Learning from Experience: Librarians as Research Partners

Abstract

Given current discussions in the field about librarians’ engagement in research
partnerships, this study examines the experiences of librarians at The Ohio State
University, a doctoral university with very high research (R1), to better understand
their preparation for the collaborations, the knowledge and skills they contributed,
their roles on project teams, their motivation for joining teams, and the subsequent
criteria they have adopted for determining participation on future projects. Interview
and post-interview survey findings indicate librarians have developed their own
strategies for determining their roles on research teams based on their individual
strengths and that they have benefitted from the experiences overall. This study
also reveals inconsistencies in support for this form of engagement and makes recommendations
for libraries related to scoping involvement and establishing criteria
for participation of librarians on research teams