The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is seeking proposals for 2015 SPEC survey topics. For 40 years ARL has gathered and disseminated data through the SPEC survey program to assist libraries in the continuous improvement of their management systems. Each year, ARL works with librarians in the US and Canada to develop surveys of the ARL membership on strategic topics related to research library policies and practices.
There will be four SPEC surveys in 2015. Criteria for selecting a 2015 survey topic include its currency and insightfulness; its strategic importance to managing research libraries; its relevance to an ARL focus area or an ARL program promoting diversity and leadership; 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: Coordinated stewardship of collective collections; 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; strategies for articulating value and impact of library services; and use of new tools and metrics for evaluation of scholarship.
Proposals should include a short bio of the author(s) indicating qualifications to carry out research on the proposed topic; a paragraph indicating the strategic relevance of the research topic to ARL members; a list of the main categories of survey questions—reflecting your description of what you hope to learn—along with a sample question for each category; and a list of the types of supporting documentation you would request from survey respondents.
For consideration for 2015, interested parties may submit proposals online by July 18, 2014. Proposals will be reviewed and authors of topics selected for the 2015 survey cycle will be notified by August 22, 2014. Questions about the SPEC survey program and proposal development can be directed to Lee Anne George, ARL publications program officer, at leeanne@arl.org.
