Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

3-6-2026

Publication Title

SCELC Colloquium

City

Los Angeles

Abstract

How can SCELC librarians make user-centered decisions around emerging technologies like GenAI, when user research is commonly dismissed as too resource intensive to be useful to libraries? We are researchers at two SCELC affiliate institutions whose commitment to equity and justice-oriented technology librarianship has led us to confront this question. We pursue Slow, collaborative research including user studies because we believe that grounding library technology in the needs and lived experience of students and university employees strengthens the connections with colleagues and library users that we need to advocate for technology that realizes our libraries' values. In this session we introduce our study of Primo Research Assistant (PRA) registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF), an open-source repository that supports the full research lifecycle. We contend that open science principles can disperse that initial commitment of time and expertise needed to undertake multi-campus research, allowing institutions of all sizes to pool their knowledge and realize the benefits of equitable design. We will share how we navigate the challenges of joint research, highlighting strategies that support multi-campus collaboration in other contexts. We welcome SCELC members to contribute to a new community of practice around usability research at California academic libraries and invite attendees to reflect on SCELC's role as collaboration facilitator.

Rights

CC-BY

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