DARTS9 reflections: Part Two

CILIP North East Regional Member Network were pleased to offer a bursary to Cheryl Francis from University of Sunderland to attend the DARTS conference. Cheryl has shared a review of her conference experience. Below find part two.

Read part one.

DARTS9 reflections: Part Two

Wednesday 21st May – Thursday 22nd May 2025

Strengths

During the conference a number of speakers mentioned the skills librarians already have -reflection, teaching, literature review, contacts across the university.

 

Catherine Dack, University of Bristol and Kim Davis gave the example of teaching librarians constantly redesigning their teaching, and that reflection and re-creation of material is research. For example, evaluating what didn’t/didn’t go well the usual missing links can be some kind of formal evaluation. But the main thing we are missing is dissemination.

The Research Catalyst Cohort programme, the main subject of their talk came about after a RLUK scoping study, which led to the Research Excellence Programme, which the Research Catalyst Cohort is a part of. It identifies libraries as a key place for research.

Lizzie also highlighted this in her talk when she spoke of the Librarian-ly qualities that are needed everywhere:

“Well read individuals who have a sense of social justice (eg:free knowledge, equal access, non-profit, service-led), believe in collective action (SCONUL, ILL, library collection for all v individual collections of books) and have advocacy as a way of life (protesting against book bans, paywalls, eBook SoS, public library cuts)

We (you!) are enough to make a difference, admit when you don’t know - not knowing but wanting to know is where all knowledge starts.

Find your people, find a partner, build a team, identify your successor, it’s easier to start something together. We enable others to make contributions, which is why we help so many people. Start small and build.”

Tim Wales was one of the many people who talked about the collaborative nature of our profession and that we can look for opportunities to collaborate with those who can teach us to develop our knowledge and understanding.

Opportunities for librarians to research

Catherine Dack, Kim Davis, Lesley MacRae and Michelle O’Hara shared experiences from the RLUK research catalyst cohort programme.

The programme focuses on how to obtain funding and how to write a proposal, to understand eligibility, articulate and idea, find collaborators, create networks to motivate and exchange ideas and build confidence.

Empowerment and understanding of our role in research, we lack the knowledge on the whole to disseminate our research, gain funding to undertake research, but libraries are well placed to be at the hub of research culture.

Be bold and approach publishers with ideas, and spot potential case studies you can write up and reuse and recycle your work. Even though a research portfolio isn’t a career progression tool for a librarian it can open doors and opportunities.

The people presenting their research were from the RLUK Research Catalyst Cohort, identifying this route to research as a key opportunity (See “We can do it!”)

"Take home" ideas for aspiring researchers (1-6 and a-g!):

1. Ringfence time to read
2. Look for free CPD
3. Consider what you are already working on – how can you turn that into research and disseminate it? It’s ok to start small.
4. Join / follow organisation and groups in the library research area, such as CILIP groups ARLG and LIRG, RLUK, LibrariesXResearch, 
5. Use a practice-research approach. Suggested reading: Candy, L. (2022) The Routledge international handbook of practice-based research. Edited by C. Vear and E. Edmonds. London: Routledge.
6. Start small and build, get used to writing for newsletters, blogs

Writing tips from Tim Wales’ talk:

Part 1 | Part 3