The first step to collaboration is knowing when it is necessary or helpful to you as a researcher. You may seek collaboration for various reasons, such as finding a subject expert, gaining a support system to stay motivated, sharing the workload with someone who has the same interests, or seeking a research mentor who can guide you. You may be interested in conducting research with a class or a single student. If you are doing research about a particular community that you are not a member of, you may want to partner with someone who identifies as a member of that community.
Use your 1.3.2: Identifying Your Research Support Ecosystem worksheet in your LPOL Workbook, which demonstrates the various places in your personal and professional life to seek support during the research process, to consider ways you can leverage the individuals you have already identified. You can also use the Libparlor Classifieds to connect with other librarians who want to discuss research. On this platform, you also have the option to post your own ad to find others who want to collaborate.
The Organic Path
Networking is an integral part of finding collaborators, and there are many approaches to networking. You may naturally find a collaborator after a casual conversation or learn that your colleagues have similar interests. You can grow your network through relationships that you develop, placing yourself in a more significant position to find the appropriate research partner for your needs. Being open to working with people will place you in a position to connect with researchers who have similar interests or who can fill in a piece of the puzzle for you.
For example, you may strike up a friendship with someone on a campus committee or learn that a professor you know is an expert in a field that will support your research. It helps to have conversations with colleagues and attend events on campus or in the community where you will meet potential collaborators. Joining professional organizations in the library and other fields can help facilitate these connections.
Direct Networking
If you cannot find a research partner within your circle, you can need to find other means to find collaborators. Here are a few strategies to help with direct networking:
Contact the authors of a publication in your subject of interest.
Approach presenters at conferences to see if they are open to collaboration.
Ask your colleagues for recommendations for research collaborators. If they already have a connection with that recommendation, ask if they would be open to introducing you.
Utilize social media. There are several research communities and individual researchers who have a social media presence. Send a direct message to them or join live sessions that they may host.
Join listservs and send out a “call for collaboration.”
A chart describing the characteristics of organic vs. direct networking. Created by Vivian Bynoe for LibParlor Online Learning, 2023.
Here are some items you’ll want to be able to share when approaching potential collaborators:
Why are you reaching out? Is there a particular publication or presentation by this person that aligns with your research? What about their research or professional experience relates to you or your interests?
What work have you already done on this topic, if any?
What are you hoping to get out of this collaboration? Could you suggest an initial casual conversation to chat and then together determine what could come from this relationship? Are you hoping for a long-term research partner or something more short-term like a panelist for a conference presentation?
What are your expectations for commitment? Give this person a timeline for what you’re hoping to accomplish.
Provide a time for when you’d like to hear from this person.
Remember that many people have prior commitments that may prevent them from being able to work with you, so refrain from taking it personally if they decline. If you feel comfortable doing so, ask if they have any suggestions for other potential collaborators if they are unable to collaborate with you.
Exercise
Complete the following exercise in your LPOL Workbook. This exercise will help you check for learning, engage with the material, and work through new ideas.
Use the 3.1.1: Networking Plan worksheet in your LPOL Workbook to answer the following questions:
What is the research project? (Write down a synopsis of the work you would like to complete. Writing it down and wording it for an audience who may not know exactly what your work is about will help you better explain it to someone else.)
What do you need help with? Do you need a subject expert to fill a gap? Do you need someone who can help share the workload?
Think about the people in your current professional support system. What subjects do they specialize in? Do you know anyone who would be helpful to your project?
Do you need to find collaborators outside of your network? (If you don’t know anyone that can help with your project, think about how you can find other collaborators and write some ideas here.)
What should you say? (Write down your message, elevator pitch, or some talking points. Practice so you will be prepared to speak with your potential collaborator.)
Having a clear and direct plan will build confidence and also give others ideas for how they can help.
Topic 1 References
Barnes, Susan B. “Relationship Networking: Society and Education.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 14, no. 3 (2009). 735–742. Accessed May 27, 2023. doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01464.x.
Tran, Ngoc-Yen, and Emily K Chan. “Seeking and Finding Research Collaborators: An Exploratory Study of Librarian Motivations, Strategies, and Success Rates.” College & Research Libraries 81, no. 7 (2020). https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/rt/printerFriendly/24672/32492.
Identifying Collaborators
The first step to collaboration is knowing when it is necessary or helpful to you as a researcher. You may seek collaboration for various reasons, such as finding a subject expert, gaining a support system to stay motivated, sharing the workload with someone who has the same interests, or seeking a research mentor who can guide you. You may be interested in conducting research with a class or a single student. If you are doing research about a particular community that you are not a member of, you may want to partner with someone who identifies as a member of that community.
Use your 1.3.2: Identifying Your Research Support Ecosystem worksheet in your LPOL Workbook, which demonstrates the various places in your personal and professional life to seek support during the research process, to consider ways you can leverage the individuals you have already identified. You can also use the Libparlor Classifieds to connect with other librarians who want to discuss research. On this platform, you also have the option to post your own ad to find others who want to collaborate.
The Organic Path
Networking is an integral part of finding collaborators, and there are many approaches to networking. You may naturally find a collaborator after a casual conversation or learn that your colleagues have similar interests. You can grow your network through relationships that you develop, placing yourself in a more significant position to find the appropriate research partner for your needs. Being open to working with people will place you in a position to connect with researchers who have similar interests or who can fill in a piece of the puzzle for you.
For example, you may strike up a friendship with someone on a campus committee or learn that a professor you know is an expert in a field that will support your research. It helps to have conversations with colleagues and attend events on campus or in the community where you will meet potential collaborators. Joining professional organizations in the library and other fields can help facilitate these connections.
Direct Networking
If you cannot find a research partner within your circle, you can need to find other means to find collaborators. Here are a few strategies to help with direct networking:
Here are some items you’ll want to be able to share when approaching potential collaborators:
Exercise
Complete the following exercise in your LPOL Workbook. This exercise will help you check for learning, engage with the material, and work through new ideas.
Use the 3.1.1: Networking Plan worksheet in your LPOL Workbook to answer the following questions:
Having a clear and direct plan will build confidence and also give others ideas for how they can help.
Topic 1 References
Barnes, Susan B. “Relationship Networking: Society and Education.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 14, no. 3 (2009). 735–742. Accessed May 27, 2023. doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01464.x.
The Librarian Parlor. “Classifieds.” https://libparlor.com/classifieds/
Tran, Ngoc-Yen, and Emily K Chan. “Seeking and Finding Research Collaborators: An Exploratory Study of Librarian Motivations, Strategies, and Success Rates.” College & Research Libraries 81, no. 7 (2020). https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/rt/printerFriendly/24672/32492.