This book is a first-time collaboration between three university librarians and aims to provide a practical introduction for newly qualified and practising liaison and research support librarians.
The authors also describe their book as a starting point for debate about the best way to work with researchers in the changing landscape of information provision. They acknowledge that researchers can access much information directly from internet sources and discuss the role of the subject librarian
The book is organised into three parts. The first considers researchers and how they interact with library services, exemplified by case studies. It outlines the issues that affected researchers in 2007, particularly developments in scholarly communications and open access.
The book’s second section reviews the services and resources needed to support research and how to provide these at a time of financial constraint. This section offers a useful checklist for practitioners, although the authors are careful to point out they are not attempting to create a comprehensive list of resources.
The authors focus on the support activities that librarians, acknowledging
the reality of end-user access to information, can provide to help researchers
develop their own information literacy.
They examine the issues surrounding the teaching and training of students and
academics, including how to promote the need for such training to researchers.
The concluding section reflects on the challenges affecting the role of the library service in supporting research, and emerging themes such as collaboration. The authors summarise by providing 10 principles of providing library support for researchers.
This book is more than just a guide to providing effective library services for research. It succeeds in setting up issues for debate while moving well beyond scholarly deliberation, bringing in the voices and experiences of those working in the field today. This human aspect of the book serves to underline the variety of experiences and approaches that have led to the provision of effective services.
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