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Core Competencies for Scholarly Communication Librarians

NASIG Core Competencies for Scholarly Communication Librarians

Final Version (PDF, WORD)
Stable, archived version

Approved and adopted by the NASIG Executive Board, August 11, 2017
Revision approved and adopted 1/10/2020

Introduction

The following Core Competencies for Scholarly Communication Librarians were developed out of research and discussion conducted by the NASIG Scholarly Communication Core Competencies Task Force. Scholarly communication is defined by ACRL as “the system through which research and other scholarly writings are created, evaluated for quality, disseminated to the scholarly community, and preserved for future use. The system includes both formal means of communication, such as publication in peer-reviewed journals, and informal channels, such as electronic listservs (Association of College & Research Libraries, “Principles and Strategies for the Reform of Scholarly Communication 1,” 2003). The specific duties of the scholarly communication librarian (SCL), though, may be broad and amorphous. Variety is the only constant in the job duties of SCLs and responsibility for the full suite of competencies is beyond the reach of even the most accomplished librarian. Moreover, though a single librarian may be responsible for leading these efforts, scholarly communication impacts all librarians, and as such, specific duties are often diffused through an organization. The leadership exemplified by the SCL also may occur at different levels of an organization, from entry level to senior administration, and usually entails a specific focus within the broad scholarly communication space.

Keeping the extensive and amorphous nature of competencies in mind, along with the variety of areas of emphasis found within the scholarly communication space, the task force proposes the following as a tool box. Our tool box consists of four themes that are found in all SCLs and five areas of emphasis that are commonly, though not always, associated with the SCL and core competencies within these five areas. In this framework, the hiring library is largely responsible for establishing the appropriate “tool for the job” by focusing job ads and position descriptions on one or more areas of emphasis as determined by its current staffing, organizational goals, and the institutional culture in which it is embedded.

The five areas of emphasis with enumerated core competencies include some overlap with the four roles listed in the Joint Task Force’s “Librarians’ Competencies Profile for Scholarly Communication and Open Access.” Whereas this Core Competencies document integrates research data management into our Core Competencies framework, the Joint Task Force has issued a separate “Librarians’ Competencies Profile for Research Data Management.”

Personal Strengths

All SCLs should be prepared to deal with a fast-paced environment and community. In addition, the field requires collaboration with multiple units and departments within an SCL’s institution as well as in multiple regional and national organizations, associations, and outside institutions. The SCL should also seek continuing education on the current trends, topics, and issues in scholarly communication by attending webinars and conferences and by reading current and relevant materials on topics such as data management and services, open access, legislative environment, digital preservation, impact metrics, metadata schemata, and so forth. The SCL offers a diverse number of skills and services to his or her academic institution, and therefore, the personal strengths of the SCL are dynamic and adaptive in order to accommodate the nature of scholarly communication.

Generally, these strengths include the following:/p>

Collaboration: In addition to outreach and education efforts previously discussed, the SCL’s collaborations will enhance relationships with the institution’s library and strengthen scholarly communication initiatives. Further collaboration includes partnerships on national and international levels. For instance, the SCL may join a national committee or task force to contribute insight while also gaining professional development.
Communication skills (oral and written):> The SCL has a responsibility to communicate the goals and projects of scholarly communication tasks within and outside his or her institution through formal written documentation, such as policy documents, strategic plans, and mission and vision statements; scholarly publications, such as peer-reviewed articles and conference proceedings; and formal e-mails to colleagues. In addition, the SCL will have some expectation to engage with colleagues through face to face meetings, as well as public speaking at his or her institution and in more formal settings, such as at conferences and symposia.
Enthusiasm/ambition: Communicating effectively is crucial for the SCL, but communicating enthusiastically is equally important when reaching out to other members of the community outside of the library or scholarly communication field. In addition, creativity in developing and implementing initiatives requires ambition, especially if the SCL needs support from other institutional or external stakeholders.
Generalist: It is the responsibility of the SCL to be familiar with the environment of scholarship and publishing in various fields as well as be able to generalize across disciplines for the purposes of communicating quickly and effectively.
Comfort with change and ambiguity: The ambiguous nature of scholarly communication and academia demands a librarian that is adaptable and comfortable with change. The climate of scholarly communication is in a constant state of flux, and the SCL must be able adapt to changing conditions and expectations at his or her institution and within organizations and associations.
Personable: Effective and enthusiastic communication provides a means to deliver the SCL’s message successfully. Ultimately, the lasting impression should be one of goodwill.

Themes

1. Background Knowledge

Background knowledge for the SCL at most institutions - no matter the librarian’s role(s) - includes a number of common themes. Much of this knowledge is acquired through library and information science curriculum, in non-library jobs, or is learned in other positions held in the library. The foremost commonality is deep knowledge of the Open Access movement and its impact on the scholarly publishing landscape, digital preservation, relevant metadata schemata and standards, copyright, and the development and implementation of organizational and institutional open access policies. Project management responsibilities appear almost uniformly across most scholarly communications positions. SCLs commonly require an understanding of the legislative environment, especially regarding copyright, Open Educational Resources (OER) and public access requirements.

2. Technical Skills

An active awareness of new technologies and the impact they have on a rapidly changing scholarly communication landscape is generally of greater importance for the SCL than deep technical expertise in any single venue. These technical skills will vary owing to the areas of responsibility outlined below and the staffing and structure of the individual librarian’s institution. Some broad general understanding of repository platforms, data management solutions, publishing platforms, and faculty profiling systems as well as the interrelations between these systems is essential. A deep technical understanding of one or more of these may be required of the SCL, beyond ALA’s Core Competencies of Librarianship related to technology, but not in all cases.

3. Outreach and Instruction

The SCL is actively engaged with a rapidly-changing landscape that necessitates clear communication, advocacy, and outreach involving many different internal and external audiences. This professional and scholarly engagement with the field is essential for effective outreach and instruction. The successful SCL advocates for Open Access, including author’s rights, open access to research, data, and Open Educational Resources (OERs). The SCL also recognizes that in keeping with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, scholarship is a conversation. As such, “established power and authority structures may influence [scholars’] ability to participate and can privilege certain voices and information.” Identifying those power and authority structures, understanding their impact on scholars, and educating individuals on effective ways to navigate, evaluate, and contributing to the scholarly conversation are an important part of the SCL’s role.

The development of educational programming, often in conjunction with internationally recognized events (such as Open Access Week), online learning objects (such as LibGuides or course management systems), and instruction in areas of scholarly communication literacy for both faculty and students commonly falls under the responsibilities of the SCL.

4. Team Building

The role of the SCL is fundamentally collaborative. Regardless of area(s) of emphasis, the SCL will be responsible for building cross-departmental teams and managing projects to leverage the expertise of other librarians and researchers. For example, the SCL may work with technical services librarians on metadata creation and application, copyright librarians and subject liaisons on educational efforts, researchers on author’s rights, or programmers on institutional repository (IR) support. The SCL may also directly supervise employees to effectively carry out assigned duties.

Potential Areas of Emphasis

1. Institutional Repository Management

SCLs often play a role in IR development, advocacy, and management. An understanding of institutional goals for the repository initiative and ability to articulate those goals is critical. The SCL should also be fluent in the best practices for IR content recruitment and description, as well as managing the supporting technical infrastructure. The depth of understanding of the latter will depend on the organizational structure of the institution and the degree to which the SCL is responsible for the technical management of the institutional repository.