The book Cases on research support in academic libraries aims to gather and present various experiences in the management of research support services. It covers 13 academic libraries in four continents, representing examples from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hungary, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The book is fundamentally practical in nature, presenting case studies that reflect management strategies, conceptions of scientific communication, and the management of human and material resources. Cases on research support in academic libraries is intended precisely to highlight the diversity in the running of services, thereby focusing attention on its implications in terms of management. Underlying the editors’ intention is an interest in highlighting the need to advance towards a certain systematization and, perhaps, homogenization of these services, within the framework and respect for the richness of each organizational culture.
Each chapter has also sought to convey the importance of research support services and their contribution to the achievement of the objectives of each university. As shown in the cases presented, the value of these services translates into results that must be measured.
Each of the 13 chapters of the book offers a point of view, circumstances, a story, objectives. Any library seeking inspiration from this book will find common features with their institution in each chapter, diverse ideas to explore and that stand out for their scope and diversity:
Europe
- C.1. The University of Groningen Library (Netherlands), with a strong commitment to open access and open science, presents its services related to open data management.
- C.2. The University College London Library (United Kingdom) with its long history of support for the advancement of science, has assumed the leadership of the university in all areas of open science.
- C.3. The Library of Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania) is moving towards greater collaboration with all stakeholders in open science by taking on services related to open access and, increasingly, open data.
- C.4. The library of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain) offers a wide range of research support services with a strong component of personalisation and commitment to technology and online services
- C.5. The Library of Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary) offers a service of special importance for internationalisation. The Writing Center supports the efforts of its researchers to communicate sound research results and is the only one of its kind in the country.
- C.6. The University of Porto Libraries (Portugal) offer a wide range of centralised and proximity services to support research at various stages with a focus on establishing close relationships with researchers.
- C.7. The Library/Learning Centre of the Pablo Olavide University of Seville (Spain) acts in support of research by strengthening user training and reference services in a context marked by research policies at national level.
America
- C.8. The Law Library of the Federal University of Paraná (Brazil) offers, in a pioneering way in the country, specific support to researchers through courses, bibliographic research and accompaniment in the use of various tools.
- C.9. In the decentralised library system of the University of Toronto (Canada), the InfoExpress service takes advantage of the proximity to researchers to build trust and establish channels for new research support services.
Asia
- C.10. The National University of Singapore Libraries act through the flagship Researcher Unbound service, which aims to improve the skills and knowledge of researchers at the beginning of their careers, especially using training activities.
- C.11. The Peking University Library (China) has established the Collaborative Service Center, with which it provides services to researchers in a wide range of activities specifically oriented towards the objectives of the university.
Oceania
- C.12. The Griffith University Library (Australia) adapts its research support services in a context of reformulation, guided by the needs of the institution and currently focused on data, metrics and open science services.
- C.13. The Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington Library (New Zealand) shows the importance of involving library staff in research support services through specialised profiles and the continuous evolution and improvement of these services.
This book has been conceived from a distinctly international approach that can be seen through the diversity of authors and institutions, the variety of backgrounds of the reviewers and the editorial board. It is addressed to librarians, teachers, researchers, students and administrators.
