Conversations with Rising Stars: Megan Senseney
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Celebrating U of A researchers
Conversations with Rising Stars is a University of Arizona Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) series that showcases U of A faculty, staff, and students who are dynamic, ambitious researchers making significant contributions to their respective fields, and are poised for even more remarkable achievements to come. RII recently interviewed Megan Senseney, University Libraries Research Engagement Department Head and Associate Librarian.
Conversations with Rising Stars: Megan Senseney
As librarian and department head of research engagement for University Libraries, Megan Senseney leads a team dedicated to emerging specialty areas within academic librarianship. Her research focuses on the social dimensions of data-intensive research initiatives. She discusses several aspects that are distinctive to the University of Arizona, its collections, and its commitments in our Conversations with Rising Stars.
What initially attracted you to your current focus of research?
Generally speaking, I’m interested in the social dimensions of data-intensive research initiatives. This has included studies of cross-boundary collaboration, the impact of policy and the law on data curation and analysis, and digital training for scholars in the humanities. My current research focuses on data and digital storytelling, which has been a great vehicle for exploring how to develop and integrate library services into the research lifecycle. At heart, I’m a service-oriented professional, and my research is grounded in exploring ways to facilitate, represent, disseminate, amplify, and preserve other people’s scholarship.
When I first arrived in Arizona, the University had recently adopted the creation of a Border Lab within its strategic plan, which represents a commitment from the University to prioritize and fund efforts that reflect our borderlands region. I was attracted to the prospect of applying data and digital storytelling techniques within this context because the topic is so interdisciplinary, and there is so much opportunity to support community-engaged research.