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Research : Activities : Testing the Desirability of Research Services

Testing the Desirability of Research Services

One of several activities supporting the research process in academic libraries, this activity sets out to test a list of research support services with a variety of researchers. The list exemplifies a user-centered approach, with services that researchers should like because they can make their work easier and help them in maintaining their scholarly reputation.  

A working group will finalize the list of services and then test them with researchers.  The goal is to identify what is wanted by researchers (and then to reflect on what we offer, what others offer, and what's missing)

Background

Following input from the 2008 RLG Partnership meeting, members of the RLG Research Information Management Interest Group indicated which four of eleven proposed activities were most important to their institution.  This one came in near the top.  A working group has been formed to define and advance the work.

Impact

Learning directly from researchers as to how their needs are being met for services in support of their research processes will help academic libraries prioritize their efforts.  If gaps are identified, they can be addressed.  If others are providing some adequate services, our efforts can be directed elsewhere.  Learning the intersections of service providers will help us collaborate to provide seamless support.

Audience

While researchers will provide input to this activity, the beneficiaries will be those in academic institutions who provide services to support the research process. 

Draft list of support services

  • provide you dedicated space on a server.
  • help you structure space to organize your notes, datasets, others' publications, presentations…
  • help you load it if you like.
  • back up your work.
  • ensure you can access your data remotely, no matter where you are.
  • provide tools for group work and version control at the file level.
  • help you manage your research, tracking who is involved in which grant, which research is funded by which grant, and purchasing grant-funded equipment.
  • help you negotiate publication rights.
  • help you comply with NIH and other requirements.
  • see that your work is disseminated broadly, quickly, and openly and that you get maximum impact for you and your university.
  • do the authority work to ensure you are credited for all your work, despite the various forms of your name used in indicating authorship.
  • keep your personal bibliography up-to-date.
  • provide you with a customizable personal web page.
  • include you in the campus expertise database and facilitate inclusion in disciplinary expert databases.
  • preserve your outputs in the institutional repository and facilitate inclusion in disciplinary repositories.
  • see that you can take your work with you if you leave this institution

Outputs

The outcome will be a better understanding of which research support needs are being met and which are not.  Findings will be reported and what is learned in this activity will serve as input for several other activities within the Research Information Management theme.

Team Members

Working Group:

  • Susan Ashworth,  University of Glasgow
  • Jeff Belliston, Brigham Young University
  • Niamh Brennan, Trinity College Dublin
  • Martha Brogan, University of Pennsylvania
  • Sten Christensen, University of Sydney
  • Judy Gardner, Rutgers University
  • Leah Krevit, Rice University
  • Zack Lane, Columbia University
  • Virginia Shih, University of California, Berkeley
  • Chair: Robin Green, University of Warwick



Last update: 11 August 2009.