Rouages: “Building connections between people and tools”
Camille Tedesco is the training and research support coordinator at the Joint Documentation Service (SCD). Based at the Richter University Library—but a far cry from the traditional image of a librarian—she gives us a glimpse into her work as part of the “Rouages” video series produced by the University of Montpellier.
“Students and faculty still have a somewhat outdated image of university libraries; they aren’t necessarily aware of all the services we can provide,” Camille Tedesco observes, without a trace of resignation. In 2020, the young training and research support coordinator left Paris to join the team at the joint documentation service of theUM,“with the opportunity to work in the particularly pleasant setting of the Richter University Library while serving all campuses and disciplines.”
"May these training sessions be helpful to them"
“I know it sounds naive, but I really love the idea of coming to work every morning to be of service, to help people find solutions ,” continues Camille, whose work revolves around two main responsibilities, starting with training.“I train students in law, economics, business, and political science at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. ” The curriculum for these courses includes standard topics such as literature review“using the various resources made available to them by the University, as well as anything they can find through open access,” explains the instructor. Reference management using Zotero remains in high demand among both students and faculty.
In addition to these fairly traditional courses, the SCD is also considering more innovative offerings for the 2022–2023 academic year, such as a course on fake news, literature reviews, and information literacy, as well as bimonthly workshops on monitoring trends and digital identity.“Our goal is for these training sessions to be useful to students in their academic and even professional careers, and to help them succeed in their studies. And as we’ve seen, when a student is happy with what they’ve learned, they tell others or their professors, who then reach out to us.”
"Making Connections"
A change of role! As part of her second assignment, she’s no longer focused on training but on research support, as Camille Tedesco explains: “In practical terms, I help researchers manage the data they generate as part of their research projects. This role is divided into two areas: a publication track focused on openaccess, which was established at theUM in 2017, and a more specific track on research data— that is, open data —which we’ve been working on since 2020.” It’s a rapidly evolving field that’s currently being structured at both the national and international levels, and one in which researchers often need someone to listen to them and guide them.
“My job is to find the right tools and best practices for each researcher, each discipline, or each doctoral student—the ones that will be best suited to their needs, their discipline, and their specific research project. We connect them with the relevant resources and tools. ” It’s a role in which Camille Tedesco doesn’t have ready-made answers, but rather supports, guides, and refers researchers to other services when necessary, ultimately offering a fully personalized solution. Here, too, staying informed and up to date is essential—not only to keep abreast of the latest national, European, and international policies but also to understand the full range of services offered by the University.
"A Little Spark"
These initiatives are aligned with current needs but still struggle to reach the relevant audience, despite the efforts of the Joint Documentation Service:“We’re there for 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 host in collaboration with the DRED and the DIPA.”But word of mouth remains the most effective method, especially when students, faculty, or researchers leave the training satisfied or even surprised by what they’ve learned.
So Camille looks for“that little spark, that look that lights up the moment they understand what I’m explaining and just how useful it will be to them”in the eyes of the people she trains. “I think that’s one of the most rewarding moments in my job!” And what about books?“I don’t touch any of them as part of my job,”concludes Camille Tedesco, illustrating the diversity of roles and professions found in university libraries today.