Tracking information in the field: An assessment of the information needs and services of a field station library

Abstract

This project examines field station libraries, an undescribed type of library associated with terrestrial and marine field stations. Field stations typically support ecology, geology, and related disciplines with housing, laboratories, and research facilities, which may include various levels of library support. In summer 2022, researchers, instructors, and staff at the University of Michigan Biological Station were interviewed about the library resources and services they use while working and teaching at the field station. Library resources were used throughout teaching and research activities, with one-shot instruction and in-person reference support as the primary contact points between the library and the field station community. The field station library was further defined by the community's need for GIS assistance, map librarianship, research data management, and prior on-site research stored in the institutional repository. Course-based research and place-based research significantly shaped the community's information needs when working at the field station. When characterizing the information and library service needs of the field station community, these services should be placed at the core. While this directly applies to terrestrial field stations, the findings may be applicable to ecology and geology librarianship more generally.