The Touchdown Suite: How a Digital Environment Reshaped Librarians' Roles in Information Fluency

Abstract

An Information “Touchdown Suite” model, “offering a range of library services and resources supporting teaching, research and patient care activities” (Bryant, n.d.), was followed in an applied research environment affiliated with a tertiary cancer care facility to provide collaborative and customized information support, enhancing creativity, and critical thinking. This emerging space creates ample opportunities in how information fluency is adapted and evolves in this digital culture, by providing access to electronic material, facilitating networking, supporting interaction and promoting knowledge sharing via training programs, research group meetings, one-on-one consultations, webinar hosting, celebration events, and panel discussions. Ever since its first unveiling, the Touchdown Suite has seen a steady increase of traffic flow, as more and more users discover the potential of this space. As librarians, we embed ourselves in supporting the development of skills at all levels of understanding information, and view this space as continuing to engage both researchers and ourselves in knowledge creation, dissemination, and communication.