Moore, A. J., Battersby, L., & Crooks, V. (2025). A Knowledge Mobilization Initiative Pilot in the Library: How It Started and How It’s Going. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 20(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v20i1.7186
Abstract
Over the last twenty years knowledge mobilization (KM) is increasingly a priority for researchers, funders, and universities. As KM emphasizes non-traditional forms of mobilization and encourages approaching research differently (e.g. co-production) there is a natural fit with advancements in academic librarianship such as digital scholarship. The goal of KM is to increase the use and positive impact of research beyond academia. Many researchers, required to plan and do KM as part of the funding requirements, need additional supports to learn about and mobilize their research beyond traditional approaches; academic institutions are responding with developing support services or roles in the institution. Approaches to these services are diverse, some centralized, some faculty or department specific, some dedicated roles, others added on to existing roles. In this paper we describe a pilot project to support KM at one Canadian university. Specifically, we share the development, initiation, and program model of a KM support unit within an academic library. We make the case for the importance of physical location of this type of service, the value the library adds to this service, and other lessons learned through this pilot project.
This article is a practice-based peer reviewed article exploring the benefits (and challenges) of locating institutional knowledge mobilization supports in a university library. Many university libraries have something like an “impact librarian” but these are mostly focused on scholarly impact such as bibliometrics and citations. Important for sure, but not the outcomes of knowledge mobilization dedicated to making a difference beyond the academy. This paper makes an important contribution since – to my knowledge – it is unique.
Disclosure: Author Lupin Battersby is highly active in Research Impact Canada. I consider her a colleague and friend. And that makes me confident saying this article makes an important contribution to anyone thinking about institutional structures to support knowledge mobilization.
Caveat: the paper was written in 2023, or at least that was their benchmark for Research Impact Canada members. The field has grown since then but the core messages haven’t changed.
The authors cite a couple of definitions of knowledge mobilization. One not in here because it hasn’t been published yet is from Steven MacGregor (U. Calgary and friend of Research Impact Canada) who says if impact is the destination then knowledge mobilization is the journey. That’s an elegant way of describing what I usually say which is that impact = WHAT (ie what we want to accomplish) and knowledge mobilization is HOW (ie the things we do) we get there.
SFU started with a scan and found the following
- SFU had a number of highly dispersed KM supports across the university that were not necessarily well connected to one another
- that awareness of KM activities, services, and supports at SFU was low; that funded projects received little post-grant support for KM
- researchers needed SFU-specific solutions for building KM expertise, such as media experience.
They also looked at 52 other Canadian institutions. Of these four SFU comparators demonstrated the following
- Concordia University had a KM Office with two full-time staff
- McMaster University offered a number of KM and KT workshops and ran a formal KM and KT network for faculty
- Toronto Metropolitan University had created institution-specific KM tools, resources, and awards
- York University had declared a major institutional commitment to KM, including a dedicated KM support unit inside the Innovation York office.
After internal consultation and planning SFU’s Library was selected as the home for the KM Officer and the KM Hub’s three-year demonstration period for four reasons: 1) strong connections between the VPRI and the Library; 2) interdisciplinarity; 3) service alignment; and 4) demonstrated expertise.
Check out Figure 1, the SFU KM Hub logic model. It links the KM Hub with outcome indicators. This level of detail is welcome. These activities group into three overlapping areas of activity: capacity building (workshops, webinars, and tailored training); consulting (expert guidance pre- and post-award, navigation to SFU resources, and facilitation); and celebrating (knowledge mobilizers story series and SFU experts featured in events).
Questions for brokers
- Capacity building, consulting, celebrating: What does your KMb activities accomplish in each of these, and do you have a fourth (or a fifth)?
- In 2023 there were four comparators among 52 Canadian institutions studied that served as inspiration. Would you add any more to that list of four?
- How is your library supporting knowledge mobilization for societal impacts of research?
Research Impact Canada is producing this journal club series to make evidence on KMb more accessible to knowledge brokers and to create online discussion about research on knowledge mobilization. It is designed for knowledge brokers and other people interested in knowledge mobilization. Read this open access article. Then come back to this post and join the journal club by posting your comments on our LinkedIn.