A Profile of Teaching and Learning Departments in ARL Libraries

Abstract:This article considers the role of teaching and learning departments within academic libraries and how they may differ from reference and instruction departments. The author used website analysis to profile and compare the two types of departments across multiple institutions. Initial findings indicate that the two have several roles in common, but that teaching and learning departments tend to be smaller and more likely consist primarily of functional specialists rather than subject specialists. The findings provide insight into several issues relevant to academic libraries, including how library organizational structures may be changing to support the evolving needs of their institutions.