Abstract:

The faculty members’ usage of the campus library services (both physical and online resources) is often limited to their own search of documents or eventually in the search and management of the author’s impact (h index and others). But other ways of collaboration could/should be envisaged, in terms of a cross-fertilization between both professionals.

After attending an internal course about the more effective usage of Scopus and Web of Science databases, researchers from the Faculty of Economics and librarians from the "Gregori Maians" Library of Social Sciences, both at the University of Valencia (Spain), decided to work together conducting a review. Specifically, a rapid review. In rapid reviews, differing from systematic reviews, the process is tailored for a shorter timeline, but it is also important to use rigorous methodology in order to ensure that the best available research evidence is used in decision making. The topic chosen was Consumer Value, an endemic concept for Consumer Behavior Research, a subdiscipline of Marketing. By carrying out this review, the flowchart of the PRISMA method has been adapted to describe the search process, complemented by a descriptive bibliometric study of the literary production on Consumer Value in e-Retailing, in which it has been used the Bibliometrix application, an R tool for the comprehensive analysis of scientific maps.

These documents were discussed by both librarians and researchers. Results of this collaboration (reported in a diary) can be analyzed in terms of functional, social, emotional and altruistic outcomes and benefits. Specifically,

For researchers, the benefit consisted of more functional or utilitarian aspects of the collaboration that can be regrouped into:
• WHAT: Conceptual delimitation: What are the differences between systematic review, narrative review and scoping review?
• HOW: How to work with the librarians to set keywords and refine search results? How to select the relevant data in the bibliometric analysis?
• WHO: in a research project, which roles correspond to each contributor using the CRediT taxonomy?

For librarians, the cross-benefits found were more in terms of social, emotional, and even altruistic values: as per feeling engaged and valued in conducting an intellectual process, building scholar relationships (by coauthoring this paper and eventually a future paper in a ranked journal) and enhancing a sense of self-esteem and status among professional bodies and categories in the University.

Thus, introducing librarians into academic research teams —in this case by identifying the basic study design for conducting scoping reviews and bibliometric studies— can foster opportunities for further collaboration. Indeed, after this practice, we encourage more formal partnerships between librarians and faculty members. It will help to broaden researchers´ perception of librarians more than mere information services providers.

Keywords:

Consumer Behavior Research, Consumer Value, Embedded Librarian, Value co-creation, Librarian-Faculty relationship, University Ecosystems, Bibliometrics.