E-Science Librarianship: Field Undefined.

Abstract

The potential of librarians working in e-science, a term for using the Internet and other digital tools to facilitate scientific data collection, management, and sharing, has been the cause of much discussion. Many professionals agree that librarians could participate in or facilitate e-science tasks. This article explores what e-science librarianship is by examining the skills and requirements from job advertisements for e-science related library positions. After reflecting on the sample of job advertisements, the analysis of the sample, and the use of the word e-science itself, the authors conclude that e-science librarianship is at present not a defined field and that the role of librarians in e-science is nebulous. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.