An exploration of the impact of educational background on basic science and life sciences librarians
Author ORCID Identifier
Laura Lipke: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3653-5843
Margaret Hoogland: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9932-3605
Jeremy Kupsco: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1229-1143
Stephanie Schulte: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9759-9878
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-26-2025
Keywords
Basic Science Librarians, Life Science Librarians, Educational background, STEM librarians, librarian-researcher interactions
Abstract
This study sought to investigate the influence of a science educational background on librarian interactions with basic and life sciences programs. Through semi-structured interviews with 14 librarians, the study identified several key themes: understanding and enjoying science is beneficial; previous experience influences librarians’ approaches; relationships are important; defining success is challenging; and collaborating with other campus units is unusual. Results suggest a science undergraduate or graduate degree and previous science-related work experience enhance librarians’ comfort and communication with scientists and highlight a lack of professional continuing education related to researcher workflows.
Publisher Attribution
Lipke, L., Hoogland, M. A., Kupsco, J., & Schulte, S. J. (2025). An exploration of the impact of educational background on basic science and life sciences librarians. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 1–15.https://doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2025.2509084
Recommended Citation
Lipke, Laura; Hoogland, Margaret; Kupsco, Jeremy; and Schulte, Stephanie, "An exploration of the impact of educational background on basic science and life sciences librarians" (2025). Library Scholarship. 106.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/librarian_fac/106
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
