Loyola Marymount University’s William H. Hannon Library has received a federal grant that will fund a three-year project intended to boost the research capabilities of college, university and research librarians around the country.
The $363,551 grant, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will fund the Institute for Research Design in Librarianship, a project intended to train more than 60 librarians in the fundamentals of academic research, from designing and conducting research projects to disseminating the results.
“The nature of academic and research libraries is changing, as institutions adapt to shifts in technology, calls for increased accountability, and trends in scholarship,” said Kristine Brancolini, dean of the library at LMU. “This grant will help us equip library staff with the skills and mindset that our libraries will need in the future.”
Brancolini, along with Serials and Electronic Resources Librarian Marie Kennedy, developed and will oversee the project. It will begin with the first of three nine-day institutes hosted at LMU next summer, featuring intensive in-class exercises and hands-on writing sessions, led by social sciences researchers and library faculty from several institutions.
After the summer program ends, participants will return to their home libraries to continue their research, with mentorship and peer review opportunities provided by the institute. Under this model, library scholars can establish a personal learning network to support them in future research and encourage and motivate other information professionals to engage in research work.
The project is a partnership among LMU, the School of Library and Information Science at San José State University, and the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium.
