Abstract
INTRODUCTION The dynamic nature of the scholarly communication landscape has produced a need for the creation of positions specifically focused on these issues. Yet, no clear title or job description for scholarly communication librarianship has emerged. The lack of standardization in this area is problematic for educators, professionals, and prospective professionals. METHODS Analyzing 13,869 job advertisements published between 2006 and 2014, this study attempts to examine the prevalence of scholarly communication terms and activities and the types of positions in which these terms and activities appear. RESULTS This study finds an increase in the use of the term “scholarly communication” in the title or text of job advertisements over the last nine years, with more than 7% of positions in the most recent year containing the term. CONCLUSIONS An analysis of the levels of engagement with scholarly communication demonstrates that jobs with substantial levels of engagement are increasing; whereas those requiring passive knowledge or awareness of scholarly communication issues are decreasing. Jobs with scholarly communication as a primary job responsibility are differentiated by a focus on repositories, open access, copyright, authors’ rights, and intellectual property differentiate core scholarly communication positions.
Highlights
The dynamic nature of the scholarly communication landscape has produced a need for the creation of positions focused on these issues
This paper reports the results of a study examining ALA JobList postings from 2006 to 2014, with a focus on those positions requiring scholarly communication responsibilities
The current study presents the first comprehensive analysis of scholarly communication job responsibilities across the largest population of library and job types yet examined, taking the broadest, most detailed look yet at scholarly communication and the skill sets desired by academic libraries hoping to fill vacancies
Summary
The dynamic nature of the scholarly communication landscape has produced a need for the creation of positions focused on these issues. In 2010, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) identified scholarly communication as a top trend in academic librarianship, noting the following developments in librarianship: growth in open access/source products, growth of locally-created digital collections, increase in the complexity of licensing issues, and litigation involving use reserves. In response to these pressures, libraries have created new positions or modified existing positions with a focus on scholarly communication: Scholarly communication competencies are increasingly called for at two levels in research libraries. The system includes both formal means of communication, such as publication in peer-reviewed journals, and informal channels, such as electronic listservs. (ACRL, 2003)
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