Participants & Methodology

About the Study | Participants & Methodology | Documents & Bibliography | Findings

Participants

The research team is made up of eight past or current recipients of CLIR's Postdoctoral Fellowships in Academic Libraries. Each study team member holds a Ph.D., has teaching experience, and currently works in libraries and archives. Some members of the team also hold master's degrees in library and information science. CLIR Fellows are trained to pay particular attention to the distinct roles that librarians, archivists, and scholars play within cultural and educational institutions and to promote productive dialogue between these synergistic professions. This project aims to put CLIR training into action while encouraging conversations across professional and disciplinary boundaries about the preservation, sustainability, and growth of special collections and archives. Staff from all projects funded through the Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program are invited to participate. CLIR does not require grant recipients to participate.

Methodology

Survey

The online survey asked questions about primary users, services provided, assessment, and the extent of scholars' involvement in the grant proposal and project development. Analysis of responses to the survey administered to the institutions funded in 2008 is included in the April 2010 interim report. For the survey findings and instrument, see Appendices A and B of that report. A cumulative analysis of survey results for both 2008 and 2009 recipients is included in the study's June 2011 interim report.

Site Visits

Each site visit was attended by one-to-two members of the team, along with one CLIR Program Officer. A typical site visit included a presentation by the study team, interviews with the project staff, interviews with scholars, and tours of the library or archive, including processing locations, and opportunities to see samples of items from the targeted collections. A critical aspect of the site visits was the opportunity to bring together key administrators, full-time and part-time project staff, and scholars for discussion about the broader vision for the project. The pressures under which staff normally work often leave little time for different groups of project stakeholders to build a shared vision; the team endeavors to create these kinds of opportunities.

Reporting

Preliminary Findings

Team members Kelly Miller, Gabrielle Dean, Patricia Hswe, and Christa Williford presented preliminary findings of the survey at the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section pre-conference in 2009. The key questions posed in their seminar were: "What is the role of the scholar in the 21st-century library and archival environment?" and "How do today's librarians, archivists, and scholars interact with one another to realize their distinct professional goals?" At the meeting of Hidden Collections programming staff in March 2010, team leader Kelly Miller summarized the first year's findings, after which project staff gave feedback that helped the team clarify concepts and refine plans for the study's second year.

Report, Year One

The April 2010 interim report is available in PDF.

Report, Year Two

The June 2011 interim report is available in PDF.