Supporting early career researchers

At the JISC2010 conference earlier this month, I chaired a session on "researchers of tomorrow" - looking at how universities can best support this group.

Four projects were presented, all of which used different methodologies, and examined slightly different demographics. "Researchers of tomorrow" might be postgraduate research students who are young; or those who are just starting their research career, regardless of age; or a group who are not yet researching but still undergraduates, perhaps. Nonetheless, all researchers are undertaking similar tasks in their work, regardless of their field of study (finding and analysing data, organising information, and writing and sharing their findings), and those at the start of their research careers are likely to face similar challenges too.

Despite the differences in the approaches taken by the projects, it was very encouraging to see that common themes were emerging across all the projects.

One was the tension between competition and collaboration; whilst many early career researchers are happy to share with others in many ways, and to work together, it remains the case that competition for funding, jobs and publications is fierce.

In addition, early career researchers always seem to find out about new technologies and tools from people - whether that means colleagues, friends, family or others, online or offline. There is often time pressure, limiting willingness to take risks and try new technology that might not prove useful, Time constraints also mean that training and support systems need to fit in to research life; for instance, being offered at times and places which work for the early career researcher, and supporting learning whilst undertaking a real task with real information, so as not to waste time.

I look forward to the future results of the British Library study [4], and seeing how Esther Dingley's study fits into it all!

[1] Cambridge-lead study: commentpress site and downloadable report

[2] OCLC review of JISC VRE work

[3] OCLC other study - covered in slides

[4] British Library study (interim results only, the project runs for another 2 years)

IT Skills or Information Skills?

The closing question to the panel from my session at ILI2009 a couple of weeks ago related to what skills we thought would be most desirable in the librarian of the future. My response was something along the lines of 'be able to write a good query', the thinking being that if a researcher or undergraduate goes to a subject librarian asking for help, it might be useful if they went away with a good query they could run repeatedly as a saved (persistent, alert raising) search, rather than just leaving with one or two particular references.

So this got me thinking: what are the differences between information skills and information technology skills?

As far as I know, public commenting still doesn't work on this blog, so what skills are you going to have to invoke to be able comment on this post, and what skills am I going to have to use to find those comments...?

[I think public comments are now working???]