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It was a freezing cold day in July when a group of library staff gathered around an outdoor cafe table, vying for patches of winter sun. We were having our monthly ‘accountability’ meetup to share our progress on the research projects we had committed to working on in 2025.
As we warmed our hands around hot drinks, several people talked about recent conference presentations they had given, and the group celebrated the publication of several articles written by the group members. People discussed how their own projects were going, with topics spanning everything from UX and open-source code, to regional and incarcerated students, Indigenous collections, focused work sessions and Library events. Sharing progress and obstacles encountered, as well as interesting insights on the process, we ended the meetup feeling inspired, encouraged and motivated.
The accountability group started earlier in the year as part of SPARK (Sharing and Problem-solving to Advance Research Knowledge), a Library community of practice that aims to encourage and empower Library staff to build their research and data literacy skills and to share their work beyond the Library. Launched in 2023, SPARK began with a charter and an initial meeting focused on what members hoped to gain from their involvement and the skills they wished to share.
Since then, sessions have been run by and for Library staff on a range of topics, including ethics applications, research methods, data analysis and publishing pathways. Staff have also shared their experiences of conducting research, and most recently we were fortunate enough to welcome Dr Gaby Haddow and Dr Ellie Sayyad Abdi, from the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry, who provided advice on selecting and getting started with a research project.
To increase the visibility of these Library research projects, members of SPARK also created a staff publications page on the Library website. Drawn directly from staff ORCID profiles, these publications include a range of both traditional and non-traditional outputs – from journal articles and book chapters, to conference presentations, book reviews and magazine articles.
It’s been exciting to see the SPARK community of practice evolve in ways that are igniting the interest and enthusiasm of Library staff to take on research projects as well as write or present on their experiences. SPARK is providing us with the necessary structures, knowledge and skills – and perhaps most importantly – the confidence to share our knowledge and experience for the benefit of the wider community. And whether we’re searching for a patch of sun or seeking out fresh inspiration, the accountability meetups will continue to help us stay on track and keep moving forward with our respective projects.
Written by Academic Skills Advisor Claire Hulcup & Dr Karen Miller
