Exploring the Research Practices and Needs of Agricultural Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ABSTRACT

As part of the Ithaka S+R Agriculture Research Support Services study, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign research team interviewed 12 faculty members in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). The semistructured interviews explored the faculty members' research methods and practices and their research support needs. Our transcript coding and code analysis revealed several noteworthy themes, but for this initial report, we focused on major themes that each had significant subelements and that were more likely to have a connection to libraries and library services—research data, information sources and management, and communication.

KEYTERMS:

• Illinois
• interviews
• agriculture
• library services
• college of ACES
• faculty

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the 12 College of ACES faculty members who agreed to be interviewed and shared their valuable insights. The authors also appreciate the support of their University Library administration and Ithaka S+R.