‘Research Planning @ UNE’: Creating a HDR training offering through university wide collaboration- The emergence of SOL:AR

Eleanor Colla, Research Relationships Manager

Kylie Burgess, Research Data Lead

University of New England Library

Background – The University of New England (UNE)

Landscape

• Regional and Remote
• Small University

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Small Library

• Five liaison librarians
• Four specialist roles
• Executive team

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Higher Degree Research Students (HDRs)

• Online
• Distinct research areas
• Mature age
• Part-time

The need for review

• 2018-2019 was a focus on embedding digital literacies in pre-existing training
• See: THETA presentation on this (Colla & Reeson, 2019)

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• Now that this was established, we wanted:
• A ‘research lifecycle’ approach that provided a narrative throughout the information/research literacy
• A more collaborative approach (within the portfolio and across the institution)

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• Adapt and embed the Library into UNE’s strategic plans:
• Research Integrity
• Business Intelligence Group project
• Data
• Open

Why this isn’t a Library-centered project

Culture at UNE Library is:

• We offer a broad service across many information literacy areas
• Don’t have a team of people dedicated to one certain area
• Thus we collaborate when and where we can

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Strategic initiative

• Research Portfolio (where almost all of our non-Library colleagues sit) and the Learning/Teaching Portfolio (where Library sits) need to collaborate more

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As a small institution we can’t afford to Silo or Knowledge Hoard

• We know (most) of our colleagues (in and out of the Library)
• There aren’t ‘teams’ working on ‘that already’- maybe one person, but probably not
• So we all need to adapt and/or collaborate
• eg, with eResearch, Academic Skills Office

AIRS adaption

• Kylie joined UNE in September 2019
• Had worked on Advanced Information Research Skills (AIRS) at QUT
• Well-grounded knowledge
• Wanted to revamp Data space

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• Supports UNE’s Open agenda by being Creative Commons
• Could show an example to interested stakeholders
• Saving us time

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• Don’t need to reinvent the wheel

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• Know it is a successful information literacy model and has been successfully adapted

What - SOL:AR

• Coordinated
• For both staff
• And students
• A single place for information research literacy

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• Self-paced Online Learning: Advanced Research
• Online
• Open
• For HDRs
• Self-paced

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Who

• Working group
• Non-Faculty aligned professional staff
• All have content to add to SOL:AR
• All can allow time to work on this
• Strategy group
• A group to check in with, ask direction from, etc
• Both Non-Faculty and Faculty-based
• Library manager, Research Office manager, subject-matter Librarians, Chair of Research Committee, academic representative, student representative
• Audience
• HDRs

How - Stage 1: Thinking Thoughts

1. Chatting about the idea, recognising the gaps, and thinking about how we might be able to fill them
2. Floating ideas and leveraging established relationships
1. Our non-library colleagues were involved in initial conversations
2. Able to happen because we sit in Research Office so could discuss with them
3. Allowed them to have vital input at the embryonic stage
• Eg, include Research Committee
• Think about B.I.G. project
• Get in touch with [name]
1. Discussing with our direct reports and finding out where it fits in the Library and portfolio strategy

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Stage 2: Writing Words and Forming A Team

1. Wrote proposal document for Library Leadership Team approval
2. Formally met with colleagues outside of the Library
3. Formed Working Group
4. Formed Strategy Group

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• Thinking about presentations and publications
• Put in application for RSCD
• Thinking about Ethics approval

Stage 3: Getting Down To Business

• Current stage
• Working group meeting regularly
• Mapping AIRS to UNE
• What do we already have
• What do we not need
• What do we need to create
• What do we do that we can incorporate
• Thinking about platforms, communication, overall buy-in, modes, and points of feedback

Initial Outcomes

• Audit has allowed areas involved to be more aware of double-ups and gaps in service delivery
• Research Office and some Faculties would already like SOL:AR mandated for HDRs
• Initial conversations with people on working group- really want a ‘research hub’
• Contextualised SOL:AR as the first part of Online Researcher Building Information Training (ORBIT)
• Working Group hopes ORBIT will include Research Integrity training, Induction, Graduate Research School, etc

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SOL:AR

Induction

GRS

ORBIT

Issues We Have Encountered

• From ad hoc to formalised
• UNE Library has been running ‘on the fly’ for so long
• Now we have complete teams, a strategic vision, and formalised projects
• Can be difficult to go from ‘just doing what you feel like’ to ‘we need to run this past our managers before we say ‘yes’’ mentality
• Timelines
• Just because we have one, doesn’t mean everyone has one
• (not) Managing other people’s time or commitments
• Whilst people can contribute (and want to) this is not their focus
• How do we support them when they’re busy?
• How can the project progress without their input?
• Who is the Business Owner?
• Scope creep

‘Research Lifecycle Approach’

• We have taken on a research lifecycle approach
• Helpful because it:
• Forms an overall narrative when creating SOL:AR
• Re/focusing the scope of the project
• Allows other service delivery points to be slotted in
• Assists students in seeing how interconnected these resources are

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• Have found that AIRS summarises content very well before contextualising it
• UNE needs to provide more of this context

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• Liminal space
• RLA assists in sign-posting key milestones within the liminal space that is being an HDR student

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Closing Comments

• We have not done this type of project before
• Learning experiences
• Flexible and agile - time commitments, needs of users
• Very thankful of AIRS as a guide

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• This project is further strengthening a collaborative link between the Library, other areas in the portfolio, and various areas in the Research Office

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• We are aware that similar issues are happening in the undergrad space at UNE, this project may be a blueprint

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Thank-you and Questions

Eleanor Colla

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ecolla@une.edu.au

Kylie Burgess

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kburge22@une.edu.au

• Stay in contact-
• Writing a series of posts for The Librarian Parlor
• Twitter
• @eleanorcolla
• @itskylieburgess