What Does a Research Librarian Do?

A research librarian is in charge of organizing and maintaining a company’s or organization’s vast amounts of data. He or she is usually very good at assisting people in using and getting the most out of all of the library’s facilities and services. A research librarian’s primary responsibility is to ensure that individual users are aware of the many resources available in a modern library. Research librarians typically hold a master’s degree in library science or a related field, as well as previous library experience. It’s also a big part of this job to keep up with the ever-changing information technology used in libraries and library databases.

Some research librarians work in law or medical libraries, advising students and other professionals on how to use all of the library’s resources and services. Individuals’ research needs are met these librarians using their technological skills and knowledge. For consulting firms, colleges, universities, government agencies, and even non-profit organizations, a research librarian may analyze a variety of different types of information in order to assist individual users in finding what they need. A research librarian at a research facility, for example, might be able to assist a group of engineers in locating specific information about a project on which they are currently working. This assistance could take the form of assisting users in finding and retrieving information from the web, digital media, or traditional publications.

Most research librarians have a master’s degree in library and information science from a program accredited the American Libraries Association; in the United States, this will typically include a master’s from a program accredited the American Libraries Association (ALA). They usually have at least two or three years of experience as a professional librarian under their belt. Many people have studied technical and scientific librarianship from both a traditional and technological perspective. The methods needed to electronically manage and deliver all library services and resources to end users have been taught to research librarians. A research librarian may act as a liaison for a variety of academic or scientific organizations, and some have received specialized training to meet the needs of technical or research staff.

A research librarian’s continuing education and training is also important due to the wide variety of new information and storage technology. It may be difficult for some companies or organizations to find a research librarian who can handle all of the traditional library duties while also having a working knowledge of emerging information technology. Successful librarians are comfortable working with both traditional and newer technological formats of materials and information. A research librarian, for example, may be familiar with the card catalog’s ins and outs as well as creating and maintaining large-scale information databases.