The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is seeking proposals for 2014 SPEC survey topics. For 40 years ARL has gathered and disseminated data through the SPEC survey programme to assist libraries in the continuous improvement of their management systems. Each year, the Association works with librarians in the US and Canada to develop six surveys of the ARL membership on strategic topics related to research library policies and practices.
Criteria for selecting a survey topic include its currency and insightfulness; its strategic importance to research libraries; its relevance to ARL's three strategic directions (Influencing Public Policy, Advancing Scholarly Communication, and Transforming Research Libraries) or ARL's programmes promoting diversity, leadership, or assessment; and whether documents that illustrate current policies and practices can be gathered from survey respondents.
Examples of current areas of interest to research libraries that could fit the SPEC survey model include, but are not limited to, Workforce implications of new services; Competencies for new roles; Approaches to library collaborations; Non-traditional expertise among library professionals; Prevalence of disciplinary expertise among staff; Acquiring and managing new forms of scholarship; Outcomes influenced by library research across the curriculum; Budget restructuring and reallocation, including funding sources, development, and fundraising; Strategies for articulating value and impact of library services; and Use of new tools and metrics for evaluation of scholarship.
For consideration for 2014, proposals must be submitted at http://www.formstack.com/forms/?1209368-E484NalvQ5 by July 12, 2013. Proposals will be reviewed and successful authors will be notified by August 21, 2013.
