implementing new services and creating new research spaces. To accomplish this task, the Research Commons Task Force consulted the literature and conducted an extensive environmental scan by interviewing those involved in the creation of research commons at other universities, meeting with internal partners, and surveying graduate students and faculty at the University of Maryland. The resulted Final Report is a comprehensive document, which addresses UMD research needs, assessment, staffing, spaces, and technology concerns. It intends to serve as a guide for developing and implementing this model at the UMD Libraries and provides a robust yet flexible framework for the future.

Research Paper for Women's Studies Seminar: Gender and Popular Music (WMST488R)

In 2011 a library-led project team gathered user-based information for a total redesign of McKeldin Library, the central library serving the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, graduate classes in anthropology and architecture provided other elements of user input. All of the above were provided to an Architecture Studio course to create actual designs for a reprogrammed library. This poster focuses on data from one of the three sets of activities. In participatory design workshops library staff (21 participants), campus faculty (20), undergraduate (20) and graduate (17) students drew their ideal library workspaces. This poster presents drawings, gathered data and conclusions about stakeholders’ ideal study, research and work spaces in the library.

In 2011 a library-led project team gathered user-based information for a total redesign of McKeldin Library, the central library serving the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, graduate classes in anthropology and architecture provided other elements of user input. All of the above were provided to an Architecture Studio course to create actual designs for a reprogrammed library. This poster focues on data from one of the three sets of library-led activities. In on-the-spot interviews in four outdoor spaces on campus, 33 undergraudate students were asked open-ended questions about where they do their academic work (projects, research papers, studying for exams) and why. This poster presents the results of those interviews.