Towards preparing library and information specialists as researchers in the academic environment: an exploratory study

Abstract

It is important for any discipline to investigate the patterns of its publications and to learn about contributions of its members. In this context, there have been many studies that focused on scholarly productivity in several disciplines using bibliometric indicators based on citation analysis, author productivity, and scholarly collaboration. While there have been numerous studies of professional librarians as scholars or researchers, specifically in the United States, for thirty years, little is known of the scholarly contribution by librarians in the Arab World. In terms of scholarly communication, the study recommends librarians to participate in regional and international conferences because of the attendance of those conferences is a re­quirement for the career ad­vancement of many librarians, particularly those who work in colleges or universities.