Accounting for Work from Home in the Time of COVID

Objective: As our university moved to a work from home model in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our research unit needed to reconsider how we accounted for our daily work. Our objective was to consolidate and standardize our data collection to meet requirements for a variety of different time-, project-, or college/program-based reports. Methods: We started by reviewing all the data elements that we might be asked to provide for internal and external reporting. Using the categories in our university activity report as the foundation, we discussed the level of granularity required and assigned activities to each group. We established common reportable elements, with the ability to add individual- or project-specific elements. We tested the categories using our real activities, regrouped to discuss challenges, and made changes as needed. Results: With the start of the new fiscal year, we incorporated these categories into Timeneye and now use them to track our activities. We export these data on a regular basis as our timesheet for the university to meet its work from home requirements. So far, this system also has been effective for creating time-, project-, or college/program-based reports. Conclusions: This project streamlined the process of tracking our time and facilitated the creation of ad hoc reports. It has made it easier for us to track our time across the unit and it will also make it easier for new hires to account for their time in a logical manner

Using a Reflexive Process to Investigate Organizational Change: The Use of the Research Spider Matrix

The primary objective was to assess the research competencies (knowledge, experience, and skills) of librarians at an academic health sciences library using the Research Spider matrix (Smith et al., 2002). This was motivated by the shift from a traditional reference model to a research-centric paradigm

Building Responsive Research Capacity: A Survey of Academic Health Faculty

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of and satisfaction with the University of South Florida Health Libraries (USFHL) research support services (RSS). A secondary objective was to understand the research skills of academic health faculty. The data will help inform future service offerings. The mixed methods study is comprised of two phases: a survey followed by focus groups. The survey assessed 1) knowledge of and satisfaction with specific RSS, 2) faculty confidence in performing 10 specific research tasks, and 3) preference for potential class topics. Open-ended fields allowed for additional comments and suggestions. Respondents self-identified if they were willing to participate in subsequent focus groups. The survey was emailed to all Health faculty, with two reminders. Basic demographics broke out respondents by their college, department, or school; years of conducting and publishing research, and writing grants. Preliminary analyses of the 105 respondents indicated most were extremely/satisfied with USFHL RSS, which were defined as consultations with the librarians, library classes/workshops, LibGuides, and research databases. Less than half of faculty reported confidence in using qualitative research methods and applying for research funding. Potential class topics identified were the 1) scholarly publishing topics, 2) conduct of types of literature reviews, 3) research metrics, 4) research tool recommendations, and 5) effective search strategies. A third of participants volunteered to participate in future focus groups. The qualitative data centered around issues with access and tools; requests for additional trainings, and praise for librarians, resources, & services. Based on initial findings, we plan to add more grants workshops and develop a series on finding, critically reviewing, and writing qualitative studies

Utilization of backward design in health professional education: A rapid review protocol

This is a rapid review of healthcare professional education literature addressing the use of backward design for courses and curricula to determine what is known about the implementation processes, successes, challenges, and efficacy of backward course and curriculum design as used in healthcare education programs in the United States

From research to policy: a look at the process of developing a parity report from an information perspective

This paper attempts to look at research, policy analysis, and the role of the librarian, first by reviewing the intersection of research and policy, second by an overview of mental health as a public policy issue, and finally, through the use of a case study reviewing the process from a information point of view