Pamella R. Lach and Brian Rosenblum
In the spring of 2016, the University of Kansas Libraries piloted Research Sprints: One Week, One Project, a program aimed at cultivating relationships with faculty through deep…
Abstract
Purpose
In the spring of 2016, the University of Kansas Libraries piloted Research Sprints: One Week, One Project, a program aimed at cultivating relationships with faculty through deep project-based engagement.
Methodology/approach
Three faculty members, matched with a team of library experts, worked intensively to complete a research or pedagogic project for one week in May. Critical to the program’s success was the use of project management methodologies and tools. These tools were essential to identifying task dependencies, developing workflows, and documenting work processes.
Findings
The overall success of the Sprints demonstrated to faculty that library staff can be more than one-shot consultants; faculty collaborators learned first hand that the library can be a true partner throughout the scholarly process. As an approach to user engagement, Sprints pose some considerations for library management, including the need for robust staff training in project management and teambuilding, internal resistance to utilizing project management tools, difficulty finding staff time and resources to commit for a short but high-concentrated period, and the need to align projects with staff expertise and availability.
Originality/value
This chapter provides an assessment of the Sprints pilot, addressing some of the implications, potential benefits, and challenges of adopting and adapting Research Sprints to support library work. It will be of interest to project managers and library staff who are considering integrating project management methods into their outreach and services, and provides examples of how project management can inform library efforts to more deeply collaborate in advancing the scholarly work of local research and teaching communities.
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Holly Mercer, Brian Rosenblum and Ada Emmett
The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of KU ScholarWorks, the University of Kansas' institutional repository, and the various strategies used to promote and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of KU ScholarWorks, the University of Kansas' institutional repository, and the various strategies used to promote and populate it.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes how KU ScholarWorks came into being, and discusses the variety of activities employed to publicize the repository and encourage faculty to deposit their work. In addition, the paper discusses some of the concerns expressed by faculty members, and some of the obstacles encountered in getting them to use the repository. The paper concludes with some observations about KU's efforts, an assessment of the success of the program to date, and suggests some next steps the program may take.
Findings
The paper found that KU ScholarWorks has relied on a “self‐archiving” model, which requires regular communication with faculty and long‐term community building. Repository content continues to grow at a steady pace, but uptake among faculty has been slow. In the absence of mandates requiring faculty to deposit work, organizations running institutional repositories must continue to aggressively pursue a variety of strategies to promote repositories to faculty and encourage them to deposit their scholarship.
Originality/value
KU's experience will help other institutions develop institutional repositories by providing examples of marketing strategies, and by promoting a greater understanding of faculty behavior and concerns with regard to institutional repositories.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the “Sofia 2008: Globalization and the Management of Information Resources” conference, held in Sofia, Bulgaria in November…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the “Sofia 2008: Globalization and the Management of Information Resources” conference, held in Sofia, Bulgaria in November 2008.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper gives an outline of the issues, content, speakers, participants, social networking and location of this conference.
Findings
The Sofia 2008 conference offered an excellent balance of informative presentations and social opportunities to meet other attendees and to discuss current topics in libraries, information management, and LIS education.
Originality/value
The paper provides a report of the biennial international conference of value to international information and library professionals and LIS educators.
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Catie DeMets and Alfonso Morales
Farmers markets act as a nexus between farmers, community members and social values, and can foster significant community and environmental benefits. However, some of these…
Abstract
Purpose
Farmers markets act as a nexus between farmers, community members and social values, and can foster significant community and environmental benefits. However, some of these benefits, including agricultural sustainability, are rarely measured or publicized, restricting the full potential of markets and their associated actors to generate public benefits. This study aims to consider how markets, planners and policymakers might address this gap to promote a healthy environment and climate change mitigation.
Design/methodology/approach
In this article, the authors discuss their efforts to advance the above opportunity by developing, in collaboration with 20 farms across the USA, a citizen science data collection tool that measures and translates farm “ecosystem services” into accessible, public-facing formats to support informed farmer and consumer decision-making.
Findings
The authors present takeaways from exploratory interviews with three farmer-collaborators, which illustrate how tools like ours can help farmers in myriad ways: setting benchmarks to measure on-farm improvement over time, legitimizing their work through scientific grounding, communicating environmental impacts to public audiences, increasing sales to fund sustainability efforts, gaining competitive edge and others.
Practical implications
More broadly, the article exemplifies how marketplaces can strengthen symbiotic linkages between individuals, community allies and social goals through data measurement and communication, and reflects on how planners and policymakers might support these connections to advance public purposes.
Originality/value
This research responds uniquely to a critical need identified by practitioners and academics to expand understanding and awareness of the ecosystem services farms provide.
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Travis Weller and Amalia Monroe-Gulick
– The purpose of this paper is to better understand the data practices, influences and needs of researchers at a major public research institution.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the data practices, influences and needs of researchers at a major public research institution.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the results of a pre-tested, web-based survey of University of Kansas faculty, staff, researchers and graduate students.
Findings
Influences on data practices and data needs vary with the research methodology and academic discipline of the researcher.
Practical implications
Academic libraries may need to adjust the services they offer to meet the varying needs of researchers in differing disciplines using differing methodologies.
Originality/value
This study adds to the developing literature describing research data management.