96 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
We have just completed a survey, and will be analyzing it soon. That will likely lead us to do some focus
groups and individual interviews.
We have used interviews with key constituents, which have informed positions, services, and future
workshop offerings.
We rely much more on ongoing relationships with key actors (faculty members and centers) and
responding to changing priorities, than formal instruments.
29. Has any assessment of your library digital scholarship support efforts led to changing services,
organization, staff responsibilities, etc.? N=52
Yes 34 65%
No 18 35%
If yes, please briefly describe what changed. N=31
A major assessment and information gathering project in 2014 led to many changes and development of
new spaces, staffing, and services.
A new position and department was created to launch an institutional repository.
Added a GIS specialist to staff by analyzing (in part) requests from users. Also changed hours based on
activity within space as recorded by user interactions.
Added training for activities, especially data management and visualization.
Additional training and evaluation of existing future positions.
As stated above, assessment at our institution is frequent and varied, and is used on a regular basis
to help inform decisions, whether large (like creating a new research commons space) or small (like
changing office hours). The decision to create a research commons came after a few years of interviews
and focus groups with campus stakeholders and of explorations of these kinds of services and spaces
at other institutions. Smaller decisions, like the frequency and topical coverage of digital scholarship
programs in this space, have been driven by post-event surveys of participants and comparison of
attendance at these events over time.
Assessment has at least indirectly influenced changes to support for digital scholarship. Digital support
is of long standing and continuously improving.
Changes in programming. The addition of a permanent, dedicated technical position in the Alabama
Digital Humanities Center. The conversion of a post-doctoral position to a tenure-track faculty position
in the Alabama Digital Humanities Center.
Created digital scholarship librarian position.
Discussions with patrons indicate interest in particular fields and therefore service gaps.
High-tech spaces operations. Strategic planning and alignment of library and university goals pointed
toward greater investment in all forms of research and advanced scholarship support. A new library
facility in 2013 offered new opportunities in physical spaces that are configured for collaboration
around data analysis and visualization, as well as interactive computing.
Hiring of first post-doc, then permanent librarian to coordinate digital humanities work
In the spring of 2015, the provost’s office assessed the landscape of support for digital scholarship
and subsequently invited the Libraries to submit a proposal for the merger of a provost-funded digital
scholarship unit with the Libraries Digital Research and Publishing department. As a result, the
two units were merged as of June 1, 2015. The new unit (as detailed in this document) consolidates
We have just completed a survey, and will be analyzing it soon. That will likely lead us to do some focus
groups and individual interviews.
We have used interviews with key constituents, which have informed positions, services, and future
workshop offerings.
We rely much more on ongoing relationships with key actors (faculty members and centers) and
responding to changing priorities, than formal instruments.
29. Has any assessment of your library digital scholarship support efforts led to changing services,
organization, staff responsibilities, etc.? N=52
Yes 34 65%
No 18 35%
If yes, please briefly describe what changed. N=31
A major assessment and information gathering project in 2014 led to many changes and development of
new spaces, staffing, and services.
A new position and department was created to launch an institutional repository.
Added a GIS specialist to staff by analyzing (in part) requests from users. Also changed hours based on
activity within space as recorded by user interactions.
Added training for activities, especially data management and visualization.
Additional training and evaluation of existing future positions.
As stated above, assessment at our institution is frequent and varied, and is used on a regular basis
to help inform decisions, whether large (like creating a new research commons space) or small (like
changing office hours). The decision to create a research commons came after a few years of interviews
and focus groups with campus stakeholders and of explorations of these kinds of services and spaces
at other institutions. Smaller decisions, like the frequency and topical coverage of digital scholarship
programs in this space, have been driven by post-event surveys of participants and comparison of
attendance at these events over time.
Assessment has at least indirectly influenced changes to support for digital scholarship. Digital support
is of long standing and continuously improving.
Changes in programming. The addition of a permanent, dedicated technical position in the Alabama
Digital Humanities Center. The conversion of a post-doctoral position to a tenure-track faculty position
in the Alabama Digital Humanities Center.
Created digital scholarship librarian position.
Discussions with patrons indicate interest in particular fields and therefore service gaps.
High-tech spaces operations. Strategic planning and alignment of library and university goals pointed
toward greater investment in all forms of research and advanced scholarship support. A new library
facility in 2013 offered new opportunities in physical spaces that are configured for collaboration
around data analysis and visualization, as well as interactive computing.
Hiring of first post-doc, then permanent librarian to coordinate digital humanities work
In the spring of 2015, the provost’s office assessed the landscape of support for digital scholarship
and subsequently invited the Libraries to submit a proposal for the merger of a provost-funded digital
scholarship unit with the Libraries Digital Research and Publishing department. As a result, the
two units were merged as of June 1, 2015. The new unit (as detailed in this document) consolidates
