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Research has shown that student-athletes often enter higher education less prepared than their peers. The student-athletes then face the difficult task of catching up to their more prepared peers, while being asked to spend in excess of 20 hours per week training and competing. In order to assist student-athletes in becoming academically successful, the Axinn Library at Hofstra University partnered with the University's Department of Inter-Collegiate Athletics and the Center for Academic Advisement to provide library services to athletes. Building on the subject specialist liaison model of librarianship, Axinn Library began providing reference desk hours, by-appointment research assistance, and an information literacy course.
Academic libraries in the United States have been using the subject specialist liaison model of librarianship for many years. Typically, librarian liaisons support academic departments that are classified by discipline, e.g., English, economics, communications. However, non-academic departments such as university athletic departments have largely been excluded when assigning liaisons in libraries. A literature search for articles discussing library outreach to athletic departments yields limited results, with articles by O'English and McCord (2006), and M. Forys, J. Forys, Ford, and Dodd (2000) being amongst the few that present similar initiatives. Academic librarians often find it challenging to connect with traditional academic departments, so it is not surprising that non-academic units, such as an athletic department, have been overlooked. Perhaps this can be attributed to the perception of athletics at the college level. Comeaux (2011) examined the perception of student-athletes by faculty members and stated "Faculty members perceive both male and female student-athletes negatively in situations dealing with intellectual abilities, special services such as an expanded tutorial program, and out-of-class achievement" (p. 82). This perception creates an artificial schism between athletics and academics, and between coaches and faculty.
The mission statement is the heart of any college athletic department. At Hofstra University, the Department of Intercollegiate Sports' mission statement1 is explicit about the importance of athletics: "The primary objective of the athletic program is to provide student-athletes with the opportunity to excel in the academic environment and in athletic competition." This simple statement is perhaps the crux of the issue. Parity between athletics and academics cannot be achieved with a hyphen, not student-athlete, not student-first-athlete-second, but just student. As will be...