Knowledge partners for the future
How libraries and information services professionals support Max Planck Society’s excellent research
From idea to international publication: an ecosystem of expertise
The path from a scientific idea to an internationally recognized publication is complex and demanding. Excellent research requires excellent support—and this is exactly what the information services professionals at the Max Planck Society (MPG) offer in the institutes’ libraries and related areas.
The information services professionals are expert advisors and specialists accompanying the research process from the initial idea to international publication. Together with their colleagues at the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), they form the library community of the MPG. They are excellent partners for Max Planck researchers thanks to their in-depth knowledge of the specific needs of scientists at the respective institutes.
Strategic advantage through specialized expertise
The information services professionals offer personalized and comprehensive services, that optimally support research. By freeing researchers from administrative and organizational tasks, the information services professionals create space for what really matters: thinking, discovering, and conducting the cutting-edge research that advances our society.
In many institutes, libraries serve as physical places for encounters, interaction and creativity. Here, MPG scientists find inspiring spaces for concentrated work or coworking areas for collaborative exchange within teams. Even more importantly, the information services professionals also offer a wide range of services for digital and location-independent research.
Fields of work: From information literacy to AI consulting
- Information and publication literacy: Information services professionals ensure that scientists have access to all the analog and digital information they need for their research. As expert navigators in today's information deluge, they offer training courses tailored for specific target groups on academic research practices. This includes showing scientists to distinguish between reputable publishing venues and predatory journals.
- Training and knowledge transfer: Additionally, information services professionals create platforms for scientific dialogue and further training by organizing courses, events, and workshops with internal and external experts. This includes discipline- and institute-specific training programs on artificial intelligence and its potential and challenges in the research process.
- Data management: Compliance with scientific standards and best practices is an important prerequisite for successful cutting-edge research. In its rules of conduct for good scientific practice, the MPG recommends the implementation of the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) for research data management. To support this, information services professionals can advise scientists on the management and publication of their data and also offer support in the creation of meaningful metadata.
- Open access and publication strategies: Another key aspect of the MPG best practice rules is the immediate publication of research results in open access. Information services professionals have extensive knowledge of open access financing and relevant licenses. They can manage the institute's publication funds and make previously published articles available through open access. Furthermore, the information services professionals ensure that research results can be found permanently and are highly visible by systematically documenting them in the MPG publication database (PuRe).
- Visibility and reputation building: The information services professionals also promote the visibility of MPG research and researchers through further measures, thereby creating a lasting reputation gain. For example, they raise awareness of the use of unique researcher IDs, such as ORCID, which ensure the correct attribution of scientific achievements. They also provide support in maintaining researcher profiles and assist with publication profiles, which are used, among other things, for analyzing scientific output and can thus become an important component of the scientific advisory board reports.
Information services professionals as partners of MPG's cutting-edge research
Information services professionals are indispensable partners for cutting-edge research at the Max Planck Society. Their expertise extends far beyond traditional books: information services professionals impart skills for navigating the ever-growing amounts of information, support the publication process, promote the visibility of research results, and provide information on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in research.
This collaboration between excellent scientists and information experts will therefore remain fundamental to advancing cutting-edge research at the MPG.