Librarians play a vital role at the heart of the institution’s research ecosystem, with expertise that goes far beyond stewarding physical collections. Librarians are trusted guides, digital innovators, and strategic partners who help researchers to navigate the increasingly complex world of scholarly communication.
From advising patrons on research data management and open access publishing, to facilitating access to specialized databases like Scopus, librarians make a difference every day to their communities.
That’s why we’ve been celebrating the vital work of librarians through our new initiative: Librarians as Impact Makers.
As the un-sung heroes of the university, librarians support students and researchers every day with things like:
These are just a few examples of how librarians make a real difference to their patrons day-to-day; but we know it’s not so common to step back and acknowledge the real impact of this hard work and say “thank you”.
We kicked off the celebration this summer by sharing the initiative at key librarian events around the world, including LIBER in Switzerland, ALA in the US, and the SEA Libraries of the Future Summit in Thailand – and we’re excited to continue highlighting librarian impact at events throughout the year.
Conversations at these events and the stories shared in our Impact Makers resource hub have highlighted the many ways librarians contribute to institutional success, and now we want to hear about the difference you’ve made.
How have you made a difference to your institution? What has your expertise unlocked for your patrons? How have you used your unique skills to deliver value for researchers, students, or faculty?
Whether you’ve leveraged your specialized knowledge to introduce new tools to support advanced research workflows, or you’ve been a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on for first-year students struggling to find the right resources, we want to hear from you.
By sharing your experiences, you can highlight the practical ways librarians support research, inspire other library professionals, and help raise awareness of the important contributions librarians make to their institution.
Every librarian makes a difference, and every story counts – so share yours with us today.
