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This paper explores how the implementation of a Research Working Group (RWG) has brought about changes in the workplace culture at Flinders University Library. The group was established as a strategy to ensure that library staff have the understanding and skills to drive change in a time of uncertainty and to ensure that library staff are equipped with the expertise to engage with the University's researchers. Its brief is to ‘develop a culture of research and professional reflection in the library's professional staff’ which it does by supporting its members to undertake research projects. The group is led by a Chair who is part of the Library's senior management team and is supported by a resource allocation of $10,000 per annum. To understand changes in the workplace culture, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff who have undertaken a research project since the implementation of the RWG. Participation in research was measured and the interviews analysed for motivators as well as for evidence of changes that have occurred in professional practice. This paper reports on the survey findings and offers an outline of the change process as a case study for other libraries who wish to effect a similar change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores how a support group has contributed to building a culture of research practice at Flinders University Library. The brief of the Research Working Group (RWG) is to develop a culture of research and professional reflection in the library's professional staff. The RWG has three broad goals against which to measure its impact: to develop the professional staff's skills with regard to research engagement; to encourage analysis and investigation of the library's services and resources; and to engage more widely with the library profession and the wider higher education community through presentation and publication of research results. Professional staff completed a questionnaire examining their participation in research, their confidence in undertaking research, and plans for future research projects. The results were analysed with reference to the first goal of the RWG. The importance of practitioners undertaking research is increasingly being recognised as a core value in academic libraries. Many support groups for librarians undertaking research have been described in the literature, but few have evaluated the impact of such a group. This paper seeks to evaluate the impact of the RWG on the professional staff at Flinders University Library to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the establishment of a Research Working Group at Flinders University Library, a mid-sized teaching and research university located in South Australia. The group was founded to encourage staff to develop a more reflective, research-oriented and evidence-based professional practice initially for a three-year term. This paper comes at about two years into the pilot and provides an interim report of the group's experiences and achievements. Design/methodology/approach – As a case study, this paper describes the introduction and background of the Flinders University Library Research Working Group, its purpose, the selection of projects, and its work to date. Findings – The paper reports on the management-driven practical supports that have been implemented to assist practitioners undertaking research at Flinders University Library. Practical implications – The paper can be used as an exemplar for other academic libraries with staff with non-tenured staff which lacks a culture of research. Originality/value – This paper adds an Australian perspective to the existing literature on support for academic librarians undertaking research. The literature is dominated by US and Canadian experiences based on academic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]