Establishing a culture of research practice in an academic library: an Australian case study

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.