23 Research Things - Thing 1

Hello! I'm joining in with 23 Research Things Cambridge and will do my best to post all of the "Things" in a timely manner. Thing 1 is an introduction and a chance to reflect on what we hope to get out of our involvement. I think this also might be a good chance to introduce myself in case any new readers find this blog as a result of the programme.

The author, as viewed through a series of tubes

My name is Kirsten and I'm Assistant Research Support Librarian in an HE Engineering Department. I work with Masters and PhD students and researchers through various phases of the research process, from research ethics to accessing resources to understanding the 21st century academic publishing landscape. I do quite a bit of teaching and one-on-one work as well as developing the online support for our students and academics. While I already do a fair amount of CPD around research, I thought 23 Research Things would be a great chance to find some new ideas and be reflective about my practices.

This is rather timely as I'm looking at revamping my productivity and goal setting at the moment, moving toward an analog system that will allow me to take notes and do more reflective writing with pen and paper by trying out bullet journaling. So I'm already thinking a lot about how I manage my own information and what my personal and professional goals ought to be over the next 6-12 months. The schedule of upcoming Things looks like it will be a good blend of strategies I've thought about a lot and ones I haven't really explored personally. I'm hoping to gain a lot of perspective, both on my role in research support and as a researcher myself.

I'm also looking forward to hearing from other participants - particularly people outside the library world - in order to expand my understanding of the ways in which people do research. Look for regular updates on this blog and I hope to hear what you think as part of this programme!