Celebrating librarian impact this National Library Week
April 22, 2026
By Library Connect
Librarians do far more than connect people with information - you help shape research journeys, strengthen academic communities, and ensure knowledge is accessible, discoverable, and meaningful.
For National Library Week, we’re highlighting five stories that show how librarians around the world are making an impact as they navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape, foster essential research skills, and advance academic excellence and innovation.
Take a moment with us to celebrate the great work your peers are doing—and to also thank you for the profound impact you make every day on research, learning, and discovery.
Helping early career researchers with essential publishing skills
For early career researchers the journey from results to published article can seem like a path of hidden obstacles. As Silvia Sheffield from the North Carolina (NC) State University Libraries sees it, “there are a lot of different elements: not only where to submit, but where not to submit. Should I share this research through a conference or a journal? How should I think about open access?”
At NC State, Silvia and her colleagues Hilary Davis and Bertha Chang saw an opportunity for the library to offer workshops targeting these questions. In this article, we share their insights on the needs of early career researchers and tips on how libraries can collaborate with publishers to address them.
Realigning digital library resources with institutional goals
The University of Johannesburg’s Library and Information Centre was met with a need to transform access to essential resources while contributing to the university's strategic goals.
“The university is funded through its research output, and a lot of emphasis is placed on open science publishing to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) and build global stature for the university,” Faith Zalekile shared. She outlined how the library expanded support for open access publishing, taking on the challenge of covering more article processing charges (APCs) for researchers. By looking into how existing resources were allocated, the team was able to advance the university’s research priorities without requiring additional budget.
Building on this commitment to increasing access and research support, Nkhenso Sibuyi highlights the development of the Digital Scholarship Sphere (DSS)—a centralized hub designed to evaluate, train, and support researchers and students in using digital tools for research and study.
Measuring what matters: library-led insight at a National Laboratory
Understanding research impact has become a top priority at research institutions in recent years. This is especially true for institutions with government mandates to explore solutions on behalf of national interests.
At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory focused on chemistry, earth science, and innovations that protect critical infrastructure, understanding research performance can inform major decisions about resource allocation and future scientific direction. In this article, Mary Frances Lembo, a research librarian at PNNL, shares how two library-led initiatives have reshaped the way management engages with research impact data, enabling their decision-making and strategic planning.
The library as a publishing partner: bridging a gap in cancer care research
In September 2024, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s top-ranked hospital for cancer care, announced the launch of a new journal, Advances in Cancer Education & Quality Improvement (ACE-QI). ACE-QI is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that presents research in the education and professional practice aspects of cancer care.
In this article, Clara Fowler, Director of MD Anderson’s Research Medical Library, and Joshua Kuban, MD, Associate Vice President of the Department of Education & Alumni Relations, share how they leveraged their research library’s publishing platform, editorial expertise, and broad vision for scholarly communication to launch their new journal.
The power of strategic alliances for supporting institutional goals
On some university campuses, the library is still viewed solely as a program provider, with little acknowledgement of its potential to contribute strategically. Increasingly, libraries are seeking to change this.
When University of Mississippi was preparing to launch a new 10-year strategic plan back in 2010, there was an anticipatory buzz on campus. Melissa Dennis, who now heads up the library’s Research and Instruction (R&I) department, recalls: “Everybody was excited. It was an opportunity to think of all the fun and possible things we could do over the next decade, and the library definitely wanted to be a part of that.”
In this article, Melissa and her team member, Ashley S. Dees, share how the team’s close bonds with campus partners are helping them contribute to the university's mission while leveraging an existing program, its First Year Instructive Initiative (FYII), to support that goal.
Do you know a librarian who’s making a difference?
Nominate a library colleague today by sharing how they've created impact for their community.
