For an understanding of scholars’ aspirations and expectations we drew upon the results of previously-conducted studies and on the preliminary results of a survey conducted by the Information Futures Commission. We also reviewed the more than 70 written submissions received and the outputs from the exploratory workshops held during April.
The hundreds of participants in this process expressed diverse opinions and experiences, confirming the Commission’s expectation that there is no single correct answer to the complex, interlinked questions posed in the Consultation Paper. A long-term University strategy for scholarly information will need to accommodate discipline-related differences and a range of sometimes conflicting priorities.
Arising from the various consultation activities some broad themes and tensions are outlined in this report.
The written submissions and other information are available from the Commission’s web site. They will provide valuable background to the development of more detailed plans as the Information Futures process continues.
People
While a significant proportion of scholars assume that online access to information will be ubiquitous, cheap and desirable in the future, many today feel overwhelmed by the volume of information available. There is some demand for services that assist with filtering new information and with organising one’s personal collection of information and records.
Students as well as researchers feel they needed skills in this type of scholarly literacy, though there is some divergence of opinion about who should provide such training.
“Students come to the University skilled in manipulating technology but these skills do not always translate into the ability to navigate their way thorough the world of refereed knowledge. The role of the Library and its staff is crucial in this area.” (Friends of the Baillieu)
“…in 2003-2004, Academic Board had supported the embedding of information literacy in course offerings and this may need to be re-examined as some students struggle with navigating their way through the online materials, finding it difficult to evaluate and synthesise the relevant information. It was important to avoid making assumptions about the competence and confidence of students in accessing the University’s vast resources. It was suggested that this information literacy skill could be built into breadth subjects.” (Melbourne Experience Committee)
To support e-research, the concept of creating a cadre of ‘information professional’ staff found some support. These specialists would have expertise in various aspects of research data management and could work in partnership with researchers to effectively manage and store data produced by research activities. This was expressed in several faculty submissions and through comments in workshops, interviews and the survey.
Many written submissions described the role of ‘information professionals’ in providing links in a world where research is increasingly conducted across disciplines.
“The increasingly important role of information specialists in providing education and training in health information tools and applications was noted. There is considerable value in including ‘librarians’ more directly in advising on information needs associated with curriculum development initiatives…” (Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences)
Research data management was mentioned in many written submissions, particularly referring to the need for policy, guidelines and tools to be available to assist in managing research data.
Collaboration, both local and global, and face-to-face contact with colleagues are seen as important to the practice of research. Survey respondents cited these interactions as sources of inspiration, current information and critical feedback about ideas. Some survey respondents noted that regular interaction must be balanced by having a quiet, private space for thinking and writing.
Written submissions from groups and individuals stressed the need for quiet study space and argued that the provision of such space on campus should not be sacrificed in order to provide collaborative or social spaces. Some contributors questioned whether libraries should provide collaborative spaces at all.
“Ten years is a long time in this rapidly expanding field and the key messages are to be ready for change, to develop a fluency and agility in our thinking that can then be enabled by the technology. This is a human endeavour before anything else.” (Faculty of the VCA)
Information
Much comment was made about whether it is more desirable to acquire physical or digital assets for our libraries, museums, archives and cultural collections.
Clearly the University cannot make a single ‘either/or’ choice that applies to all academic disciplines and scholarly works.
Rather, we require a collection development strategy that takes into account the differences in research practice, teaching practice, usage of existing collections, type of collections, availability of source material and the usefulness and cost-effectiveness of different formats.
“Unless a technological break-through makes digital the preferred format for books consulted for their sustained argument or narrative, the demand for physical books, we believe, will long continue.” (Libraries Subcommittee, Committee of Convocation)
Most written submissions made the point that at this stage it is impossible to choose between print and digital formats — both are required. There were clear differences between the disciplines in their dependence on print.
Open Access was mentioned in multiple submissions. There were differences in the level of acceptance of this new avenue for publishing scholarly works. Questions of quality assurance, copyright and intellectual property were raised and it was suggested that the University of Melbourne lead a national discussion on the latter topics.
Digitisation of content was suggested by a number of submissions and a University-wide approach was proposed.
Infrastructure
There is demand for high-performance computing facilities for mathematics, physical sciences, earth sciences, biological sciences and medical disciplines. Several written submissions emphasised the need for increased bandwidth to enable videoconferencing, the exchange of data and other collaborative activities. Ubiquitous high-bandwidth network access was seen as important. Many survey respondents predicted that in 10 years they would use desktop videoconferencing for collaboration as easily as they currently use email and web browsers.
“There are some common collaborative services and infrastructure that are often built by researchers where centralised service provision could occur. These include data storage (across the university there will be an increase from the existing hundreds of terabytes of research data to hundreds of petabytes, over the next ten years), computational power, wikis, blogs, webpages and virtual organisations.” (eResearch Coffee Network)
The need to increase the amount of data storage available to researchers was made clear in written submissions, although there was no broad agreement about whether the storage should be centralised.
Several different versions of ‘library’ were offered: one big central library; several discipline-specific libraries; a new library to house rare and special collections, research collections and display space. There was no clear agreement across submissions, other than an underlying acknowledgement that library and study spaces on campus need improvement.
“I think the biggest single barrier to scholarly activity in Melbourne University is the plethora of separate libraries… [that] discourage people from exploring the world outside their own narrow mind space. For those of us who work in a more interdisciplinary way, our resource materials are spread across the campus and all the way out to Bundoora.” (academic researcher, geography)
“As a separate issue, the Baillieu Library is in great need of refurbishment. Its approaching Jubilee year provides an opportunity for the University to seek funding and undertake the necessary works as well as the long-term planning to construct or create such library facilities as befit a great University of the future.” (Libraries Subcommittee, Committee of Convocation)
“There is a pressing need for a newly commissioned building to stand as an iconic architectural statement highlighting and ensuring adequate provision for this priceless cultural legacy, a legacy that could moreover play an increasingly important role in the processes of knowledge transfer and in marketing the University to a wider and increasingly international audience.” (Library Users Committee, Faculty of Arts)
Into the future
More than one written submission suggested the Information Futures Commission was only the start of a long-term conversation supported by policy development, further research and continuing change.
“To some extent we can plan for the unexpected, but the more we plan, the less adaptable we will be. Maintaining a permanent think-tank and an open, public debate on information and communication futures should be integral to the future life of the University.” (Library Users Committee, Faculty of Arts)
“The FMDHS group sees these plans in the context of a continuum of information and knowledge and encourages the University to adopt a more unified approach including establishing a Centre for Information Science Research and Education (Informatics) and developing a University-wide knowledge management plan.” (Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences)