(M124) Where is the library in the digital workflow of research? – See the Mendeley Institutional Edition in action

Apr 5, 2012 | 4/6/2012 (1520-1635), Library Services & Dev | 0 comments

Tough deadlines, demand for results and the need to achieve more in less time put researchers and students under pressure to become more productive. The focus on efficiency has entered the world of researchers, driving the need for tools that help them through the research process. How can librarians help researchers work as effectively as possible?

The workflow of researchers has changed – they read now a vast amount of PDF‘s as well as printed books and journals. Researchers are less enslaved to piles of papers in chaotic offices where a gust of wind can destroy the idiosyncratic filing system they‘ve spent a lifetime creating. Some have exchanged this for a chaotic computer where everything is crammed onto the desktop, but many have now discovered reference and citation managers and bespoke research workflow solutions. These systems allow researchers to generate citations and bibliographies, read and annotate PDF‘s, add and organize work in their own library, collaborate with colleagues and fellow researchers both privately and publicly and access their latest reading while on the move.

If the way researchers view and manage their reading has changed so too has the role of the librarian. If the researcher has access to his or her own private library, how does this change the role of the librarian? What is the place of the institutional library in this new world? In this evolving research universe the Librarian has a vital role to play. They must be both a facilitator the use of research produced by their institution and a monitor of what their own researchers are reading.

This paper will examine the ways that research workflow is changing, providing an overview of the different research workflow solutions so librarians can glimpse how researchers are using them. It will examine the opportunities these new tools create for libraries and institutions and ask; what exactly is the role of the librarian in this electronic now?

Michael Leuschner
Michael Leuschner Swets Information Services

Michael Leuschner, born in Kassel, Germany holds a Master in Sport Science and a Master in Business Administration. He started his career as a coach in professional sport and worked then for more than 10 years in the IT industry with a focus on eBusiness consulting and development, Supply Chain Management and Application Integration.

In 2008 he joined Swets Information Services as the Global Marketing Director being responsible for all global marketing activities and the entire product portfolio of Swets Information Services. In 2010 he became the Sales & Marketing Director. By still being responsible for Marketing he is now concentrating on various strategic sales project as well as developing growth initiatives and support for local markets.

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