Research Information Management and Expertise Systems: Implementation, Administration, Staffing, and Utilization

Academic and research institutions across the world have increasingly adopted and implemented Expertise and Research Information Management (RIM) Systems to “support the transparent aggregation, curation, and utilization of data about institutional activities” (OCLC, “Research Information Management in the United States”). These systems may also be referred to as Faculty Information Systems, Current Research Information Systems, Faculty Activity Reporting Systems, and other terms. 

The above referenced OCLC report found that the RIM System landscape in the United States is characterized by decentralization and duplication (i.e. a single institution may have multiple systems performing RIM functions). Further, there is widespread confusion about what RIM Systems are and can do, and although RIM Systems often do support multiple use cases, they are often deployed serving only one use case. The absence of mandated national reporting requirements in the United States has meant that adoption is driven by other needs, such as showcasing expertise, faculty activity reporting, streamlining open access deposit process, supporting accreditation, and other uses. 

The purpose of this session is to provide an opportunity for a deep level of engagement with the many challenges and opportunities that RIM System present. It is intended for current RIM Systems practitioners, people exploring the adoption of a system, software developers working in this space, and all people who interface with these systems—including deans of research, librarians, scholarly communications and bibliometrics researchers, grants and sponsored programs staff, brand management, and more. 

The instructors will provide overviews of the topics, as well as anecdotes about our own experiences as RIM System administrators. We will have a number of discussion prompts to encourage attendees to share their own experiences if they are current administrators, or to ask questions if they are exploring. Depending on the number of attendees, this will take place either in breakout rooms or in a single room. Furthermore, guest speakers will be included on each day of the session in order to broaden the conversation and include people with a variety of uses and perspectives. 

The session will be led by the current Chair and Chair Elect of the Expert Finder System (EFS) Executive Committee. The EFS International Forum has provided webinars and professional conferences for several years, and is in the process of developing into a more formal professional organization.