Abigail Goben, professor and data management librarian and data policy advisor, has been awarded two grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Goben and Dorothea Salo, faculty member at the Information School at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, received a $290,116 three-year Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for their project, “Valid or Void: Critically Evaluating Technology Trends for Academic Library Adoption.”

“As technological trends such as blockchain, virtual reality headsets and online badges cycle through mainstream media and professional discussions, academic library leaders are quickly challenged to make smart bets on these technologies. However, library leaders lack practical evidence-based tools to support this decision-making, and there is little known about the guidelines and resources they use to decide on emerging-technology adoption,” the Institute of Museum and Library Services wrote in announcing the award.

Goben and Salo will investigate academic library leader decision-making around technological adoption, then build and test a tool to support good decisions around technology adoption. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services RE-259930-OLS.

Goben was also awarded a two-year forum grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services with Megan Sapp Nelson at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, for “Missing the Middle: Identifying Structural Issues Facing Mid-Career Librarians.” The forum will focus on identifying ways institutions and organizations can support mid-career professionals. Sapp Nelson and Goben have a scoping review and focus groups planned to help shape forum content.

— Andrea Smith, UIC Library