Teaching and research faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University are invited to share their insights in the inaugural Ithaka S+R Local Faculty Survey. The study, which broadly explores faculty needs in teaching, researching and publishing in the digital age, opens Monday, April 7 and closes Friday, April 18.  About 3,500 teaching and research faculty selected for participation will receive an email invitation to participate in the survey on April 7.

While VCU Libraries is administering this first study of its kind for VCU, the survey questions are expansive and touch on far more than library services. Faculty perspectives are invited on a range of topics, including data creation and management in their research and peer review and scholarly publishing. Questions also cover how faculty perceive the library. “We expect to gain insight into how our faculty members work in a rapidly changing and increasingly digital environment,” University Librarian John E. Ulmschneider said. 

The Ithaka S&R Local Faculty Survey is a customized, institution-specific version of a national survey of faculty that has been conducted five times since 2000. (You can read more about the survey VCU is coordinating its survey with several other research universities in the Southeast, so that we can compare results and better understand our needs within the larger context of VCU’s peer and regional research institutions.

“Your responses will play a key role in shaping library collections and services for research and teaching over the next few years as VCU continues to develop as a major research university,” said Ulmschneider. “It will provide vital guidance and assessment data.”

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The confidential survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. VCU Libraries is offering these incentives to encourage participants to respond:

• One (1) $1,000 departmental stipend will be awarded to a survey participant selected at random. These funds will transferred to the winner’s department and may be used for travel, professional development, or other business-related purchases such as books, computer equipment, etc.

• A $2 contribution to Central Virginia Food Bank will be made for each completed survey, ensuring that a tangible impact of your participation will be felt beyond VCU.