Supporting Research in Area Studies
A Guide for Academic Libraries
Published on 27. August 2015
124 pages
978-1-78063-471-5 (ISBN)
Description
Supporting Research in Area Studies: A Guide for Academic Libraries focuses on the study of other countries or regions of the world, crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries in the humanities and social sciences. The book provides a comprehensive guide for academic libraries supporting communities of researchers, exploring the specialist requirements of these researchers in information resources, resource discovery tools, information skills, and the challenges of working with materials in multiple languages.
The book makes the case that adapting systems and procedures to meet these needs will help academic libraries be better placed to support their institutions' international agenda. Early chapters cover the academic landscape, its history, area studies, librarianship, and acquisitions. Subsequent chapters discuss collections management, digital products, and the digital humanities, and their role in academic projects, with final sections exploring information skills and the various disciplinary skills that facilitate the needs of researchers during their careers.
- Describes the nature of area studies research and the traditional strengths of area studies librarianship in supporting inter- and trans-disciplinary research
- Applies the latest thinking in research support in university libraries to the specific needs of the area studies research community in the United Kingdom and United States
- Explores how internationalizing systems and processes can bring broader benefits to the university as a whole
- Analyzes the particular issues caused by working with content and systems in multiple languages
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Witney
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Elsevier Science & Technology (Digital)
Target group
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-1-78063-471-5 (9781780634715)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2015
Chandos Publishing (Oxford) Ltd
€88.08
Shipment within 10-15 days
Person
Lesley Pitman is Librarian and Director of Information Services at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies Library in London, a research collection of international importance dating back to 1915. She is currently responsible for devising and implementing UCL Library Services' strategy for research support across the institution, and has also been involved in managing a number of externally funded digitisation projects, including most recently the EuropeanaTravel project funded by the EU. She was Chair of COSEELIS for nine years, and is one of the founding managers of the CoFoR collaborative collection management partnership for Russian and East European Studies in the UK. Her professional interests and writings range from library buildings to digitisation and the digital humanities
Content
Area studies: The academic landscape: Its history, its controversies and the nature of contemporary area studies researchResearch support and area studies librarianshipArea studies librarianship as a specialist skill with its own training needs and distinct place in the university library; Its place in supporting the new agenda in research supportAcquisitions: The continuing challenges of acquiring material in multiple formats and languages from across the worldCollection Management; What collections do area studies scholars use? How are they arranged, managed, defined? The national research collection and the role of collaborative collection managementResource discovery and problems with systems: The challenge of providing access to resources in multiple languages across multiple systems, from specialist databases and library catalogues to GoogleDigital projects and the digital humanities: New opportunities for specialist librarians in creating and curating content, and adding their skills to academic projectsInformation skills and user support: User-centred skills and services
