By Hadas Tayeb

Is there a communication problem between academic libraries and faculty? 

The data suggests that the answer to that is “Yes.” 

In the Impact of Libraries on Student Success: 2023 Survey Report, conducted by Library Journal and sponsored by Ex Libris, both librarians and faculty had strong opinions about the state of communication between the library and faculty: 

• 52% of librarians reported that a lack of communication/input from faculty about course needs impedes the library’s ability to have a larger impact on undergraduate student success. 
• In answering the question, “What are the barriers to integrating more library resources into coursework,” 25% of faculty said “coordinating with the library is too much hassle,” while 20% cite lack of communication/input from the library.” 

We see this communication gap between the library and faculty narrowing when libraires use Leganto, Ex Libris’ course resource management solution. Part of the library’s reasoning for buying Leganto is to make life easier for faculty. When faculty use Leganto, their experience is positive. 

“What I like most about Leganto is that Leganto puts the reading in a central place, right in the Moodle shell, and I’ve found that students are doing the reading. – Lyn Paul, Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work, Adelphi University 

However, some libraries struggle with how to reach out to faculty about Leganto. 

Let’s change that. 

The Leganto Marketing Playbook 

Over the years, we’ve worked with libraries at over 450 institutions around the globe to implement Leganto, and we’ve gained insight into how to promote Leganto to help faculty use it. The following is our advice for successfully rolling out Leganto to faculty, informed by the Leganto community’s best practices. 

Leverage existing Leganto marketing tools 

The Leganto team has compiled several resources to help libraries promote Leganto among faculty. 

• Visit our “Best Practice Toolkit” on the Ex Libris Knowledge Center for detailed instructions on how to demo Leganto to faculty and to access additional ideas measuring and increasing faculty engagement  
• For further Leganto marketing materials, including email scripts and customizable banner tools, head over to the “Welcome to Leganto” webpage. 

Learn what matters to your faculty 

Not sure how to pitch Leganto to faculty? Ask them! Send out a survey to faculty and ask them how they feel about Leganto. How are they using it in their course, what do they like about it, what do they wish it could do? Once you know this, you can use feedback to adjust your marketing (and maybe even your configurations!) 

Surveying students can also be helpful, as faculty are interested in tools that help their students succeed. See if you can get a few quotes or stats that you can share with faculty about the value Leganto brings to their students.  

Build on existing success 

Have a few faculty members who love Leganto? Use them! We find that it is much more meaningful for faculty to hear about a new tool from their peers rather than from the library. If you have a few instructors who really like Leganto, as them to speak out on your behalf. They can talk about Leganto at department meetings, record a quick video to share, or even just give you a quote that you can use in your marketing materials.  

Learn from librarians at other institutions with Leganto 

The Leganto community is robust. Whatever challenges you may be facing, there’s a good chance that someone has been there before you and overcome this challenge. Hear from two institutions about their strategies and experiences in this recorded webinar.  

You can also subscribe to the Leganto Listserv to ask the community questions and benefit from the achievements of more experienced Leganto users and the resources they have produced.