The benefits of library involvement in the implementation of a faculty activity reporting system

Abstract

Many universities have implemented software programs, such as Digital Measures and Faculty180, to manage faculty productivity and research information. This implementation process involves a number of different stakeholders, including IT, institutional reporting, research administration, faculty, etc. In many cases, an implementation team is assembled to bring together the right expertise. We advocate for the inclusion of the Libraries on that implementation team based primarily on our experience with Digital Measures at the University of Maryland, but also on communication with other institutions who have been through a similar process and a review of the literature. This poster will enumerate the benefits of library involvement, recommend points in the process at which to get involved (e.g. procurement, technical implementation, training), and identify the best people in a library organization to include at those moments, such as metadata experts or graduate assistants for training. We will also provide suggestions for librarians who need to make the case for inclusion, and address a few challenges to full participation. The poster format will allow us to present the information based on a visual timeline, which will make it easy for interested attendees to take our experience and apply it at their own institutions. We will also be able to spend time discussing our experience one-on-one with attendees to answer questions and learn from their experiences.