Supporting research from the inside: the embedded librarian

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Promotion and advocacy New LIS Roles supporting dissemination of research: a national and international perspective Supporting research from the inside: The Embedded Librarian

Transcript of Supporting research from the inside: the embedded librarian

Page 1: Supporting research from the inside: the embedded librarian

Promotion and advocacyNew LIS Roles supporting

dissemination of research: a national and international perspective

Supporting research from the inside:

The Embedded Librarian

Page 2: Supporting research from the inside: the embedded librarian

Nicolás Robinson-GarcíaUniversity of Granada

Spain

Content

Daniel Torres-Salinas, PhD

University of NavarreSpain

Why should librarians support research from the inside?

What could librarians be doing embedded in research groups?

How can librarians make a difference on research performance? Concluding remarks

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2 h classes (including mentorship)

1 h answering emails

- 30 min deleting spam and retrieving mails that weren’t spam

- 30 min actually answering mails

30 min coffee break

30-60 min criticising the department head, dean or vice-chancellor

1 h teaching PhD students how to perform a research study

1 h dealing with the computer, fixing Windows error messages, etc.

1 h adapting the degree to the Bologna Process, adapting subjects to the ECTS credits

30 min doing paperwork in order to apply for funding for research

30 min doing research

Why should librarians support research from the inside?

From researchers’ point of view

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Academic libraries are facing a dramatic situation…

From librarians’ point of view

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From librarians’ point of view

… and we know it better than anyone else

Source: Research Information Network. Researchers’ use of academic libraries and their services. 2007

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1. Good libraries help institutions recruit and retain top researchers

From librarians’ point of view

2. Libraries help researchers win research grants and contracts

3. Libraries promote and exploit new technologies and new models of scholarly communications

5. Outward-facing libraries contribute to institution-wide initiatives

6. Specialist staff work in partnership with academic departments

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From librarians’ point of view

Embedded librarians and data curators are

the future!

Tomás Baiget (FESABID 2011)

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What could librarians be doing embedded in research groups?

Focused on the userNOT focused on the library

Focused on their workspace

NOT focused on our workspace

Focused in small groupsNOT on all users

Specialised in a topicNOT generalists

They depend on the area of expertise

NOT on their library skills

They provide analysis and synthesis

NOT materials

In contextNOT out of context

Embedded librarian vs. Academic librarian

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Data manageme

ntPublishing Dissemina

tionAssessmen

t Funding

I need some help with…

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Researcher

reads collects writes publishes

Articles, manuals, patents…

DataResearch studies, reviews

Articles, manuals, patents…

Embedded

Librarian

provides, organizes

manages, preserves

prepares the output

disseminates

Improving research output

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SCIENTIFIC CAREER ACADEMIC CAREER

An embedded librarian must…

Have the necessary skills to use any type of scientific database Control and keep up to date with new publishing tools Have deep knowledge of scientific communication

Know which are the institutions that evaluate scientific activity Know which is the criteria they follow Master the necessary tools that can ease and help to meet these criteria

… in order to…

Manage preprints, postprints and disseminate Recommend journals Recommend possible collaborators Channel communication with journal editors and reviewers and edit manuscripts

Assist researchers on when and how to apply for promotion Assist researchers on their career development in order to meet evaluation agencies criteria Prove researchers’ output quality when justifying their performance

Improving research careers

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Gaining visibility

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Data manageme

ntPublishing Dissemina

tionAssessmen

t Funding

What we have managed to do embedding with

researchers

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Future challenges

Researchers don’t like to share their data− Each one has its own way of doing things− There is too much competition

Researchers just want to get published− Internet is not important for them− If there is no benefit, why do it?

Researchers don’t know we can help them− Proving our worth winning grants well make them listen to us

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How can librarians make a difference on research performance? Concluding remarks

Measuring results

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How can librarians make a difference on research performance? Concluding remarks

Measuring results

And not forgetting that the aim

is to improve this!

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Embedded librarians are NOT research policy makers or advisors

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Who pays for all this?

Some questions that need to be answered

Co-location

Co-funding

Co-managemen

t

Relations

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Embededd librarian vs. Knowledge agents

Some questions that need to be answered

Sadly, it became obvious that many of the senior staff in the libraries saw their function as keepers and builders of collections, rather than providers of services focussed on their users’ needs

I eventually gave up trying to get Librarians to do the role, as I found that individuals with good degrees or doctorates often had better skills than those taught in UK library schools

Steve Thornton, Pandora’s Box - The Development of the Knowledge Agent Concept at Dstl (Knowledge Management, 2002)

Steve Thornton (informal conversation)

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Promotion and advocacyNew LIS Roles supporting

dissemination of research: a national and international perspective

Thank you!Questions,

comments…

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Promotion and advocacyNew LIS Roles supporting

dissemination of research: a national and international perspective

Nicolás Robinson-Garcí[email protected]

@nrobinsongarcia

Daniel [email protected]

@torressalinas