Judith Dye and Mahnaz Moshfegh, Co-Chairs
IULFC Library Research Committee

The Indiana University Strategic Directions Charter states, "Through various offices at the university, campus, and school levels, we will look for opportunities to expand support for teaching, service, and scholarship, including start-up funds, mentorships, intercampus cooperation ..." This includes support for library faculty as well as teaching faculty. Some individual campuses also address faculty development and support. For instance, as stated in the IUPUI mission statement, "Faculty development is to enable each individual member of our academic community to achieve the highest level of personal attainment in teaching, research, and service. The faculty are the University. Their strengths, values, quality, integrity, and vision define what the University is for its students and the community." To attain these goals for library faculty, the vast resources of talent and expertise in the library system should provide the means for librarians to help each other grow and improve. Research is essential for a librarian's continued growth and self-development. To support research, the Indiana University Libraries, collectively and individually should consider the strategies described below:

• Award grants to librarians to attend regional and/or national conferences as research incentives, and to promote their involvement in professional organizations.
• Expand the librarian's research base and scholarship through externship.
• Publish librarians' research related to current issues through research reports and working papers to foster and coordinate collaboration among library faculty.
• Provide continuing education opportunities for librarians who are moving toward identifying key issues that are challenging librarians, librarianship, and confronting the various components of the library.
• Organize conferences and seminars that bring together library administrators, faculty and staff for the purpose of focusing on important issues confronting the library system, as well as national issues to enhance the library's operation.

The library should provide a forum to explore the emerging tools, ideas, and research findings necessary for assisting librarians in their growth, in disseminating their ideas, and in sharing questions and answers in the use of those tools and ideas for conducting research.