NPS Ranger Research Library

NPS/ Photo - Denali National Park

 

Integrity of Scientific and Scholarly Activities

"Scientific and scholarly activity is essential to the National Park Service mission. The results of scientific and scholarly activity are used to inform NPS policy and management decisions. Such activity must therefore produce scientific and scholarly information that is robust, of the highest quality, and the result of rigorous scientific and scholarly processes. The NPS must, in accordance with Departmental policy, maintain the highest integrity of its scientific and scholarly activity." - Director’s Order #79

 

 

Cannot Find It

Despite our efforts to make this site as comprehensive as possible, we were not able to include links to all the sites that will connect you to the resources you need. If you still haven't found that article/book/report that you need, here are a few options:

• Search the open web using a standard search engine, preferably one targeted to scholarly information
• Contact the NPS Library program for recommendations: [e-mail]
• Send your Interlibrary Loan request to [e-mail]

 

Improving Access to Scientific and Scholarly Activities for NPS Employees

National Park Service (NPS) employees take pride in using the best available science and scholarship to protect and interpret the natural and cultural resources of the national park system. This is a key tool in well-informed decision making and communication to further NPS’s missions of land management, conservation, and public access.

The NPS and Department of Interior maintain physical and virtual collections and databases, with an emphasis on preserving and making accessible numerous planning documents, media, and publications produced by and for the agency. However, accessing scholarly information produced outside of the NPS can be more difficult, and ensuring that NPS employees and partners are aware of available resources is a constant work in progress.

In our own experiences, and those of most employees we talked to about their research efforts, the most common and frustrating gap is in access to scholarly journal articles that are not produced by the Federal government or published in open periodicals. This challenge was familiar to all on our GOAL project team, across our experiences working in wilderness restoration, cultural resources, administration, facilities management, interpretation, and library and information sciences. While there are other resources NPS employees do not have universal access to, such as some primary source databases, these access needs vary widely across divisions, positions, and geographical locations. Increasing access to journal articles would benefit NPS employees in many locations and job series throughout the agency.

This widely shared experience motivated us to focus our project on trying to understand what has been attempted before, what the barriers are, and what we can do to increase access for the workforce. As a first step, we created this website to collect existing resources in one accessible place and expand awareness of lesser-known and valuable research tools.

 

NPS G.O.A.L. Academy Class Project 2024

Generating Organization Advancement and Leadership

Project Team:

• Anne M Thomas: Management and Program Analyst, Midwest Regional Office
• Emily B Kambic: Bureau Historian, History Program
• Lia M. Vella: Technical Information Specialist, National Information Service Center
• Matthew B Jones: Wilderness Restoration Program Manager, Yosemite National Park
• Rendall M. Seely: Park Ranger and Digital Lead, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
• Sean M. Rauch: Old Faithful Area Supervisor of Facilities Management, Yellowstone National Park

GOAL Academy is a nine month course with comprehensive curriculum focused on developing and refining personal leadership skills. GOAL Academy is a program for those who have the desire and will to take their public service calling to another level. Through a combination of experiential learning, practical application, and valuable networking opportunities, participants engage in a transformative journey aimed at enhancing their capabilities across a wide range of competency areas. These areas encompass team building, interpersonal skills, conflict management, strategic thinking, creativity, and more. Guided by the motto "lead from where you are now," the GOAL Academy places a strong emphasis on practical leadership skills that can be easily implemented. This approach ensures that individuals from diverse backgrounds can effectively develop their leadership potential and make a meaningful impact in their respective roles.

Visit the GOAL Academy Homepage to learn more about this Leadership and Developement program.

 

NPS/Photo - Independence National Historical Park