A atuação do bibliotecário no contexto do big data: estudo bibliométrico na base de dados Dimensions

Abstract

The perception that librarians’ roles are limited to the physical space of libraries and the organization of books on shelves still persists, albeit mistakenly. However, the growing relevance of Big Data introduces new contexts and challenges that significantly expand the professional scope of librarianship. This study aimed to map contemporary scientific literature on the role of librarians within the Big Data ecosystem, focusing on the description and characterization of authors, journals, research themes, areas of practice, and knowledge gaps. A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data from the Dimensions database, covering the period from 2012 to 2024. Productivity, citation, and term co-occurrence indicators were analyzed, with the aid of VOSviewer software to generate keyword co-occurrence networks. Results reveal a growing body of literature, marked by interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between Information Science and Computer Science. Most publications appear in scholarly journals, with a notable concentration of authors and outlets in the United States, alongside meaningful contributions from other countries. The findings indicate that librarians are increasingly assuming strategic roles in data curation, organization, and accessibility, going beyond traditional tasks. The prominence of terms such as management, service, and especially research data management (RDM)—closely linked to librarian in co-occurrence networks—highlights librarians’ active involvement in managing research data. The study concludes that librarians play a key role in mediating access to large volumes of data and underscores the need for specialized skills in data management, digital curation, and information and media literacy..