Supporting Digital Scholarship

As part of my work at the Coalition for Networked Information, I have been exploring a number of topics related to the support of digital scholarship in a wide range of disciplines. I have examined a number of models, most based in academic libraries, in both research universities and liberal arts colleges. An increasing number of academic libraries are establishing digital scholarship centers or labs. In this talk, we.ll look at commonalities and differences among them and I will describe some of the key features. Interestingly, most programs have a connection to teaching and learning, often undergraduate education, as well as to research initiatives. One of the questions that emerges is what is meant by such terms as "support", "providing services", "building partnerships", and "community". How might we think about the relationship between what the primary researcher (faculty member) does and the information professionals that work with him or her? What are the characteristics and skill sets needed to work as part of a digital projects team? I will show examples of the kinds of facilities being developed in libraries and discuss such topics as scalability and sustainability. The CNI report will be useful background information for the talk.