Information and Analytical Centers of Universities and Libraries: Challenges of Time

University libraries have always played an important role in supporting research and knowledge creation. The challenges of time and digital science development encourage universities and their libraries to provide new innovative services and applications for researchers, create appropriate infrastructure for digital research support, and provide analytics for universities. University libraries in the world are becoming even more important players not only in the creation, preservation, and dissemination of information but also in providing “embedded” services for scholars and systematic and qualitative analytics in the field of digital science for universities.

This article examines think tanks, including library and information direction, and the history of their appearance and development. The role of such centers in fulfilling the mission and strategy of a modern university is analyzed (on the example of some libraries and universities in Ukraine), and their characteristics are given. Attention is focused on various aspects of the work of libraries and information centers. Emphasis is placed on the process of information production and distribution along with analytical products and services, where the role of analytical activity and digital research support is rapidly growing.

It is noted, however, that this activity has not yet become standard for many universities and libraries; user expectations significantly exceed real solutions; relevant policies, technologies, and infrastructure are absent or insufficiently developed, librarians need additional skills and training; lack of new solutions at the national level; resource-intensive creation of these new solutions; numerous legal problems.

Analysis of the current situation prompts universities to create information and analytical services and relevant digital research support services in close cooperation with university libraries and other units (research department, publishing house, IT departments, etc.) as a guarantee of the institutional capacity to support the scientific process of the university and, accordingly, its analytics (regarding publication activity, measurement of research impacts, etc.). This will require new policies, tools, services, training, and capacity to enable collaboration between libraries and scholars.