Mellon Grant Continues Support of Triangle Scholarly Communications Institute

Part research retreat, part idea incubator, the institute provides time and space for project teams to develop ideas and refine plans in ways that are difficult to do in most work contexts. (Photo from the 2017 Triangle SCI.)

The Duke University Libraries have a received a grant of $360,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to continue support of the Triangle Scholarly Communication Institute (TriangleSCI).

Every year, the TriangleSCI brings together teams of scholars, information scientists, librarians, publishers, technologists, and others from both inside and outside academia to discuss needs and opportunities in the domain of scholarly communications.

Each annual institute is organized under a broad theme (this year’s theme is “Equity in Scholarly Communication”), and proposals are invited for projects that fit with that theme.

The grant covers program administration, as well as expenses for approximately 30 participants from around the world to convene in the Research Triangle region for four days each fall.

Part research retreat, part idea incubator, the institute provides time and space for project teams to develop ideas and refine plans in ways that are difficult to do in most work contexts. The goal is to provide a combination of structured and unstructured time to brainstorm, organize, and jump-start ideas in an informal but highly productive environment.

The Scholarly Communication Institute began in 2003 as a Mellon-funded initiative at the University of Virginia and was based there for nine years. In 2014, it moved to the Research Triangle where it has been hosted ever since by Duke, working in close collaboration with partners at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, and an advisory board from these partners and other universities and organizations across the country.

“We could not realize our most ambitious goals without The Mellon Foundation’s continued generosity,” said Deborah Jakubs, Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs. “Their ongoing support has made it possible for nearly 200 people to participate in the TriangleSCI over the past six years, and to return to their usual work energized and ready to create positive and pragmatic change in the world of scholarly communications.”

TriangleSCI participants have come from more than two dozen countries, representing a variety of languages, cultures, and contexts. Teams have included senior administrators as well as undergraduate students, researchers and teaching faculty, librarians, publishers, software developers, musicians, storytellers, journalists, and more.

To learn more about the TriangleSCI, and to see the types of projects represented at each year’s program, visit the institute’s website or find them on Twitter.