Shaping Up: Boot Camp and Other Programs Addressing Professional Development Needs of Science Librarians

Abstract

Scientists work collaboratively with online tools, relying almost exclusively on online resources and sharing publications freely online while generating and utilizing large datasets. As a result, librarians charged with providing services to the scientific community face both opportunities and challenges in keeping up in this electronic, digital environment. To meet these challenges, library leaders from the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts System established an on-going e-Science initiative. This initiative focuses on increasing awareness and understanding of the principles of e-Science while improving general knowledge within different scientific disciplines. Programs of varying lengths and focus provide local and affordable professional development opportunities that improve the working librarian's ability to better serve scientific researchers and students.

KEYWORDS:

• Boot camp
• collaboration
• continuing education
• e-Science
• partnership
• professional development
• science librarians

Acknowledgments

This article is based on a poster presented by the author at the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, Washington, D.C., May 23, 2010. The author thanks the members of the UMass Five Campus Science librarians group for their cooperation and camaraderie in the planning and carrying-out of these events. Thanks especially to Donna Kafel, Maxine Schmidt, and Rebecca Reznik-Zellen for their input in pieces of this article. The UMass e-Science Initiative is possible thanks to the financial and professional support of the five UMass Library Directors: Elaine Martin (Worcester, Medical School), Jay Shafer (Amherst), Patricia Noreau (Lowell), Daniel Ortiz (Boston), and Terrance Burton (Dartmouth); and to the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region.