Introduction

In the five years since its original conception, this book has undergone substantial changes in both aims and content. Rather than being an academic treatise, it has been written for practitioners from the perspective of practitioner-researchers. In terms of suggested readership, we think it will be of particular value to newly qualified and practising liaison and research support librarians. Although written from the perspective of a UK academic library, the content should be appropriate to a wider audience.

Our principal objective has been to provide a practical starting point for those of us who work directly with researchers. We are not being prescriptive – although we may have some strong opinions – but we very much hope to stimulate debate and the development of your own ideas. This book is not a comprehensive summary of every single aspect of research support. Although we agree such a vade mecum may seem appealing, in practice it would be impossible to produce such a work, for it would never be absolutely current, nor applicable to your own particular circumstances.

We hope that there will be ideas with which you disagree and perspectives that you question; if we have made you think, then this book has achieved its aim.

Context

We wish to provide a practical introduction to the ways that library and information services can support researchers and research activities. Why do we need to do this at all? Since research is about the discovery and communication of knowledge, surely it is obvious that libraries play a significant role in this process? After all, libraries are gateways to academic knowledge via stewardship of their own collections and by facilitating access to other material. Supporting research is one of the core purposes of library and information services in education and other sectors. Our role in supporting research is self-evident, and cannot be questioned.

The ways in which the quality of information provision can be enhanced for researchers has been a focus of attention nationally and internationally, for example through the Research Support Libraries Programme (RSLP) and the Research Information Network (RIN), as well as the international open access (OA) and institutional repository (IR) movement.