INTRODUCTION In many disciplines grey literature, or works that are more ephemeral in nature and are not typically published through traditional scholarly channels, are heavily used alongside traditional materials and sources. We were interested in the type and frequency of grey literature in subject databases and in North American institutional repositories (IRs) as well as what disciplines use grey literature. METHODS Over 100 subject databases utilized by academic researchers and the IRs of over 100 academic institutions were studied. Document type, search capabilities, and level of curation were noted. RESULTS Grey literature was present in the majority (68%) of the literature databases and almost all IRs (95%) contained grey literature. DISCUSSION Grey literature was present in the subject databases across all broad disciplines including arts and humanities. In these resources the most common types of grey literature were conference papers, technical reports, and theses and dissertations. The findability of the grey literature in IRs varied widely as did evidence of active collection development. CONCLUSION Recommendations include the development of consistent metadata standards for grey literature to enhance searching within individual resources as well as supporting future interoperability. An increased level of collection development of grey literature in institutional repositories would facilitate preservation and increase the findability and reach of grey literature.

INTRODUCTION Grey literature is ephemeral and the level to which it is created, used, and cited by faculty, graduate students, and other researchers is not well understood. METHODS This electronic survey was distributed to a sample (57%) of the faculty across a wide variety of disciplines with the only criteria based on tenure and tenured track faculty at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, a large R1 institution. RESULTS Faculty across the disciplines both use and create grey literature for several reasons, such as the more rapid publication process. DISCUSSION Many faculty in a wide variety of disciplines are using and creating grey literature. The survey illustrates the different types of grey literature that are being used and why. Other topics such as how faculty are finding grey literature (via Google Scholar and professional contacts), if they are citing it and what types they create (e.g., conference papers, preprints, technical reports) are also discussed. CONCLUSION As a result of this survey librarians can provide support for faculty who use and create grey literature in all disciplines and advocate for and promote grey literature to faculty. With more scholars participating in systematic reviews, librarians will need to be more cognizant of where and how grey literature is discoverable. Implications for Practice1.Findings confirm that grey literature is being used and created in multiple disciplines, not just the sciences.2.Librarians can impact faculty’s discovery of grey literature outside the existing avenues of Google Scholar and professional contacts.3.Faculty are using grey literature to stay current on research which is a reason academic libraries should consider increasing their awareness and collection development of grey literature.

Grey literature (GL), or works that are more ephemeral in nature and not produced by traditional publishers, plays an important role in research and teaching. Some disciplines, such as economics and forestry, rely on and value GL for how it allows rapid dissemination of information. Additionally, as systematic reviews become increasingly popular in a wider variety of disciplines, the focus on GL has intensified due to guidelines calling for its inclusion. These factors led the authors to further explore the role of GL across disciplines of our institution. We examined the current levels of GL in databases and institutional repositories, and surveyed and interviewed faculty on their relationship with GL. This research found a lack of diverse voices in GL holdings and issues in preservation and access. Libraries are well situated to address these issues and in this article we argue that they should: increase the collection of diverse voices in GL, preserve digital born materials, and provide access to GL. Finally, we offer several ways that libraries can accomplish this goal.

INTRODUCTION Grey literature is ephemeral, and the level to which it is created, used, and cited by faculty, graduate students, and other researchers is not well understood. METHODS This electronic survey was distributed to a sample (57%) of the faculty across a wide variety of disciplines with the only criteria based on tenure and tenure-track faculty at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, a large R1 institution. RESULTS Faculty across disciplines both use and create grey literature for several reasons, including its far more rapid publication process. DISCUSSION Many faculty in a wide variety of disciplines are using and creating grey literature. The survey illustrates the different types of grey literature that are being used and for what purpose. Other topics, such as how faculty are finding grey literature (via Google Scholar and professional contacts), whether they are citing it, and which types they create (e.g., conference papers, preprints, technical reports) are also discussed. CONCLUSION As a result of this survey, librarians can provide support for faculty who use and create grey literature in all disciplines and advocate for and promote grey literature to faculty. With more scholars participating in systematic reviews of grey literature, librarians will need to be more cognizant of where and how it may be discovered.

Inspired by Reid Boehm’s presentation “Beyond Pronouns: Caring for Transgender Medical Research Data to Benefit All People,” at the Research Data Access and Preservation Summit (RDAP) in March 2018, four librarians from the University of Minnesota (UMN) set out to create a LibGuide to support research on transgender topics as a response to Boehm’s identification of insufficient traditional mechanisms for describing, securing, and accessing data on transgender people and topics. This commentary describes the process used to craft the LibGuide, "Library Resources for Transgender Topics," including assembling a team of interested library staff, defining the scope of the project, interacting with stakeholders and community partners, establishing a workflow, and designing an ongoing process to incorporate user feedback.