Check us out: Librarians as departmental PR agents

In these days of competition and rankings, every department is vying for the best graduate students. The Chem. department at the University of Florida has been taking steps to increase its web presence and advertise the research of its graduate department. This talk will discuss the role of the science librarian as advisor to this process, including compiling publication lists, negotiating publication restrictions to provide access to published research, and streamlining the collection and dissemination of department achievements. At UF, a local implementation of the VIVO Network, which enables the discovery of research and scholarship across disciplines, is being implemented to achieve these goals. The Marston Science Library has been heavily involved in promoting VIVO across its departments, focusing on how it can be used to expand collaborative opportunities and advertise professional expertise. Some observations on the effectiveness of this strategy will be discussed.