Supporting Research in Area Studies

A Guide for Academic Libraries
Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-1-84334-790-3
Verlag: Woodhead Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 124 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

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

Autoren/Hrsg.

Pitman, Lesley

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Interdisziplinäres Bibliothekswesen, Informationswissenschaften Bibliothekswesen, Informationswissenschaften, Archivwesen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Area studies: The academic landscape: Its history, its controversies and the nature of contemporary area studies research Research support and area studies librarianship Area 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 support Acquisitions: The continuing challenges of acquiring material in multiple formats and languages from across the world Collection Management; What collections do area studies scholars use? How are they arranged, managed, defined? The national research collection and the role of collaborative collection management Resource 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 Google Digital projects and the digital humanities: New opportunities for specialist librarians in creating and curating content, and adding their skills to academic projects Information skills and user support: User-centred skills and services

Über Autor(innen)

Pitman, Lesley
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