Building Cross-campus Relationships in Research Support Services

Robust, sustainable provision of research support services such as research data management, research information management, and research analytics requires careful attention to social interoperability—the creation and maintenance of working relationships between individuals and organizational units around the campus—to promote effective collaboration across internal silos. Research support is an enterprise-scale activity, involving units like the library, the research office, campus IT, and many others

This presentation provides an overview of findings from the recent OCLC Research report “Social Interoperability in Research Support: Cross-Campus Partnerships and the University Research Enterprise.” The report explores the social and structural norms that shape cross-campus collaboration; offers a conceptual model of key university stakeholders in research support; provides an overview of the goals, interests, expertise, and crucially, the importance of cross-campus relationships for these stakeholders; and concludes with recommendations for establishing and maintaining successful cross-campus relationships. 

The report is based on a synthesis of information gathered from interviews conducted with practitioners from a wide range of campus stakeholders in research support. Attendees will take away a deeper understanding of the campus stakeholders involved in major categories of research support services and learn techniques for establishing and sustaining partnerships with these stakeholders.