Research Cafes at LJMU Valerie Stevenson Head of Academic Services LJMU Library Services
Jul 08, 2015
Research Cafes at LJMU
Valerie StevensonHead of Academic Services
LJMU Library Services
Outline
• Concept of a “Research Café”
• Planning at LJMU
• 2013/14 programme
• Christmas Special
• Lessons learned and future plans at LJMU
The Café Concept
Café Philosophique• Long tradition: London and
Vienna coffee houses, Paris Left Bank
• 1990s Paris: Marc Sautet’s Cafés-Philo idea spread around the world
• Café Scientifique began in Leeds 1998, similar idea for science and technology
• Examples in universities and cities worldwide
www.acropole.ca
Planning at LJMU
Development Phase
• Original idea from LJMU Director of Research, Professor Andy Young, 2012
• Informal seminars with coffee and cake
• Short talks aimed at the lay person
• Promote awareness of the range of research carried out at LJMU
Speakers: October 2013
Library role
• Neutral venues, familiar to everyone
• Booking rooms
• Introductions
• Providing refreshments
• Promotion and marketing
• Write-ups on the library blog
Research Café Format
• Two-hour session, Wednesday afternoons, once a month
• Informality, discussion encouraged
• Four speakers: allocated 10-15 minutes each, interdisciplinary, mix of early career researchers and very experienced staff
• Started 2012: new Vice-Chancellor one of the first speakers
Promotion and Marketing
• Dates set at the start of the academic year• Speakers selected by LJMU Research &
Innovation Team and advertised about a week in advance
• Publicised on LJMU web sites, Library blog, twitter and Facebook
• Sessions filmed and added to the LJMU YouTube channel
http://ljmulibrary.wordpress.com/
LJMU YouTube channel: playlist
Christmas Event, 2013
Christmas Café at Liverpool Central Library
The Christmas Programme• Phil James, Professor of Extragalatic Astrophysics –
Supernova: the exploding stars
• Laura Bishop, Professor of Hominid Palaeoecology – Two million years BC: The real story of our early ancestors
• Professor Simon Yates, Director, Institute of Cultural Capital – Understanding digital inclusion
• Glenda Norquay, Professor of Scottish Literary Studies – Transatlantic transactions: Literary conversations in the 1890s
Lessons learned andfuture plans
• Successful initiative: continue in 2014/15
• Careful preparation with researchers: review video before release
• Keep the format, wider publicity, open to public
• Repeat the Christmas event
• Considering live streaming
Questions/Comments