Abstract
In this article we evidence some of the opportunities which the Research Excellence Framework (REF) open access agenda has created for closer collaboration between the Library Research Support Team and the Research Office at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Drawing on personal reflections and shared experiences, we suggest that this new co-operative spirit has yielded three important outcomes.First, it has allowed for the dismantling of research support silos and forms of duplication. Second, it has enhanced the visibility and profile of research within academic departments and across the University as a whole. Thirdly, it has enabled relationships and engagement to be developed beyond our institution, allowing us to learn from others. This leads us to further suggest that in the context of research support within an institution, the library should take an active role to engage with collaborative forms of research support.
Highlights
Background to collaborationCollaborating to meet university and strategic initiatives and goals is not a ‘the scope of what we new concept, most certainly not with libraries
Our own Research Support Team was created as a direct result of the open access (OA) requirements for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. (REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.) The REF required an adherence to an OA repository set-up and a focus on impact, collaboration and public engagement
To meet the increasing research support demand, our small team came into existence in August 2015, and members of the team immediately had to be strategic about how we went about supporting the research needs of the University
Summary
Our own Research Support Team was created as a direct result of the open access (OA) requirements for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. (REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.) The REF required an adherence to an OA repository set-up and a focus on impact, collaboration and public engagement. Our own Research Support Team was created as a direct result of the open access (OA) requirements for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. (REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.) The REF required an adherence to an OA repository set-up and a focus on impact, collaboration and public engagement. As with many other universities, previously LJMU had principally supported researchers via academic liaison librarians. To meet the increasing research support demand, our small team (which consists of 2.2 full-time equivalent posts, including a Research Support Manager, an Open Access and Digital Scholarship Librarian and a Research Support Librarian) came into existence in August 2015, and members of the team immediately had to be strategic about how we went about supporting the research needs of the University. The scope of what we could do was vast; the tricky bit was trying to narrow down our focus within our limited personnel resources
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