Rouages: “Connecting people and tools”
Camille Tedesco is responsible for training and research support within the joint documentation service (SCD). Based at the Richter University Library, but a far cry from the traditional image of a librarian, she tells us about her work in the "video" series Rouages produced by the University of Montpellier.
"Students and teachers still have a somewhat outdated image of university libraries; they are not necessarily aware of all the services we can offer them," Camille Tedesco observes, without fatalism. In 2020, the young training and research support officer left Paris to join the UM's shared documentation service team, "with the opportunity to work in the particularly pleasant setting of the Richter University Library while working across all sites and disciplines."
"May these training courses be useful to them."
"I know it sounds naive, but I really like the idea of coming to work every morning to help people and support them in their search for solutions," continues Camille, whose work revolves around two main tasks, starting with training. "I train undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students in law, economics, management, and political science. " These courses cover classic topics such as documentary research" using the various resources made available to them by the University, but also everything they can find in open access," explains the trainer. The management of bibliographic references using the Zotero tool also remains in high demand among both students and teachers.
In addition to these fairly traditional courses, the SCD is also considering more innovative proposals for the 2022-2023 academic year, such as a course on fake news, literature reviews, information skills, and bi-monthly workshops on monitoring and digital identity. "Our goal is for these courses to be useful to students in their academic and even professional careers, and to promote their academic success. And we can see that when students are happy with what they have learned, they talk about it to others or to teachers, who then come to us for more."
"Making connections"
Changing hats! As part of her second assignment, she is no longer involved in training but rather in research support, as Camille Tedesco explains: "In concrete terms, I help researchers manage the data they produce as part of their research projects. The mission is divided into two areas: one focusing on openaccess publishing, which was set up at UM in 2017, and another more specific area focusing on research data, or open data , which we have been working on since 2020." This is a rapidly evolving field that is undergoing national and international restructuring, and one in which researchers often need to be listened to and guided.
"My job is to find the right tools and best practices for each researcher, discipline, or doctoral student—those that are best suited to their needs, their discipline, and their specific research project. We connect them with the resources and tools they need. "It's a mission for which Camille Tedesco doesn't have any ready-made answers, but in which she provides support and guidance, referring them to other services where necessary, to ultimately offer a fully personalized solution. Here again, monitoring and updating are essential in order to keep abreast of the latest national, European, and international policies, as well as the full range of services offered at the University.
"A small spark"
These missions are in line with current needs but still struggle to reach the relevant audience despite the efforts of the joint documentation service: "We are present at major events in collaboration with other university departments. For example, we contact all new ANR research project leaders and offer bi-monthly thematic webinars that we broadcast with the DRED and DIPA."But word of mouth is still the best form of promotion, especially if students, teachers, or researchers come away satisfied or even surprised by the training.
So Camille looks for "that little spark, that look that lights up when they understand what I'm explaining to them and how useful it will be to them"in the eyes of those she trains. I think that's one of the most satisfying moments in my job!" And what about books? "I don't touch any as part of my job,"concludes Camille Tedesco, illustrating the diversity of profiles and professions found in university libraries today.