TRLN Research Hubs Seminar:NCSU Libraries

Steve MorrisInterim Associate Director for the Digital Library

November 4, 2014

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Background and Overview

Webster definition of “hub”:

The central and most active part or place

Two Main Libraries

Collaboration SpacesFaculty Research Commons Graduate Student Commons

Group Study Rooms

• Adaptable furniture• Collaborative computing• Video conferencing• Abundant options

Creation Spaces

• Video editing/production• Audio production• Video conferencing• Makerspace• Capture, review, edit, share

Visualization and Brainstorming SpacesTeaching & Viz Lab Creativity Studio

Visualization Studio

• Teaching & research• Technology R&D• Immersive environments• Simulation• Active collaboration

Large scale Interactive Display SpacesGaming Lab

iPearl Immersion Theater

• Game research• Simulation & visualization• Presentation• Data analysis & problem solving

Webster definition of “hub”:

The central and most active part or place

Webster definition of “hub”:

The central and most active part or place

• Service points• Ask Us (single service point) at Hill and Hunt

• Special Collections, Makerspace (new)

• Supported spaces (e.g.)• High tech spaces (Viz, collaborative, gaming, …)

• Faculty and Graduate Commons

• Digital Media Lab and media production facilities

• Specialized workstations (GIS, gaming and development)

• Behind the scenes and by consultation (e.g.)• Copyright and Digital Scholarship

• Digital repository (scholarly pubs, ETDs, tech reports)

• Data management planning

• Render farm, display wall content creation

Spokes and Mini-hubs

Organizational Models and Partnerships

• Ask Us: Blended support by 3 departments• Coordination between public services staff and

technology staff on support of spaces• Cross-departmental team for review of requests for

high tech spaces• Internal teams

• Research Data Committee

• Visualization Services Team

• MicroTile Content Programming Team

• Technology Partnerships Team

• Etc.

Library organizational model

• Geospatial: OIT, Natural Resources• Site licenses, training, data server, community

• Visualization: RENCI, Design, Engineering• RENCI staff, community, Hunt/Hill tech spaces

• Gaming: Digital Games Research Center• Gaming Lab design, Studio class project

• Digital Humanities: Humanities & Soc. Sci.• Visualization Studio (Hill), community, signature projects

• Makerspaces• Community

Campus partnerships: Examples

Staffing and Training

• Increased reliance on student workers• Single service point (Ask Us)

• Makerspace

• Technology support for high tech spaces

• Digital media production

• Application development in support of spaces

• Tiered and blended support for technology spaces• Public services staff on front lines, consulting, hosting

• Technology support as needed

• Need a process for saying “No”

• Still a work in progress

Staffing for support of spaces

• “We’re all public services now”• IT Department: Academic Technology

• Digital Library Initiatives: DH, Visualization, Digital Media

• Collection Management: Research Data Management

• Incubating new services and new roles (retooling)• Research Data Committee

• Visualization Services Team

Evolving Roles in Research Support (1)

• New functionally-focused positions• Academic Technology Librarian (IT)

• Director of Visualization Services (DLI)

• Digital Research & Scholarship Librarian (DLI)

• Director of Research Data Services (Coll. Management)

• Research Librarian for Science Informatics (Nat. Res.)

• Emerging roles• Statistical analysis

• Data wrangling

• Text mining

• Measuring impact

Evolving Roles in Research Support (2)

Source: VALVE Handbook for New Employees, 2012

Infrastructure and Technology

Two Main Libraries

Plans for the Future

• User convenience, one-stop shopping• Immediate proximity for referral• Consolidated faculty/grad/undergrad services• Crossroads for serendipitous interactions• Visibility, advertisement, “Social proof”• Centralized support

Advantages of a Central Hub

So what to do without a central hub …?

1) Create a virtual hub

New Research Support Portal on Libraries’ Website

2) Increase visibility of services in physical spaces

• Reservable consultation space• High end computer, software (GIS, viz, stats)• Both private and visible• “Social proof” and advertising

• Mini-theater• 30-50 seat space• Community programming

• Coffee and Viz seminar series• Workshops

DH Hill Faculty Research Commons

New DH Hill Makerspace

Space for workshops

3D Printers, soldering irons, and other tools

Visitor space

Pop Up Events and Workshops

Digital Canvases as Social Hubs

3) Experiment in existing central spaces

DH Hill as testing ground

• Physical space: distributed mini-hubs and spokes• Staff shifting into new functional roles• More staff/departments publicly facing• New virtual research hub• Use digital canvases and spaces to spur interaction• DH Hill as setting for new experimentation• Adaptation of innovations Hunt > Hill > Hunt > Hill …

Conclusion