Becoming the library? Research librarians and the future of academic libraries

Academic libraries are changing. They are moving away from the 'cosy library' - the home of traditional library roles, collections and spaces - towards the 'scary library', where projects such as repositories are mainstreamed into the library, where both the library's collection and users are increasingly offsite, and where the role of the librarian is less and less familiar. At the heart of this revolution is a dramatic change in the needs, wants, and expectations of academic library users€”and perhaps also in librarians' understanding of them. In 2013, Samantha Schmehl Hines challenged librarians to consider what libraries might be when they grow up. She came to the conclusion that perhaps 'the librarian becomes the library'. Nowhere is this more evident than in research librarianship. Several studies show academics no longer enter the physical library space as often as they used to when we housed primarily print collections. Yet they still really value the role of the librarian, especially in managing information and facilitating access to collections. Are librarians ready for this change? Has the role of the librarian evolved? And if so, what has it become? This chapter looks at the rising field of research librarianship, and how it has allowed librarians to use their skills to reach a new group of academic library users.