ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the key issues to consider when planning or improving the support that an academic institution provides for its researchers. It considers the work of researchers, to examine the different groups that exist within universities and understand the researcher lifecycle'. The chapter draws on some of the literature in this area, including recent research commissioned and undertaken by Research Information Network (RIN) and Vitae. Both these organisations are valuable sources of training and advice for researchers and for the research support community. The chapter focuses on the support offered by Centre for Learning Technology (CLT). It is common in academic libraries to have subject librarians, sometimes called liaison librarians or academic support librarians, who act as a first port of call for academic staff in a department. Supporting researchers in the digital age is a challenging, rewarding and expanding area of work for academic libraries and related support services in higher education.
