Medical electronic journals : how have they affected the research librarians way of working?

The aim of this study is to describe how Swedish research librarians feel that their work has been affected by electronic journals. The study focuses on medical electronic journals accessed through consortia agreements via Bibsam, the Royal Librarys Department for National Co-ordination and Development. This thesis includes two main parts: a literature survey and an empirical study. The literature survey shows that since the 1990´s most research libraries are hybrid libraries including both printed and electronic information sources and that librarians tasks to seek and organize information have remained but the tools have changed. Qualitative interviews were performed with four librarians at two university libraries and one university college library on how their work with electronic journals differed from their work with printed journals, which new tasks the electronic journals have brought and which have disappeared and how the librarians professional role has been affected. Andrew Abbotts theory of professions and the discussion whether librarianship is a profession or a semiprofession is described. The term "tacit knowledge" as to librarianship is discussed. The literature survey and the study show that electronic journals have affected journal acquisitions and cancellations, cataloguing, shelving, article requests and interlibrary loans, teaching and promotion and statistics. IT-skills and a knowledge of legal terminology in licenses are required and the amount of teaching due to electronic information sources has increased. Electronic journals have resulted in some new and some partly changed roles for the librarian: the negotiator, the information architect, the project leader, the IT-specialist and the pedagogic role.Uppsatsnivå: