Methodology for the Environmental Assessment

'Newton' after William Blake, Eduardo Paolozzi, 1995, British Library, London. Photo: VADS

Yesterday members of the KAPTUR project team met at the British Library to discuss the methodology for the environmental assessment. Following previous email discussions and telephone chats by the end of the meeting we had agreed on the following approach:

• There were elements of the JISC Incremental project’s scoping study (PDF) that we could re-use e.g. their approach with having semi-structured interviews, and the cross-departmental comparison of data gathering across the institutional partners.
• However there were also elements of the study that may not be appropriate e.g. the interview questions. As part of our problem space we are trying to uncover ‘What is arts research data?’ and ‘what are the issues?’ and we do not want to be too proscriptive at least initially.
• Each Project Officer will now organise informal interviews with visual arts researchers to gather initial views and issues that will inform our themes for the main data gathering exercise.
• We have arranged to meet again on Monday 31st October when the Project Officers will present their findings to the group.

A note: the role of the environmental assessment in the KAPTUR project is to underpin both the modelling and technical stages which are the main body of the work KAPTUR is undertaking. It is hoped that in carrying out the environmental assessment the four Project Officers will build up relationships that will feed and sustain the work of the project after the end of the project; and that the themes and issues that are raised can be addressed during KAPTUR.