Supporting high quality research in a remote region – a collaborative journey

Abstract

This paper will trace the journey of two librarians supporting researchers at their respective organisations in northern Australia. The librarians are both working towards advancing high-quality research to meet the emerging requirements of this remote part of the world. It will take into account the unique nature of the region that they work in, which presents distinct challenges, and offers opportunities for collaboration.

Based in the Northern Territory, an area one sixth the total land area of Australia with just one per cent of the total Australian population, the librarians have the challenge of servicing isolated communities that are geographically dispersed over a wide area.

The services currently being provided by each of the librarians at their respective institutions – Charles Darwin University and Northern Territory Department of Health – will be highlighted and mapped against the research life cycle. The research focus of the Department of Health is naturally specialised while the key research themes of the University are broader and disparate but with a focus on the health and medical sciences, the environmental sciences and Indigenous knowledge. Some examples of collaborative projects with STEM researchers will be outlined, and gaps in the services being provided identified. Research data curation and management is emerging as an area where more work needs to be done in tandem with the wider research community.

The paper will also appraise the role of the librarians at the two different institutions and review areas of responsibility, as well as consider how they could better work together to streamline services. Their current skills and competencies will be analysed, and future areas of development to better carry out their roles within the research life cycle, will be considered. The long-term aim of this study is to discover how to better service the research community in this unique part of Australia.