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What is the Role of Academic Library in

Facilitating Interdisciplinary Studies?

Xuemei Li

July 9, 2009
Multidisciplinary versus Interdisciplinary

 Similarity
 Two or more disciplines are involved

 To provide solutions to solve problems

 Differences
 Multidisciplinary: No integration of disciplines

 Interdisciplinary: Integrate concepts, theories or methods from


various disciplines
Preparation for This Presentation?

Literature

Librarians Reflection

Social
Media
Serendipity from Twitter
Academic Library as a Hub to
Interdisciplinary Fields

Interdisciplinary Science Library


 Interdisciplinary research creating more and more
fields
 Between 1960s and 1990s
 Peer-reviewed science journals doubled
 The same growth in scientific disciplines.

 Librarians need to be aware of this trend


 Help scholars to access the interdisciplinary information

 Take an active role in compiling the information, e.g. the


leadership role in institutional repository
Interdisciplinary Fields Detected Through
Bibliometrics Research

 Classification of journals in terms of bi-connected


components
Earth Science
The Real Big Picture
Librarian’s Role in Interdisciplinary
Studies

YES: Librarians do need to play their traditional roles


NO: Interdisciplinary studies involves more
complexities. Librarians need to take extra effort to
provide effective services.
Information Seeking Behaviour Theories

 Essential to reference services and information


literacy instruction
 Less effort preference, e.g. Google, wikipedia etc
 Overestimate what they know
 Key theories
 Ellis’s features of information seeking

 Belkin’s Anomalous State of Knowledge

 Kuhthau’s Information Search Process

 Dervin’s Sense-making
Challenges in Interdisciplinary Studies

 Difference in profession makes one feel the world is


separated by Mountains
 Concepts and theories
 Vocabulary and languages
 Methods and techniques
 Outsider of the existing institutional
structure
 Lack recognition
 Lack support
 Scattered information
 Information overload versus lack of relevant information
Role of Academic Library in Facilitating
Interdisciplinary Studies

Outline
 Liaison with faculty and students
 Information literacy Instruction
 Reference services
 Collection development
Liaison with Faculty and Students

 Establish close relationship


 Respect and interest

 Maintain communication in their preferred ways

 Found out their information needs


 Research agendas

 Teaching plan

 Act as a connector
 Point them to various resources

 Direct them to experts

 Help them to build their own effective network


Liaison with Faculty and Students

 Two way participatory partnership


 Gather seminal papers

 Figure out core authors and universities

 Involve in classes and projects


 Brock university Environmental librarian evaluates students’
assignments
 BCIT library circulates Watt Meters for the Environmental
Sustainability project
 Compile information together
 Invite faculty and students’ input to enhance library services
Information Literacy Instruction

 Provide sessions at students’ convenience


 Drop in clinics in information commons

 Deliver online classes: Wimba, Second Life etc

 Detailed online subject guides

 With tailored content


 Search library catalogue: Introducing both keywords and
subject heading
 Search interdisciplinary resources

 Open Access, institutional repositories

 ILL services
Information Literacy Instruction

 Tools to deal with information overload


 Manage web resources, social bookmarking, e.g. delicious,
CiteULike, Connotea and 2Collab
 Manage bibliographic using citation management tools, e.g.,
Zotero or Refworks
 Keep up-to-date with information, e.g. RSS Aggregator

 Build effective professional network using social media tools,


and follow leader in the area
 Leave positive digital tattoo on the Web
Reference Services

 Understand their information needs


 Use faculty or students’ language
 Facilitate them to form the concepts which they
would like to know in other areas
 Search with them for specific information
 Offer reference services at their convenience
 Direct them to other subject librarians or faculty
members for in-depth consultation
Collection Development

 Generate core resource list


 Consult with experienced faculty members

 Browse other libraries’ subject guides

 Communicate with librarians both locally and internationally

 Bibliometrics analysis
 Leydesdorff’s journal clusters
 Citations from core journals
 Citations from faculty’s papers and students’ theses

 Collaborate with other subject librarians to ensure


most cost-effective collections
Conclusion

 Interdisciplinary studies need more library support


 Library as a hub
 Traditional skills + emerging technologies
 Librarians, faculty members and students need to
form a participatory partnership
Bibliographies

Belkin, N. J. (2005). Anomalous state of knowledge. In K. E. Fisher, S. Erdelez, & L. Mckechnie (Eds.),
Theories of information behavior (pp. 44–48).
Bordons, M., Morillo, F., & Gómez, I. (2004). Analysis of cross-disciplinary research through bibliometric
tools. Handbook of quantitative science and technology research, 437-456.
Dilevko, J., & Dali, K. (2004). Improving collection development and reference services for interdisciplinary
fields through analysis of citation patterns: an example using tourism studies. College and Research
Libraries, 65(3), 241, 216.
Eisen, B. (2009). The interdisciplinary science library. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/17/libraries.
Ellis, D. (1993). Modeling the information-seeking patterns of academic researchers: A grounded theory
approach. The Library Quarterly, 469-486.
Haycock, L. (2007). Interdisciplinarity in education research. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian,
25(2), 79-92.
Haythornthwaite, C. (2006). Learning and knowledge networks in interdisciplinary collaborations. Journal
of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57(8).
Jacklin, M. L., & Bordonaro, K. (2008). Drop-In Clinics for Environmental Science Students. Partnership:
the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 3(2).
Kuhlthau, C. C. (2005). Kuhlthau's information search process. In K. E. Fisher, S. Erdelez, & L. Mckechnie
(Eds.), Theories of information behavior (pp. 230-234).
Bibliographies

Leydesdorff, L. (2004). Classification of journals in terms of bi-connected components. Retrieved July 5,


2009, from http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lleydesdorff/jcr01/.
Leydesdorff, L. (2004). Clusters and maps of science journals based on bi-connected graphs in Journal
Citation Reports. Journal of Documentation, 60, 371-427.
Richardson, A., & Giustini, D. (2004). The information needs of music therapists: challenges of
assessment in the clinical setting, 25, 107-110.
SFU Library. (2009). Library Urban Studies collections policy. Retrieved July 5, 2009, from
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/collections/collections-policies/urban-studies.
Tidline, T. J. (2005). Dervin's sense-making. In K. E. Fisher, S. Erdelez, & L. Mckechnie (Eds.), Theories
of information behavior (pp. 113-117).
Westbrook, L. (2003). Information needs and experiences of scholars in women's studies: Problems and
solutions. College and Research Libraries, 64(3), 192-210.
Wilson, M. C., & Edelman, H. (1996). Collection development in an interdisciplinary context. The Journal
of Academic Librarianship, 22(3), 195-200.

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