The relationship between early career researchers and academic libraries

Abstract

This article examines the evolving attitudes and practices of early career researchers (ECRs) towards the library, in particular its role as a source of discovery and access to information, the use of institutional repositories, and their predicted future for the library. The study is based on interviews conducted with young researchers in the sciences and social sciences in several countries over five years and on two questionnaires that facilitated further information gathering. The results show that the role of the academic library is largely limited to the provision of electronic resources, a role that open access and piracy have recently challenged. Interest in institutional archives is also limited. It does not appear, however, that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the relationship between young researchers and the university library.