Research Article

Scholarly Communication as a Core Competency: Prevalence, Activities, and Concepts of Scholarly Communication Librarianship as Shown Through Job Advertisements

Authors
  • Craig Finlay (Scholarly Communications Librarian, Indiana University-South Bend)
  • Andrew Tsou (PhD Candidate, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University-Bloomington)
  • Cassidy Sugimoto (Associate Professor, School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University-Bloomington)

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.

How to Cite:

Finlay, C., Tsou, A. & Sugimoto, C., (2015) “Scholarly Communication as a Core Competency: Prevalence, Activities, and Concepts of Scholarly Communication Librarianship as Shown Through Job Advertisements”, Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication 3(1), eP1236. doi: https://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1236

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Published on
29 Jun 2015
Peer Reviewed