Systematiske litteratursøk til salgs: Ny tjeneste fra biblioteket

The popularity of the review article as a publication type has increased dramatically during the last decades. As the number of single studies published each year has reached staggering heights, the need to summarize or synthesize these has proportionally increased. As one of their core services libraries throughout Norway provides access for their users to as much of the published research as possible. Unfortunately, that is not equivalent to enabling the users to locate relevant research. This is a challenge often requiring a special skill set and expertise in literature searching, both which is often found among specialized librarians. Requests from researchers at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (formerly Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences) for assistance from the librarians in performing systematic literature searches was the basis in developing the literature search service described in this article. How a typical request for a literature search is handled, what the product comprises and which aspects that will be prioritized in the future is expounded. Furthermore, the authors describe some of the experiences in launching this service as a service charging the researchers for librarian assistance on an hourly basis. Finally, challenges and unresolved issues are commented on.