Finding research on the voluntary sector
People talk about the need for evidence based policy and practice – but how can people find evidence to inform their work? Naomi Landau introduces the new Third Sector Knowledge Portal.
The Third Sector Research Centre has teamed up with the British Library and Big Lottery Fund, to build the Third Sector Knowledge Portal, an online resource to help people access a range of information and research specifically relevant to the voluntary and community sector.
The importance of research
The idea of using research may seem cumbersome or even time consuming, but the knowledge of others – whether gained through research or experience – can help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes or digging for information that has already been unearthed.
This is why the Big Lottery Fund decided to fund TSRC’s new Knowledge Portal. As an organisation that funds a great deal of work across the sector, they understand the importance of learning from previous experiences, as well as from research. Shared learning and experience can help organisations develop more successful practices, improve services, and gain a greater understanding of the environment in which they operate.
Why has the Portal been built?
The Knowledge Portal was conceived to make it much easier to find this information. Since the set up of TSRC, we have had lots of queries from people looking for research on the sector and not knowing where to find it. The idea of the Portal is to create a single online database where people can go to find research on the third sector.
TSRC knows that there is a huge amount of material out there. This includes academic studies and reports that are highly relevant to the work of voluntary organisations, but are often not seen by many people outside the research community. It also includes material published by voluntary organisations, by government institutions, and by funders that offer insights into the impact of interventions or practices, the implications of new policy directions or social contexts, or the effects of structural, relational and funding changes on organisations. The Portal will make it easier for people to find these sources of information, and hopefully encourage more people to look for them!
The start of a growing resource
The Portal was launched on October 14 2011. It currently holds over 1,000 records in its repository, just a tiny portion of the research material that exists on the sector. TSRC is working with partners across the sector to incorporate as much material as possible and intends to grow the Portal into a fully comprehensive resource. Through the Portal, we intend to give the sector a space, not just to access but to share their research and learning with each other.
For BIG, it seemed clear that the Portal met a need - the third sector is not short of evidence, information, research, but it is often fragmented and hard to find. It was apparent that there was a need to bring disparate collections and listings together, and create a single place for people to access a vast range of sources, and make their own research material available.
How the Portal works
The Portal is accessible via the ‘P’ button on the TSRC home page www.tsrc.ac.uk. Working in partnership with the British Library (BL) has meant that we have been fortunate enough to benefit from their years of experience of cataloguing material. With input from the Library, and from TSRC researchers and stakeholders in the sector, a unique classification system has been created which organises material in a way that is relevant to the sector, and which will hopefully make it easier for users to find what they need.
The Portal allows people to search for subjects, titles and authors. It contains links to full electronic copies of material wherever possible. Where material is not available electronically, or is restricted by copyright, the Portal provides direct links to the British Library catalogue. These links can be used to request inter-library loans or order printed copies of journal articles from the BL Document Supply Centre.
Get involved
Lastly, please help us to develop and build the Portal. To create a comprehensive resource, we need others to share their research. If you would like to suggest relevant material for inclusion into the Portal, contact Peter Lambert, TSRC’s Knowledge Portal manager on p.lambert@tsrc.ac.uk or call 0121 414 3012. You can also follow @3rdsectorportal on twitter. Please also help us spread the word by letting others in the sector know about it!
