Librarians’ perception of scientific dissemination at university libraries

Abstract

This paper investigates how librarians perceive scientific dissemination at university libraries. A qualitative exploratory case study was conducted with librarians who work in the Library System of the Federal University of Ceará. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire and analyzed using content analysis with the establishment of categories. Results show that the participants only partially understand the concept of scientific dissemination and need specialized training to promote scientific and technological dissemination initiatives. University libraries are considered qualified for wide dissemination, but the actions that take place in these settings are often intended solely for the scientific-academic community. To collaborate with the scientific dissemination carried out at university, librarians require specific qualification for planning, developing and implementing actions and initiatives for scientific dissemination aimed at the broad public. Finally, this study proposes scientific and technological dissemination actions to be developed by librarians in these information environments, such as helping researchers to disseminate and adapt/contextualize specialized scientific discourse into an accessible language for the external public, as well as creating outreach projects to bring the scientific community and the general population closer together.