Librarians' involvement with CRIS developments: the St Andrews perspective

Research evaluation - is it our business? 29 Jun 2011

Jeremy UptonDeputy Director Library Services

IntroductionStrong advocate for involvement•Institution view: research intensive, research lead teaching•Huge benefits to Library Service

Time when many developments seem to be coming together: •Open Access•Impact•Research profile•Digital communication

= Efficiencies from interacting and working together

Library is a natural partners as fit in with our philosophy of distribution of knowledge

Summary

• History: our journey to closer co-operation

• Where we are now

• What we deliver to the Research Office and Institution

• Benefits for the Library– Repository Assistant post

History• Repository work with ePrints:

HaIRST project• Understanding basic issues

surrounding repositories, developing key skill set

• Re-launch of Repository activity driven by need for e-thesis service

• Driven by academic desire for e-thesis service

• Library shown to support an institutional research need

Developing e-theses service“The success of the current service is very dependent on key partnerships which have been established between relevant agencies within the institution.”

History

• Desire to support other types of publication activity

• Awareness of Business improvement project to develop Research Expertise Database (RED)

• Shared understanding of value of reusing data• Importance of standards

Repository

• Full text• Public access• Copyright issues• Files and content• Bibliographic data quality

Publications database

• Research Assessment• Limited access• Reporting• Data gathering• Bibliographic data quality

Links with Research Expertise Database“To establish good communication and practice in centralised and coordinated development of both databases.”

Library

Business Improvements

History

• RAE• “Why would you need to be involved”• University request for staff

– Team lead by senior liaison librarian– 3 other support staff– Recognition of wide range of relevant skills

• Use of repository for unpublished outputs

Research Policy Office Library

The story so far• Digital Research Repository + Research Expertise database

• Technical links between systems

• Regular meetings between Library and data architect

• Established relationship between Research Policy Office and Library

• Reporting to research steering group on RAE progress and e-theses developments

• Solid foundation for library involvement with CRIS procurement

• Recognising need for robust system that fits existing infrastructure

• Joint procurement with Aberdeen University

• Shared vision, exchange of ideas

• Rebranding of Repository: Research@St Andrews: Full text

• Research Assessment the main (but not only) driver

Publications

Fed Out

Research

Information

System

REF, RCUK

SFC, HESA

HEI – Strategic

Planning

Public, Media Recognition / Impact

Industry / SME’s

Interface

Collaborations

Research Pools

Pulled In

Student

Records

Grants,

Projects, KT

Human

Resources

Finance

Manual

Input

Entered

Web of Science,

arXiv, PubMed…

Har

vest

ed

Full Text

Repository

Open Access

Link

ed

Bibtex, RefmanU

plo

ad

ed

Pure Team

Library knowledge and skills

How we give to the process

Collaboration

Benefits for the Library

• Appointment Assistant Library Repository Officer

• Key tasks:– Improve and embed workflow

for depositing content

– Ensure funder compliance

– Encourage OA and deposit of high quality outputs

– Develop alternative publication models

Pure demos to SchoolsOpportunity for all issues to be

discussed

Research Funding Office

Wellcome Trust Open Access fund

Figure 2. The complex of AGME Y140F with ADP-β-D-mannose.

Joined-up thinking

An image of the atmospheric jet stream, obtained from an idealised computer simulation, but one using extraordinary resolution, far higher than ever used before.  The computer methods have been developed in St Andrews, and there is a proposal under development to apply these highly efficient methods to markedly improve weather forecasting and climate modelling. Photo supplied by David Dritschel

Serendipity

Web presence

http://biology.st-andrews.ac.uk/research.aspx#phdtheses

Supporting internal publishing

Where we are now• Publications – full text more than doubled since launch of Pure• Funder mandates – procedures and points of communication

established• OJS – Pilot with Art History and Theology journals, with others

interested

Where we are now

• CRIS provides the infrastructure

• Research office provide direction and encouragement

• Library provides integrated support across wide range of areas

Where next?• Appetite and culture now more suitable for a managed approach• Use senior management buy-in to CRIS to push the value of Library

support for research management

• More contacts with grants office, finance and admin staff in Schools• Exploring links with grant applications• Importing and linking funder data

• Measuring progress and establishing evidence of success • Contribution of Repository and Library work to impact

• Restructure of Library research support

Images of St Andrews ©University of St AndrewsImages of people ©individuals and used with permission

Jeremy Upton: jeremy.upton@st-andrews.ac.uk

Janet Aucock: ja@st-andrews.ac.uk