Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Series Editor's introduction
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Section summaries
- 3 Landscapes and models
- 4 Structures and strategies
- 5 Places and spaces
- 6 Library staff roles
- 7 Collections
- 8 Specific interventions in the research process or lifecycle
- 9 Teaching approaches
- 10 Information literacy skills workshops and programmes
- 11 Bibliography
- Index
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Series Editor's introduction
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Section summaries
- 3 Landscapes and models
- 4 Structures and strategies
- 5 Places and spaces
- 6 Library staff roles
- 7 Collections
- 8 Specific interventions in the research process or lifecycle
- 9 Teaching approaches
- 10 Information literacy skills workshops and programmes
- 11 Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Assess and develop staff skills and expertise
AS TECHNOLOGY HAS developed and also as libraries have changed focus over recent years, so the traditional role of the librarian has changed. A librarian in a modern research library needs to be outgoing, multi-talented and agile, able to adapt and continually learning and developing new skills. Even long-standing activities such as collection development require new approaches in monitoring and managing stock, whilst developments in open access, bibliometrics and research data demand a wide range of new tactics.
As Parker (2012) puts it, ‘we are moving from a cosy library to a scary library’, where our role is less about being custodians of knowledge and more about ‘assisting to increase the productivity of research and scholarship’. This can be intimidating for staff; Hansson and Johannesson (2013) talk about librarians feeling insecure in approaching researchers, so it's essential to have a well considered, focused staff development programme available.
Initially, it may help to do an audit. Identify the different aspects of the library provision to researchers; what do you do now and what else do you want to achieve? What skills will be needed to meet your aspirations? How might these be developed? Can existing staff help their colleagues? Do new roles demand new staff with different skills? What are the priorities? What is the timescale? What will happen if you don't deliver the relevant training?
Once you have a definitive (for now) list of skills, you can start to look at how you might address their development. Is there material available online, are there trainers who can run courses for staff, do staff need to be sent on training courses? Some excellent OER (open educational resource) materials are becoming available, though they may need repurposing for your own situation.
Loughborough University Library worked with the Digital Curation Centre to develop training sessions on research data management for their staff. It was felt important to take the time to build up staff confidence as ‘people haven't always enjoyed learning’ (Helen Young, Loughborough University).
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- Information
- Practical Tips for Facilitating Research , pp. 93 - 104Publisher: FacetPrint publication year: 2016