Towards a research platform: partnering for sustainable and impactful research in public libraries

ABSTRACT

Public institutions are changing, alongside social, economic, and environmental forces, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Public libraries and universities are two institutions in flux and thereby can benefit from research that helps guide decision-making. In times of austerity and crisis, resources are often stretched thin, interrupting research activities. To overcome this challenge, we draw on the authors’ experiences being involved in a research platform that consists of a public library, a university, and four other community organizations. Using the research platform as a case study, the authors examine lessons learned about sharing infrastructure to support sustainable and mutually beneficial research.

KEYWORDS:

• Research platform
• public library
• partnership
• community-engaged research
• academia

Acknowledgments

This article is supported by a Mitacs Accelerate Grant. We would also like to thank all members of McMaster University’s Community Research Platform, and specifically, Dr. Diana Singh and Angelica Esposito for providing examples of Community Research Platform projects.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Mitacs.

Notes on contributors

Kaitlin Wynia Baluk

Kaitlin Wynia Baluk, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health, Aging, and Society at McMaster University and a researcher-in-residence at Hamilton Public Library. Her doctoral research explored the relationship between public religious art, public dialogs, and public perceptions of social issues.

Nicole Dalmer, MLIS, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health, Aging, and Society at McMaster University. With a background in Library and Information Science, Dr. Dalmer’s work resides at the intersection of information and care, exploring, for example the implications of aging-in-place mandates and the ways in which social infrastructures (including public libraries) mitigate experiences of social isolation among older adults.

Nicole K. Dalmer

Leora Sas van der Linden, M.A is the program manager of McMaster University’s Community Research Platform. With over 10 years of experience working in and with community organizations, such as the YMCA, Leora Sas van der Linden has expertise in knowledge mobilization, community development, and program management.

Lisa Radha Weaver

Lisa Radha Weaver, MLIS is the Director of Program Development and Collections at Hamilton Public Library, in Hamilton, ON. With a passion for facilitating diverse and accessible collections, programs and partnerships, Lisa Radha Weaver has spent the last 23 years working in school and public libraries. The core of her work is creating opportunities for civic and social engagement in the community to build capacity and create meaningful change.

James Gillett

James Gillett, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in McMaster University’s Department of Health, Aging, and Society and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Dr. Gillett’s key areas of research include human-animal relationships; sport, leisure and recreation; mental health and well-being; media and communications; perspectives on living with health and illness across the life course; and inquiry as an approach to education and learning.