One of the earliest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on librarians was the abrupt shift from on-site to entirely remote access to information services and resources. Librarians had to revamp their outreach and collaboration strategies from in-person meetings and serendipitous encounters in the hallway to video conference calls and Slack channels. As the library’s users become more accustomed to—and, indeed, reliant on—virtual library services, information professionals need to find new ways to actively partner with their key user groups.
This is particularly a challenge for libraries and information services in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields; their researchers, scientists and other research and development (R&D) staff are often involved in advanced technologies and may not recognize or even be aware of the value that information professionals can bring to a project.
Recently, four information professionals from the USA, in industries ranging from energy and aerospace to pharmaceuticals, shared how they work with R&D groups, particularly given the changes in the research landscape brought about by big data, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). Throughout the conversations was the assumption that librarians can play a significant role in these cutting-edge projects; their skills in information science are directly relevant to the AI projects in which their R&D departments are involved.
Three themes came up consistently during these conversations:
