Mitosis and the Life Cycle: A Metaphor for the Transformation of the Research Librarian
Gore, Sally A. ; Palmer, Lisa A.
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Abstract
Purpose: This poster describes how established and traditional library tools and services at an academic health sciences library served as the “nucleus” for new services and collaborations with university researchers.
Setting/Participants/Resources: The Lamar Soutter Library at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) formally established a Research and Scholarly Communication Services department in January 2009. The department is currently comprised of two librarians.
Brief Description: The Research and Scholarly Communication Services department is charged with overseeing four major areas: scholarly communication; integration of library services into the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) and the research community; the library’s eScience initiative; and the university’s institutional repository, eScholarship@UMMS. The department leveraged existing relationships with GSBS administration and faculty, created through work with eScholarship@UMMS and library services supporting the NIH Public Access Policy, to build credibility, make new contacts, and get feedback on proposed new services.
Results/Outcome: Though still relatively new, the department has found success in this new outreach. It has expanded its class instruction portfolio to include GSBS student orientations, author rights, and social networking tools. eScholarship@UMMS continues to grow at a rapid pace. The department developed and launched the library’s first LibGuide for the UMMS research community, resulting in much positive feedback.
Presented at the University of Massachusetts and New England Area Librarian e-Science Symposium, Shrewsbury, Mass., on April 7, 2010.