Restructuring liaison librarian teams at the University of Arizona Libraries, 2007‐2009

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the restructuring process of the University of Arizona libraries. The paper focuses more specifically on the research support services (RSS) team, one of the librarian teams, that moved from a subject liaison model to a domain model focused on different work areas.

The paper details the three phases of restructuring: building the general frame of change by the restructuring team, staffing outline by the implementation team, and how the resulting team, the research support team, managed its assigned work.

The restructuring resulted in a few changes to the library as whole but the largest change was the creation of the RSS team and the move from a subject specialist model to a domain model. The RSS model has allowed the team to accomplish their work with fewer staff.

The paper provides a new approach of how a research university is responding to economic and technological challenges.