Celebration of Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activity: Background

The annual Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Activity is sponsored by the Butler Libraries and began in February 2002, when it was tied in with Founder's Day celebrations and Bobby Fong's inauguration as Butler's 20th president. Originally, it consists of a physical exhibit in Irwn Library throughout the month of February, accompanied by a reception for faculty and staff during the first week of February.  In the past, Butler Libraries partnered with the Butler Institute for Research and Scholarship (BIRS) to recognize both faculty scholarship as well as grant activity. This year, Butler Libraries is the sole host for this event. Faculty's work will be highlighted via poster presentations.  These posters will hang in the Collaborative Learning Space for students, faculty, and staff to learn and celebrate what our Butler faculty are accomplishing in their respective disciplines.  

A major role of the academic library is to promote scholarship, research, and professional accomplishment within the university. This takes different forms because "professional contributions" vary widely between academic disciplines. In one field it may be publishing a book, while in another it may be the norm to present posters at a conference or have a creative work performed for an audience.

This exhibit is an opportunity for Butler employees to share their accomplishments with their colleagues as we celebrate those accomplishments together. While some may view this as a showcase for faculty publications of books and articles, it is really much more than that. This is an event to celebrate scholarly and creative accomplishments by both faculty and staff. When considering what to submit, think of items that would be included on a list for tenure consideration. If the material is part of your regular teaching requirements, it would probably not be appropriate. (See the list on the Home page for examples.)

Due to the nature and size of this exhibit, we prefer to include only items that have been created, written, or published in the last academic year or so. If an item is a work of a major nature within your discipline, two to three years is permitable. Any faculty or staff members who are new to Butler and have not had materials in this exhibit before may disregard this time limit.