University Librarians' Role in Supporting Academic Writing

Abstract

The university library is often referred to as the heart of the university because of the central role it plays in providing information resources to support research, teaching, and learning activities. The study was carried out among reference librarians and subject librarians at selected universities to establish how the librarians have been supporting academic writing endevours by researchers at their respective institutions in Zimbabwe. The study also sought to examine the challenges faced by university librarians when offering services to support academic writing by researchers at Zimbabwean universities. The study adopted a qualitative approach. Ten librarians were interviewed. Findings from the study reveal that university librarians are readily available to offer their services in support of academic writing by researchers. There is however a need to increase researchers' awareness of the role of academic librarians in supporting academic writing. A strong partnership between academic librarians and researchers throughout the research cycle is recommended.