ACRL Roadshow Workshop: Scholarly Communications: From Understanding to Engagement

ACRL Once Again Offering the Scholarly Communications Road Shows in 2012 with New Programmatic Elements and Cost Sharing Model

May to August 2012

ACRL will once again be offering the Scholarly Communications Road show at a subsidized rate.  Now titled “Scholarly Communication: From Understanding to Engagement,” the road show was originally offered to raise awareness about scholarly communications in the community. ACRL initially underwrote the full costs of the then named “Scholarly Communications 101 - Starting with the Basics” program to support this goal.  The program has evolved from this central goal of awareness building and three successful years later, the program now supports in-depth training as institutions are developing scholarly communications programming. As the workshop’s goals have moved from raising awareness to training, the road show program is transitioning into an established ACRL professional development program in alignment with ACRL’s other offerings.

In 2012, the program will be expanded and enhanced to a full day workshop with more applied programmatic elements while still retaining much of the “101 basics” elements. The program will also move to a cost sharing model. In 2012-13, virtual program offerings will be developed.

The hosts for 2012 have been selected and announced publicly.

How it works:

5 workshops will be offered to institutions at partial cost. ACRL is committed to carrying the bulk of the costs for 2012 for successful applicants.

• Cost for successful host institutions is $2000.00.
• ACRL will underwrite the remaining costs.
• Applicants may choose to recover their costs through registration fees.

Program Description

The goal of the program is to empower participants to help accelerate the transformation of the scholarly communication system. Participants will engage in a structured interactive program that explores scholarly publishing, author rights and open access in practice.

Four modules focus on:

1. New methods of scholarly publishing and communication
2. Copyright and author rights
3. Economics
4. Open access and openness in practice

The workshop will help participants in very practical ways, such as: prepare for library staff or faculty outreach (i.e., working with faculty on publication agreements, interacting in their roles as liaisons, and developing programming for faculty and/or graduate students), contextualize collection development decisions to internal and external stakeholders, and initiate or support new models for scholarly communication in their libraries.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Enhance understanding of scholarly communication as a system to manage the results of research and scholarly inquiry.
• Increase their ability to examine, and initiate or support new models of scholarly communication (i.e., research & social interaction models such as blogs, new ways of peer review).
• Select and cite key principles, facts, and messages relevant to their own scholarly communication plans and programs (current or nascent).
• Identify concrete actions that they may take back to their institutions and in their positions to help accelerate the transformation of the scholarly communication system.

Who Should Attend

The workshop is appropriate for those with administrative responsibilities, with new leadership assignments in scholarly communication or digital publishing, as well as liaisons and any others who are seeking to advance their professional development in scholarly communication.

Successful Applicants Must

• Include participants from more than one institution.
• Minimum participation is 45, maximum of 100 individuals, to allow for maximum interactivity.
• Provide a statement of support from hosting authority, i.e. library director/dean, consortia/association administrator, or ACRL chapter leader.
• Provide a brief essay (1 page maximum) explaining what your institutions will do after the workshop to maintain momentum, engagement, and education on their campuses.
• Apply by 5:00 p.m. Central February 7, 2012.
• Host this event between late April - August 31, 2012.

Preference to

• Hosts who are organizational members of ACRL
• Diversity of institution types represented among participants (i.e. 2 year, liberal arts, masters comprehensive, doctoral)
• Diversity of types of library staff participating (i.e. liaison librarians, catalogers, access services staff, senior management)

Host Responsibilities

1) Registration

1. Marketing and publicity of the workshop (print, Web, e-mail)
2. May consider this as an opportunity to invite staff outside the library (i.e. research office, graduate college).
3. Management of selection process, if any
4. Management of registration process (i.e. issuing registration receipts, rosters, etc.)
5. Limit participation to 100 individuals (minimum participation is 45), to allow for maximum interactivity
6. Participant and presenter name badges
7. Collection and processing of any fee to be charged (more below in FAQs)

2) Event coordination and logistics to include:

1. Reservation of meeting space per room requirements provided by presenters
2. On-site A-V technology and support
3. Planning and associated costs of food and beverage for lunch and/or breaks (if any)
4. Printing and copying of handouts in advance
5. Volunteer staff as needed
6. Recommend lodging and ground transportation options to presenters
7. Communicate regularly with presenters regarding program and logistics

Application

The deadline to apply was February 7, 2012, 5pm Central. The hosts for 2012 have been selected and announced publicly.

The ACRL Scholarly Communications Committee will review applications, selecting five locations.  The committee will aim for geographic diversity and notify applicants of their status by Thursday, March 1, 2012.

Expert presenters may include:

• Ada Emmett, Associate Librarian for Scholarly Communications, Kansas University
• Molly Keener, Scholarly Communication Librarian, Wake Forest University 
• Joy  Kirchner, Scholarly Communications Coordinator, University of British Columbia Library
• Sarah Shreeves, Coordinator, IDEALS and Scholarly Commons, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Kevin L. Smith, J.D., Director, Scholarly Communications, Duke University
• Lee VanOrsdel, Dean of University Libraries, Grand Valley State University

Questions about the program or how to apply? Please contact Kara J. Malenfant, Scholarly Communications and Government Relations Specialist, ACRL, at kmalenfant(a)ala.org or 800/545-2433 ext. 2510.

*New this year: ACRL is also opening up the opportunity for the community to bring the program to their own institutions at full cost. Contact Kara Malenfant for details.

FAQs for Potential Hosts

1.) I’d like to find other institutions in my area so that we may submit an application together. Can you help?
Yes. Institutions may publicly express their intent to apply by posting a comment in the discussion at http://connect.ala.org/node/119513. We hope this helps you identify potential collaborators so that you can consider submitting a joint application.

2.) My institution applied to be a host in 2011 but was not selected. We’d like to be considered for this round. Do we have to apply again?
Applicants will need to update their preferred dates to host and may wish to make other revisions (to the essays or to identify new partners, for example). So we are asking you to resubmit your application. You may be able to reuse much of your previous application material, however, such as the letters of support. If you do not have a copy of your application and would like one, please contact Kara J. Malenfant, Scholarly Communications and Government Relations Specialist, ACRL, at kmalenfant(a)ala.org or 800/545-2433 ext. 2510.

3.) What advice can you offer about preparing a strong application? We were not selected in 2011 and would like to be considered again.
In 2011, so many applications were well-crafted, and applicants presented great arguments for their sites, which made it difficult to select only five. We had to decline many well-qualified institutions. Although we do not have specific feedback to share on each application, perhaps a few broad suggestions will help. In general, those who were selected in the past not only met the required criteria and most/all of the preferred criteria, but made a compelling case in their essays and letters around two key points. First, they showed that the 101 basic approach was the right level for their community. Second, they demonstrated that they had capacity to continue being engaged and illustrated concretely how they would maintain awareness among library staff.

4.) Who is the appropriate audience for this event? Would it be useful for faculty and graduate students as well as library staff?
The primary audience is librarians and library staff who need good grounding in these issues. As mentioned in the Program Description, "The workshop is appropriate for those with new leadership assignments in scholarly communication as well as subject liaisons and others who are interested in the issues and need foundational understanding." You'll also note, under Host Responsibilities, that hosts “May consider this as an opportunity to invite staff outside the library (i.e. research office, graduate college)". This workshop could well serve as a stepping stone for the library, perhaps along with campus partners, to organize a later event for graduate students and faculty.

5.) Can an ACRL Chapter apply to host this event? What about a library consortium or state association?
Yes, both types of organizations can serve as hosts. You'll see this referenced in the criteria for successful applicants, "Provide a statement of support from hosting authority, i.e. library director/dean, consortia/association administrator, or ACRL chapter leader."

6.) How long does the statement of support need to be?
We’d recommend keeping it brief, a few paragraphs at most. Remember, this is a competitive process so you’ll want to make a compelling argument throughout the application about why we should choose you!

7.) Could we hold the event later than August 31?
No, not for the subsidized program, in part as this marks the end of ACRL's fiscal year.  However, new this year institutions can choose to bring the workshop to their institutions at full cost and a timing of their choice.

8.) When is the earliest that the sessions could be scheduled?
It all depends on the presenters’ availability. Since decisions are being made by March 1, the very earliest we could reasonably expect presenters to arrange for time off work and book travel would be late April. This is why we ask for you to indicate 3 dates.

9.) Will the host institution be responsible for organizing travel, lodging or incidentals for the ACRL speakers?
ACRL will cover costs for travel and lodging. The presenters will make their own reservations. We expect the hosts to work with the presenters to recommend lodging and local ground transportation options and communicate regularly with presenters regarding program and logistics.

10.) Can the host charge a registration fee to cover costs (name badges, photocopies, snacks, $2000 fee)?
Hosts may divide costs among participant institutions. They may choose to charge a registration fee to cover their costs. We have designed this to be a very affordable event for hosts. We expect that the cost for name badges and photocopies of handouts will be nominal. We anticipate that hosts would not need to rent out space or pay for audio visual, but would have complimentary access to facilities and equipment on campus. It is optional whether you would like to include food and beverage (coffee, cookies, lunch, etc.) as part of the event.

If any registration fees are charged, they should be on a cost-recovery basis only. This event may not serve hosts in generating revenue to support other activities. If you feel it necessary to charge individual participants a registration fee, please indicate this when you apply in the box "other information for consideration." Please indicate your rationale along with estimated costs and fee per person.

11.) What type of facility is needed to host? Is a single room sufficient or are there breakout sessions requiring smaller rooms along with the “main” room?
One single room is all it takes, set up with round or conference tables (not theater style). This allows participants to engage more easily in hands-on activities. Breakout rooms are not necessary.

12.) There is a max of 100 participants and a minimum of 45. Can we self-limit to, say, only 50?
Yes, that is possible. Since it is the host responsibility to manage all aspects of registration and participant selection, if any, you could limit to less than 100. Please include the number of participants you expect to invite and include a brief sentence or two on why.

13.) I have found a few available dates at our campus conference center, and they are willing to hold one for us now. Would you be able to recommend that we hold one specific date over the others?
It's far too early to suggest a date. We will undertake a two step process: the ACRL Scholarly Communications Committee will review applications and make selections, and then the presenters will be matched up to hosts. This will include some back and forth between presenters and host to nail down the specific date. We can’t promise anything specific just yet and won’t start working out the details with presenters until the committee has made their selections. If you want to include any comments about timing, please indicate this when you apply in the box "other information for consideration."

14.) Our area of the country has a large contingent of higher education institutions. Would it be feasible for ACRL to approve 2 requests from our region?
While feasible, this would be highly unlikely. As indicated, “The ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee will review applications, selecting several locations, based on number of requests and capacity. The committee will aim for geographic diversity...” When we offered the road shows in 2010, we had to turn away 33 applicants. We expect that the selection process will involve some tough decisions this time as well.

15.) Will there be an online version?
ACRL has extended the reach of the scholarly communications roadshow workshop by adding related materials to its popular Scholarly Communication Toolkit. Now librarians can make use of these tools – including short videos, presentation templates and handouts – to enhance their own knowledge or adapt them to offer related workshops on their own campuses. We are developing virtual program offerings for 2012-13.

16.) On the application form there are several boxes to fill in for "Participant institutions.” What is a “participant institution?” Are these just the other institutions we would invite?
That's right. We are asking applicants to identify one “host” to be the primary coordinator for the registration and event coordination/logistics duties. We expect most hosts will provide the space for the workshop to be held. You also need to indicate one or more “participant institutions” which are the other libraries who would be sending their staff.
 
17.) How much weight will ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee give to the preferred criterion of being an organizational member in the selection process?
It’s hard to give a firm answer. You'll see there are several preferred criteria that may be used to weight applications, and that the committee will aim for geographic diversity as well. We expect a large number of applications and it could be that the selection process involves some tough decisions.  The selectors on the ACRL Scholarly Communication Committee may look closely at all the preferred criteria. For details on becoming an organizational member see http://www.ala.org/acrl/membership-acrl.

18.)  If selected, we'd like to offer a lunch/breakfast during the workshop. Any advice on timing or logistics?
If you schedule a meal function during the workshop, we strongly urge you to have it catered in the room (rather than expecting participants to leave and return). If you will have a meal function, please include a few details in the box "other information for consideration."

19.) If we’re not selected as one of the 5 locations to receive the workshop at a lower cost, what other options are there?
ACRL is also opening up the opportunity for institutions to bring home the program to their own institutions at full cost. Contact Kara Malenfant for details.