ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries December 1989 / 979 RESEARCH F O R U M Fostering research activity: Examples of institutional support By Bonnie Gratch Head o f Reference Bowling Green State University In relation to the June 1989 “Research F orum ” article, which reported the findings of a survey of California State University and University o f Cali­ fornia librarians’ research and publishing activities, I solicited copies of statem ents or policies that describe types of institutional support provided for such activities. I received only two responses, from which comments are included below. Since the intent is to focus attention on approaches that may be o f interest to library professional developm ent committees and administrators, I have included additional examples and ideas taken from the Asso­ ciation of Research Libraries’ SPEC Kit #86, Pro­ fessional Development in A R L Libraries (1982); a handout, “C reating a Supportive Environm ent for Research,” prepared by M aureen Pastine and p re ­ sented at the ACRL postconference, “Inspiring Enthusiasm for R esearch,” April 8-9, 1989, in Cincinnati, Ohio; and the policy statem ent on re ­ search support at Bowling G reen State University Libraries. Release time All sources examined reveal that formal policies or guidelines are needed that describe th e philoso­ phy and procedures to support research and p u b ­ lishing. Also essential is an organized group (e.g., com m ittee on library research, library professional developm ent committee, research and publication committee, etc.), whose charge includes such ac­ tivities as: prom oting research and publication; soliciting proposals for research release time and funding; establishing criteria and reviewing pro­ posals. Examples in the SPEC Kit make it clear that release time, (exclusive o f faculty improvement leave or sabbatical leaves conferred by the univer­ sity or college), arrangem ents are varied and often require some negotiation with various administra­ tive levels. Release tim e for research and publica­ tion activities is frequently viewed as tim e reas­ signed from the prim ary job assignment. In many cases it is approved by the im mediate supervisor for rather short-term periods contingent on the overall staffing situation in th e unit and the m erit of the research request. Bowling G reen State University Libraries policy allows supervisors to approve re ­ lease time requests for up to four hours a week, while the library faculty developm ent committee makes decisions on research release time and fund­ ing requests for larger time periods. Release tim e awards are ordinarily limited to a cumulative total of 160 hours (about one month), although this limit may be exceeded with th e ap­ proval of the supervisor and the dean of the librar­ ies. York University’s library director sent a copy of a section from the “Collective Agreem ent Between the Board o f Governors o f York University and the York University Faculty Association,” which dis­ cusses release time. It states that “workload for 9 8 0 / C&RL News librarians shall be established with due regard for their research and scholarly responsibilities. Re­ lease time shall be made available within th e sched­ uling of the normal work week, so that librarians may pursue research and scholarly work.” A nother example illustrates th e concept o f “unassigned tim e” that is available as part of the normal work week to support research and publish­ ing activities. Ohio State University Libraries’ document, “Guidelines for Assigned and Unas­ signed Time and for Assigned Research Duty,” contained in the SPEC Kit, defines “assigned tim e” as not less than 80% o f the work week that is to be devoted to perform ing the functions o f th e posi­ tion, as well as attendance and preparation for service activities and attendance and participation in professional meetings which directly aid or de­ velop job performance. “Unassigned tim e” is de­ fined as not more than 20% of the work week which may be spent on research, preparation for library, university and professional service obligations, professional development activities, and com m u­ nity service. Accountability measures are also in­ cluded. In addition to the unassigned tim e option, a special allocation of tim e called “assigned re ­ search duty” exists which frees a library faculty m em ber from regularly assigned duty to work on a particularly meritorious research project for which the unassigned time option is not adequate to m eet the needs of the researcher. F u n d in g o p tio n s Some libraries set aside a pool of money from the library’s operating budget to support research Attention, authors! College & Research Libraries News wel­ comes manuscripts subm itted on diskette or via ALANET. The C&RL News ALANET num ber is ALA0306. If you p refer to send a diskette, make sure it is form atted for MS-DOS; either 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch diskettes can be accepted. We useXywrite III+ forw ord processing, but we translate files from other major programs. W hen submitting a diskette with a file created by another word processing program, it is best to also include an ASCII text file. Always send a paper copy of your manuscript along with the diskette, just in case we cannot read your file. If you can neither send a diskette nor trans­ mit via ALANET, submit three paper copies in a standard typeface such as C ourier or Pica. Submit all materials to George M. Eberhart, Editor, C&RL News, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. H uron St., Chicago, IL 60611.— GME. needs. A nother fairly common resource is the uni­ versity-wide professional developm ent and re ­ search support com m ittees’ funds to which librari­ ans may make application for awards o f money to support research and professional development activities. Academic librarians whose libraries are part o f state systems or are represented by unions may also b e able to apply for research support funds from these sources. O f course, professional associations, foundations, and government agen­ cies are typically included in research support statem ents as another possible funding source for research support through grant programs. The chair of the library faculty task force on staff devel­ opm ent at the State University o f New York-Buf­ falo subm itted a recent docum ent on research support th a t identified such potential funding sources as grant overhead funds and th e university committee on institutional funds. In h er presenta­ tion Pastine suggested the following funding ideas: designating a percentage of th e library’s endow­ m ent funds; using part of the indirect cost recovery monies from grants; and using salary savings. T a k e a b r o a d v ie w o f th e w o rk e n v ir o n m e n t SUNY-Buffalo’s research support docum ent and Pastine’s presentation illustrate the im por­ tance of broadly viewing the types o f campus re ­ sources and facilities that can benefit research and publishing activities. T he SUNY-Buffalo docu­ m ent contains a four-page chart listing a variety of library and campus resources and facilities, from com puting services to typesetting services. Pastine identified types o f activities and resources grouped by collegial contact, operational, and educational. Collegial contact activities include those which stimulate thought, creativity and enthusiasm for research; such as colloquia or brown-bag discus­ sion series, m entoring arrangements, brainstorm ­ ing sessions, and visiting lecturers. Operational sources are types of support that the library or university provides as part of its operation; such as use o f equipm ent, online searches, and clerical support. Educational resources include tuition- waivers and release tim e to pursue degree or non­ degree continuing education opportunities. As with most worthwhile endeavors, the key ingredients seem to be an institutional commit­ m ent to facilitating research and scholarly endeav­ ors; a clear plan which describes the philosophy, policies and procedures for research and scholarly activities; the involvement o f library faculty and administrators in im plementing and refining the plan; and effective communication to all librarians about the broad range of library, campus, and even external resources that may be viewed as part of a supportive research environment. ■ ■