A new study is underway to investigate the role of research libraries in this moment of substantial strategic change and post- pandemic.
The study, conducted by the Association of Research Libraries in the US and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries examines research universities’ strategic directions and what information services they need to support their strategies. The report will provide clear evidence and inform a shared narrative about the valued role of research libraries now and in the future.
The study will be presented at the Jisc and CNI- leader conference, an event organised by the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) together with Jisc.
Clifford Lynch, CNI’s executive director, says: “There is no doubt the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the research landscape. Through the conference theme, ‘frontiers in research practice – the university library as a catalyst’, we will be exploring topics such as research continuity, data science, open scholarship, future research environments and evolving research collections.”
The conference will explore the pivotal role the library plays in supporting a university’s research enterprise to adapt to new technologies and workflows, and in realising the potential any disruption will offer.
Neil Grindley, Jisc’s head of content and resource discovery, says: “Improvements in technology and scholarly communications practices have helped position universities to meet the challenges of the pandemic. As we continue to face an increasingly uncertain and disruption-prone future, our attention must turn to improving our resilience more broadly. This year’s Jisc and CNI conference offers insights on how these organisations can equip themselves and respond”.
Confirmed speakers include Rachel Bruce, head of Open Research at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), who will outline how the funder’s forthcoming open access policy will drive change. Keynote speaker Francine Berman, Hamilton distinguished professor of computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), will address challenges around knowledge representation and discovery, and how the library can be catalyst for change.
Find out more about the programme and speaker line-up for the Jisc and CNI leaders conference, taking place online from 7-9 July 2021. Tickets are on sale now.
