Previous articles about Mendeley have been directed towards researchers, and how they can benefit from this powerful online workflow ecosystem. Mendeley helps researchers, readers and authors build their knowledge, stay up to date on trends, organize, advance and showcase their research, track and store the data they generate, move their careers forward, and find funding. But Mendeley is important to you and your library as well. It can raise and sustain your perception as a valuable resource center for all the different constituencies within the university.

The Future Holds Legitimate Concerns

There’s no denying that librarians need and want to reinvent themselves. While libraries will not cease to exist, they are becoming a reimagined asset that you must define, promote and manage. You need to be recognized as the “Switzerland” of your institution, retaining control of resources and decision-making while simultaneously having the right avenues to content for any possible research objective or need.

In addition to your own challenges, your researchers are more stressed than ever. Broad-based collaboration is much more prevalent, especially among younger researchers. The scramble for research funding is shifting from local to global, and research from emerging markets is increasing in volume and value. Researchers continue to seek more entry points to open science. At the same time, they must keep up with the latest technological developments without losing focus on their research topics. Universities are competing harder than ever for every research dollar – and that competition is felt to varying degrees throughout each institution.

Not surprisingly, nearly all of you are forced to do more with less. No librarian has ever said that she or he has too much funding or too large a staff! With an increased workload and a decreased headcount, it’s necessary for you to streamline wherever possible. You’re responsible for managing a large number of databases and platforms, and simplification is critical if you’re going to be successful.

You Can Facilitate Change with Mendeley

As librarians, you love to provide guidance that leads to solutions. You want to be better at anticipating needs and supporting goals. Efficient processes are important to you. You also want to know how resources will fit into your budget. You’re on board with the evolution of your role and that of your library, and so is Mendeley. You have a golden opportunity to help your researchers unlock the future of science. Let Mendeley help you serve as the cornerstone for revolutionary discoveries. It’s the workflow resource your researchers want and need.