Paper details
Down to the Core – Real Information Needs of Young Researchers
Author
Iva Adlerová, Czech Technical University in Prague - Central Library / Charles University - Faculty of Arts - Institute of Information Studies and Librarianship, Czech Republic
Co-authors
Lenka Němečková / Czech Technical University in Prague - Central Library, Czech republic
Documents to download
Full text Foto přednášejícího / Picture Presentation
Abstract
Young researchers, typically postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers, form a specific target group in the scientific community, especially in terms of the academic library support. They are in very specific and unenviable position – they continue their studies, work on to increase their expertise in their field and they also learn social skills and new research methods.
They are expected to promptly become partners to their colleagues, high experienced senior researchers. In the start of their career they are expected to become members of the international scientific community. Especially young researchers need broad information and research support, but they do not know – and they cannot know – for what all. They need to learn to exactly formulate their needs, search for information and understand the form just as well as the content.
For the librarians this user group brings a challenge – how to identify their real needs? Moreover, these needs change very fast, depending on all changes in the environment of scientific work and communication. How to bring exactly targeted information and services to young scientist? And how to motivate overloaded young researchers to learn and use them?
A pilot study targeted on the information needs of young researchers was conducted in cooperation of the CTU Central Library and the Institute of information studies and librarianship, Faculty of Arts, Charles University. This study was based on our experience from providing library services and teaching the target group as well from the practice of the editorial office of two research journals, which is part of the CTU Central Library. This paper introduces the initial results that very well correspond with our empirical knowledge and give a good clue for the developing the new high-quality library services for this specific and very important target group.
Author's professional CV
Iva Adlerová is the editor-in-chief of two university research peer-reviewed journals, published by Czech Technical University in Prague. In the past, she was an active researcher. Currently she works in the CTU Central Library.
Using her expertise in the management of the editorial office, she focuses on improving the quality of both journals and participates on the education of young researchers.
She also cooperates with her colleagues on the support for scientific publishing and with editors of other journals published by the CTU.
