Librarians as Co-authors: Navigating Gusts and Lulls

In 2023 SCU the Library was approached by the Faculty of Health to participate in collaborative research projects which evolved into opportunities to co-author systematic and systematic-like reviews. This request prompted a review of the library’s Systematic and systematic-style review service charter, with the addition of a new “Premium” level of service that librarians could deliver upon negotiation with library management. At a professional level it involved a deepening of the skills of the two librarians in the space, collaboration with faculty, publication opportunities, and a closer understanding of the systematic review journey from start to end. A key challenge was the need to consider workloads across a small team of librarians at a regional university. Since the onset of these projects, there have been more requests for librarian participation in projects and co-authorship. This paper presents, from an academic librarian’s perspective, the benefits and challenges of sailing into the unknown and navigating the gusts and lulls of such journeys.