Publication:
Design, impact and best practices for a graduate research and innovation center
Design, impact and best practices for a graduate research and innovation center
Authors
Ayala-González, Hilda T.
Álvarez, Jaquelina E.
Pomales-García, Cristina D.
Embargoed Until
Advisor
College
Academic Affairs
Department
General Library
Degree Level
Publisher
Date
2019-06-16
Abstract
Since 2009, the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) implemented several assessment
strategies to identify services and infrastructure to meet the needs of graduate students and
faculty researchers. In general, results revealed the need for developing information literacy
skills, technological infrastructure and physical facilities for collaboration. More specifically,
assessment findings showed that researchers: (1) identified a need for assistance with technical
writing, communication skills, search strategies, and ethical use of information; (2) expected new
services encompassing data management, authorship, copyright, and organizing, sharing, and
preserving information in the digital environment; and (3) needed a collaborative space where
teaching and research services coincided. A grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of
Education, has enabled the UPRM to facilitate research services across campus, broadening
graduate offering in engineering programs and sustaining the research and innovation ecosystem
across the entire research lifecycle. This award allowed the design and inauguration of the
Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC) in 2016, transforming the way the Library
intervenes in our institution's research ecosystem. Overall, the GRIC provides (1) a holistic suite
of services in which students can be referred to specialists, knowledgeable in the proper
technology or content development expertise; (2) a robust technological infrastructure to support
interdisciplinary and interactive collaborations; and (3) support to graduate students’ needs as
both information consumers and information producers. By design, the GRIC has become a
testbed for activities that facilitate the implementation of the Association of College & Research
Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The paper will describe the
design process for the GRIC, its impact in a two-year period, and the services offered at the
Center with best practices and lessons learned in the process, that directly impact the research
lifecycle.
Keywords
GRIC,
Library services,
UPRM
Library services,
UPRM
Usage Rights
Persistent URL
Cite
Ayala-González, H. T., Álvarez, J. E., & Pomales-García, C. D. (2019). Design, impact and best practices for a graduate research and innovation center [Presentation]. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11801/2497