Nina Exner
Research Data Librarian
Virginia Commonwealth University
Stephen Bollinger
Assoc. Professor / Head of Library Systems
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
The “office of research” (under any name) at large campuses is a complex and heterogeneous organization. Most deal in funder trends, regulatory pressures, and disciplinary trends. It is natural to have a reactive perspective, because there is so much to react to. Thus, changes in digital scholarship are often invisible to many of these professionals until they become part of the regulatory landscape. To better support the research enterprise campuswide, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s (NC A&T) library took a liaison approach 10 years ago to building relationships to support the research enterprise. Over time, the original liaison went to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to focus on data services, and the systems librarian took over her liaison work at NC A&T. This presentation will share the origin of this project, how it continued at NC A&T, and how research liaison insights affected VCU. In the process, we will share a primer of some of the diverse professional perspectives in the office of research. This understanding will help librarians and technologists understand the range of potential collaborations with professionals in the office of research.
