ORCID UK community drop-in sessions

We have trialled a new type of meet-up for our UK ORCID consortium members with a monthly drop-in session which takes place in our Teams space. We’ve had three online meetings so far in August, September and October. Our last face to face meeting was in 2019 so we have been finding different ways to connect our members until our annual in-person gatherings resume.

The drop-in is run as an informal chat session, it is available for an hour with no fixed agenda. We start with a round of introductions, and the questions that the participants bring on the day set the discussion. It is a time to compare notes, get peer support, ask questions, explore ideas and get to know each other.

The two themes we have spent most discussions on are advocacy and research infrastructure. We have heard that purchasing and tendering processes are in motion with several members evaluating their research systems, like repositories or CRIS. Some of the challenges reported include doing comprehensive requirements gathering across the different stakeholders so that all needs are considered, concerns about the effort needed to upgrade across systems or migrate, and some challenging time-scales in which to conclude the process.

From our part as consortium lead at Jisc, the sessions have been very valuable as a chance to re-connect with some of our members, meet those new in role, understand the context our main contacts are working within and we also have a heads-up since the system connections and integration features are an important factor in members being able to gain most benefit from using APIs like that offered by ORCID.

Next month we have coming up a dedicated session for a community approach to developing an advocacy toolkit, so we will pause the monthly drop-ins and reconvene for a Christmas special in December. Watch out for the Teams invites and if you’ve not been getting these, do reach out through the help@jisc.ac.uk contact point mentioning ORCID in your email subject. We are also still gathering input to gauge demand for our Birds of a Feather sessions around institutional systems (CRIS and repositories commonly used). Cast your votes in the Teams polls to express your interest, and we will get these organised, usually with contributions from the vendors.

We would also be very happy to hear feedback about the drop-ins if you have attended. We have reached 15 of our consortium member organisations so far through these events, and we have enjoyed them very much, but they are there to support you – do drop by and say hello.