CRSA - Annual Report - 2025-2026
CRSA Annual Report
Fiscal Year: FY2026 (July 2025-June 2026)
Committee Name: Committee on Research & Scholarly Activities (CRSA)
Committee Chair: Eric Bader
Members:
Eric Bader (2024-26)
Samantha Greeson* (2025-27) Elspeth Healey, LFSA liaison John McEwan* (2025-27)
Sara Outhier* (2025-26)
Cecilia Zhang* (2025-27)
*Denotes a minimum of three members who have a requirement to engage in research and scholarly activities as part of their professional assignment.
Standing Charges:
According to the University of Kansas Libraries Code of Governance available at https://lfsa.ku.edu/lfsa-code-and-bylaws, The Committee on Research and Scholarly Activities, in keeping with the Libraries’ mission, encourages, promotes, and supports research and scholarly activities of the members of the LFSA. To support these endeavors, CRSA promotes and reviews applications for the Library Research Fund (LRF) and General Research Fund (GRF).
Library Research Fund (LRF): The Committee on Research and Scholarly Activities establishes and reviews, on an annual basis, guidelines for the disbursal of research funds provided by the Dean of Libraries. The Committee on Research and Scholarly Activities allocates these funds based on those guidelines.
General Research Fund (GRF): The Committee on Research and Scholarly Activities also administers the University’s General Research Fund designated to KU Libraries based on the GRF Guidelines.
Standing Charges Progress/Accomplishment Summary:
Library Research Fund
KU Libraries originally allocated $6000.00 for the Library Research Fund (LRF) for distribution and expenditure during FY26 (2025-2026). After exhausting this amount, CRSA requested additional funds. Dean Carol Smith approved additional expenditure of up to $1,500 if needed. In all, CRSA approved seventeen (17) LRF awards for a total of $6,058.75.
Name | Amount Awarded (USD) | Project Name | Description of purpose of funding |
Paul Thomas | $153.75 | The Ghosts of Sumeru: A Hauntological Look at Genshin Impact | Funds to cover registration for Midwest Popular Culture Association Annual Conference |
John McEwan | $295.00 | Practical Applications of Extractive Artificial Intelligence Toolsin Medieval Research | Funds to cover registration for North American Conference on British Studies |
Erin Wolfe | $400.00 | From Microfilm to Metadata: AI-Powered Indexing of 139 Years of a Student Newspaper | Funds to cover registration for Fantastic Futures conference |
MarianneReed | $275.00 | No PlaceLike Growth: How KU Libraries Promotes Staff Development | Funds to cover registration to Kansas Library Association conference (KLA) |
RebeccaSchroeder | $150.00 | No PlaceLike Growth: How KU Libraries Promotes Staff Development | Funds to cover registration to KLA |
Samantha Greeson | $150.00 | Common Book, Reviewed: Using a Common Read Program to Foster Connection and Build Community | Funds to cover registration to KLA |
Brian Moss | $275.00 | No PlaceLike Growth: How KU Libraries Promotes Staff Development | Funds to cover registration to KLA |
Carmen Orth-Alfie | $60.00 | Pilot reader advisory program for thesising and dissertating students: Creating space for the self-guided genre within the academic library | Funds to cover registration to Brick & Click |
Samantha Greeson | $650.00 | Collaborating to Community-Building: Library Leadership of a Common Book Program | Funds to cover registration to Conference on the First YearExperience |
Jill Becker | $650.00 | Collaborating to Community-Building: Library Leadership of a Common Book Program | Funds to cover registration to Conference on the First Year Experience |
Jill Becker & Samantha Greeson | $750.00 | First-Year Student Engagement with KU Reads | Funds to cover incentives and refreshments for research groups |
John McEwan | $206.00 | Recovering fadedwriting using multi-spectral imaging | Funds to cover purchase of historic inksand parchment materials |
Paul Thomas | $290.00 | From the Akasha to ChatGPT: Genshin Impact’s Sumeru Storyline as an AI Allegory | Funds to cover registration for Popular Culture Association conference (PCA) |
Amber Ovsak | $365.00 | Currents of Knowledge: Exploring Collaborative Partnerships to Expand Teaching Capacity in Academic Libraries | Fundsto cover registration for LOEX 2026 |
Amber Ovsak | $658.00 | Small is All: Belonging, Relational Practice, and Resilience in Community Spaces | Funds to cover conference registration and software subscription |
Sarah McCall | $498.00 | Small is All: Belonging, Relational Practice, and Resilience in Community Spaces | Funds to cover conference registration |
Amanda Schlumpberger | $233.00 | Book It To the Library: Academic Libraries and Community Engagement Facilitation | Funds to cover conference registration to Campus Compact Annual Conference |
General Research Fund (GRF)
KU Office of Research notified CRSA that KU Libraries has been allocated $20,857.75 for the General Research Fund to be awarded in FY2026 for expenditures during FY2027. CRSA reviewed and approved two (2) GRF awards for a total of $14,840.40.
Name | Amount Awarded (USD) | Project Name | Description of Purpose of Funding |
Jason Dean | $7,650.00 | Royal Greenwich Observatory Papers and Flamsteed’s Historia Coelestis of 1712 | Funds to cover foreign travel to investigate historical documents in England |
Whitney Baker | $7,190.40 | Chasing Rainbows: A Scientific Exploration of Colored Bookbinding Components | Funds to cover studentassistance to research heavy metals in bookbinding materials |
Ongoing Activities:
The committee met via Zoom five (5) times over the course of the academic year. LRF applications were discussed and approved individually via email. In the Spring semester, the committee hosted an LRF+GRF Information Session with the Pre-Tenure Faculty cohort (Jan 2026). Committee members met with new faculty to share information and resources on library funding that is available through CRSA as well as additional resources available through the New Faculty Research Development (NFRD) program. The committee has been involved in the onboarding process for new faculty and staff in an unofficial capacity to share more information on funding available to support research and scholarly activities for new colleagues. The committee encourages future members to maintain these activities to inform colleagues and encourage use of the LRF and GRF awards.
Potential Charges for Future Committees/Recommendations:
At the guidance of the Dean, future committees should examine the role of LRF in the wider library funding landscape, particularly as it relates to new funding streams such as the innovation fund and personal development fund.
Please review the Committee’s portion of the Library Governance website and the Code
<http://lfsa.ku.edu/code-versions>. Does it need updating/correcting? No
Prepared by Eric Bader, FY2026 chair.