“OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO” together: Case studies in cross-institutional collaboration

To develop robust research support services throughout the entire research life cycle, individuals and units from across the university, including the library, must collaborate beyond internal silos. To ensure user adoption and project success, libraries must address the “social ‘stuff’” by building trusted relationships, securing buy-in, and managing resistance. A recent OCLC Research report called this specific type of soft skill “social interoperability,” and defined it as the ability to create and maintain working relationships between individuals and organizational units that promote collaboration, communication, and mutual understanding.

The need to work effectively across campus is particularly true for the new generation of research support services like data management, RIM systems, and research analytics where services are distributed across many stakeholder units, including research administration, campus IT, colleges, departments . . . and, of course, the library. In this presentation, we will share an overview of the challenges, opportunities, and imperative for cross-campus collaboration, offering strategies and tactics that anyone can apply to increase their own “social interoperability.”

Panelists from Syracuse University and the University of Waterloo will provide real-world case studies of successful cross-campus social interoperability. At Syracuse, the library has reorganized internally and developed relationships externally with the Office of Research in order to build a suite of services around research information management, open scholarship, and research impact. Waterloo is also working successfully with the Office of Research, central IT, and other campus stakeholders to develop an institutional research data management strategy that fosters research excellence and imagines how lasting collaboration can deliver effective services.