Skills and Competencies for Scholarly Communication: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

Rapid development of technology, coupled with changes in research practices have profoundly impacted scholarly communication. The system of scholarly communication is disrupted largely by the digital technologies which have also thrown up a plethora of novel options for communicating and establishing the scholarship. Along with the myriad opportunities that technology offers, researchers are also challenged to cope up with the overwhelming pace of these changes. Libraries play a pivotal role in the research process and respond to new trends in the field. For academic and research libraries, it is imperative to prioritize strategies responding to the emerging trends. User needs and expectations are driving them to develop new resources and service areas. Library professionals need to develop new skills and competencies to extend new services or to realign the old services to meet the needs of the researchers. While there have been studies in many countries investigating the knowledge and skills requirements for the scholarly communication, scanty literature is found with reference to Indian libraries. This paper presents results of comprehensive study drilling down the response of librarians to the nuances of scholarly communication in the Indian context. It attempts to ascertain the services extended by the libraries in the current context of scholarly communication and tries to identify and scale the corresponding skills and competencies possessed and required by the librarians.