Title:
Guidelines, recommendations and near future for university libraries
Authors affiliation:
Luiza Baptista Melo
Faculdade de Medicina Dentária, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal / Universidade de
Évora – Centro Interdisciplinar de História, Culturas e Sociedades, Portugal
Tatiana Sanches
UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portug
Abstract: The idea of change in university libraries motivates academic librarians to reflect continuously on their role and performance. Higher Education Libraries seek to think about themselves, to analyse the context and communities in which they exist, and to develop collections, services and resources that contribute to the furtherance of the teaching and research missions of the institutions of which they part of. International trends, together with social influences and other factors arising from the integration of technology, changes in higher education, changes in the way science is researched, produced and presented, are clearly catalysts for the implementation of good practice in the field. On the one hand, the construction of Recommendations for higher education libraries seeks to bring stability and security through the creation of guidelines to be applied in practice. Furthermore, changes in higher education, in technologies and electronic resources, and in management practices, may be felt as destabilizing elements, increasing insecurity in the actions taken. The guidance document Recommendations for Higher Education Libraries in Portugal 2020-2022 is presented, which was created according to recommendations from several international professional associations. It seeks to reflect on the dual condition of Higher Education libraries in their search for balance between stability and innovation, in a constant adaptation. It is concluded that preparation and planning based on guidelines act as stabilizers, while the winds of change allow the exploration of new paths and practices, thus reinforcing a serious context for
action.
Keywords: university libraries; guidelines; recommendations
CVs
Luiza Baptista Melo – Degree in Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (1986); postgraduate studies in Documentary Sciences at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto (1991), master’s degree in Archives, Libraries, and Information Sciences at the University of Évora (2005) and a Ph.D. in Information and Documentation Sciences at the University of Évora (2012). Since 1988, she has worked as a librarian at the University of Porto; Lusíada University of Porto; Portuguese Catholic University (North delegation.
She is a researcher in the areas of Statistics, Quality Assessment, Performance and Impact of Libraries, Open Access, Open Science, being the author of several articles and chapters in national and international publications. She was a trainer, course coordinator and participated in the executive board of the North Delegation of BAD – Portuguese Association of Archivist and Documentary Librarians. She received a scholarship for advanced studies from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (2008-2011). Since 2012, she is an integrated researcher at CIDEHUS.UE – Interdisciplinary Center for History, Cultures and Societies at the University of Évora. Participated in scientific commissions of several international congresses.
She received the distinction, Praise Cooperation – non-teaching 2013/2014, awarded by the
Students Association of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto.
Tatiana Sanches – Head Librarian in Institute of Education, University of LisbonInvited Assistant Professor at Universidade Aberta, LisbonInvestigator, UIDEF, Institute of Education, University ofLisbonInvestigator contributor, Higher Institute for Applied Psychology (ISPA)
Tatiana Sanches has a Pos-Doc in Information Science from the University of Coimbra, a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Lisbon, a Master’s degree in Education and Reading, from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and a degree in Modern Languages and Literature (Portuguese Studies). She is also a post-graduate in Documentary Sciences and in Higher Education Pedagogy. She is a researcher in the Unit for Research and Development in Education and Training of the Institute of Education (University of Lisbon). She also collaborates with the APPsyCI – Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities & Inclusion, at ISPA (Institute of Applied Psychology –University Institute). Currently, she is Head of the Documentation Division at the Faculty of Psychology and Institute of Education (University of Lisbon). She has been working in the field of public libraries since 1993 (initially in a professional-technical position and
then as a librarian) and of university libraries since 2007.
