Liaison teams supporting students and researchers

There are six liaison teams at QUT: Science and Engineering Liaison Team, Business Liaison Team, Creative Industries Liaison Team, Education Liaison Team, Health Liaison Team, and Law Liaison Team. In addition, there is a liaison team at Caboolture Library.

Each team consists of liaison librarians, library adviser(s) and academic skills adviser(s), The size of the team depends on the number of researchers and research students. For example, the liaison team for the Science and Engineering Faculty has six liaison librarians, four library adviser and one academic skills adviser.

Liaison Librarians support staff and postgraduate students by facilitating communication between the library and specific organisational units. They also teach information literacy, that means effective searching, critical evaluation, information management and the ethical application of information.

Academic Skills Advisers (ASA) provide specialist services and resources to assist the development of study and learning skills and strategies, such as:

• time and task planning
• notetaking and managing information
• reading and comprehension
• thinking and argument
• academic writing
• groupwork and working in teams
• communication
• exam preparation
• academic honesty and referencing

Each liaison team includes an ASA. Together, each team develops discipline-integrated approaches to students' learning development of academic literacy (study skills) and information literacy (research skills). ASAs also contribute to the planning, development, evaluation and implementation of the Library's teaching and learning services and resources.

Academic Skills Advisers also provide intensive one to one support for students who are experiencing significant academic challenges. When doing so, they form close relationships that last as long as the student wants to, sometimes several years.

Both liaison librarians and academic skills advisers can participate in faculty and school committees and working parties to provide specialist advice.

Each liaison team is in charge of collection development, research support, and teaching and learning support for its faculty. One team member has a lead role for one of the three main tasks. The colleagues with the same role form a working group together with the manager for this role, and these groups meet regularly to exchange experiences and work on developments and standards to make sure all students and staff get the same high standard of support.. So the colleagues with a lead role for reserach support in the liaison teams work closely together with the (central) research support team.

There are several services for students seeking advice and assistance with their study:

• Ask a Librarian : phone, visit, email or chat with librarians.
• Study Solutions provides individual assistance with your academic study, researching and writing.
• STIMulate provides assistance with skills in maths, science and IT.

QUT Library also offers the following study skills workshops, scheduled throughout the semester.

• Library tour
• Back to study
• Read it, note it, recall it!
• Referencing made simple
• Researching made easy
• Plan it, write it, edit it!
• Panic-free Presentations (Caboolture students only)
• Manage your time, keep your cool (Caboolture students only)
• Exam preparation workshops (Caboolture students only)
• Learn about QUT Printing Service (QPS) Tour
• EDB140: Writing a Critical Reflection

In addition, QUT Library offers the following skills courses/workshops for researchers:

• FN001: Advanced Information Research Skills (AIRS)
• Introduction to systematic reviews
• Data Management Planning Tool Clinic
• Managing research data
• Reference management
• Scholarly publishing  (Authorship and Publication; Copyrights & Copywrongs for Researchers; Tracking research impact; QUT ePrints; Social Media to Promote Research; Where to publish and what to consider; Build your researcher profile)

The AIRS course is very interesting and it is offered in blended learning mode via online modules and supplemented with learning resources, on campus workshops, and Liaison Librarian consultations. See more:  http://airs.library.qut.edu.au/

QUT also provides an online guide to citing, referencing and academic writing that is just fantastic. look it up here: http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/ 

If one can't go to a workshop or just need a refresher, there are workshop slides available. And all library workshops are recorded, as well as all units/subjects at the university.