Lessons from Ithaka S+R on Research Practices in the Disciplines: What Have We Learned? What Should We Do?

Abstract

It is a byword of the study of academic research that disciplines mean differences. The series of studies underway at Ithaka S+R (with library partners) shows how scholars and scientists understand “Changing Research Practices.” The project’s goal is to guide libraries toward the most fruitful forms of support for research, enhancing the scholarly workflow according to disciplinary routines and innovations. Launched in 2012, nine reports have been published thus far, with others planned or anticipated. The disciplines range from history to public health, from chemistry to Asian Studies. The interview-based studies show how scholars manage their methods, and the opportunities and obstacles they face as the availability of resources in several media expand and research technologies evolve. The Ithaka S+R studies represent a unique collective portrait of scholars at work, loyal to research conventions but encountering new tools for inquiry. The reports help us understand how disciplinary habits shape expectations and experience, and what might be done to serve scholars working at change in research practices, particularly the introduction of new technologies. The reports are seen against the backdrop of views among library leaders and librarians themselves about the evolution of the liaison role, including how it can be fitted to the needs of scholars in an evolving research environment.