Highlights From The Library Front Desk

Faunalytics’ Research Library has just hit 5,000 entries! Our Content Director, karol orzechowski, reflects on the growth of the database we’ve built and shares some of his favorites from the archives.

Author: karol orzechowski | Published: January 11, 2023

As Faunalytics’ resident librarian, sometimes I like to imagine myself sitting in a vast room, full of bookshelves. Those bookshelves, chock full of research on animal advocacy issues, are free to any and all who choose to access them. As they walk in and browse the shelves, I’m there at the front desk, ready to answer questions and help find things in the collection.

Of course, the Faunalytics Research Library is not a physical space — it’s digital, and in many ways, far more accessible than a physical building could be. Like a library, it’s free to use and access, and though there is no official front desk, my work desk serves as a replacement. I even host weekly Office Hours, where you can visit my virtual desk, ask me questions, and get direct support.

Since joining Faunalytics in 2014, I estimate that I’ve personally written over 1,000 study summaries, as well as a large set of blog posts. In addition, we have been blessed with an veritable army of incredible volunteer writers over the years, some of whom have contributed study summaries in the triple digits. I’m proud to share that this past December, we added the 5,000th entry to our library! We wouldn’t have gotten this far without the support of people willing to donate their time and skills to help us share content with advocates — to celebrate this major milestone, I wanted to share some of my favorite resources from this vast collection, from my time as a curator and writer, and beyond.

The Quiet Powerhouses

No matter how much you might want to stay up to date on everything in the Research Library, it’s a tall order: we publish four study summaries and one blog every week, year after year — that adds up to about 250 new entries annually. It’s hard for even the most dedicated advocates to keep up with all of the data out there, and many studies may slip under the radar. The following are some summaries that really shine, but never got the attention they deserved.

Extinguishing Barn Fires: An Urgent Animal Advocacy Issue

This blog post tackles an important topic with charts, maps, and thorough research. While the animals killed in barn fires may pale in comparison to the total we slaughter each year, their especially cruel deaths are entirely preventable.

What Can GMOs Teach Us About Cultured Meat?

I’m fascinated with research that looks at how past case studies may be able to inform future action. This study provides some great insights into the cultured meat industry using lessons from the GMO movement of the 1990s.

**Conflict Among Veg*ns: Ethics Vs. Health**

If you've ever wondered about the dynamics of infighting within animal advocacy, this study can explain some of it. It provides a good explanation of the internal judgments that vegans and vegetarians have about each other and their motivations.

Bringing Together Social Justice And Biodiversity Conservation

There are many ways that the conservation community perpetuates colonialism and a colonialist mindset. This study explores some paths forward that may be more inclusive and fruitful.

Dogs Can Be A Lifeline For Guardians Experiencing Homelessness

The old adage “if you can’t afford a vet, you can’t afford a pet” has been problematic since its inception. Many, many people, including the unhoused, are able to provide solid care for companion animals, even if they don’t have an emergency fund.

The Sleeper Hits

With 5,000 studies in our library, you would think that the factors that make a certain entry rise to the top would be obvious. However, we regularly see older or unexpected study summaries catch fire and garner thousands of pageviews, often unexpectedly. Some of these studies have become our most popular resources, regularly topping our year-end statistics, with virtually no promotion.

Animal Research: An Environmental Perspective

One of our most widely read study summaries reflects on the ways that animal research affects the environment — something that most people don’t consider, since animal research generally happens in institutional settings. However, the industry, like any other, generates pollution, uses energy, and has various other harmful effects on the planet.

Battling A Bad Reputation: Why Do So Many People Dislike Pit Bulls?

Most animal advocates know that pit bulls are unfairly maligned by society at large; this popular study summary explores people’s attitudes towards these sweet ones and why they may be so disliked.

Vegans With Non-Vegan Partners: A Unique Dynamic

It’s been fascinating (and perhaps not surprising) to see this blog post rise in pageviews since its publication in 2019. It now ranks as one of our most popular and is full of resources on the subject in question.

The 5 Key Challenges Facing Animal Advocates

This entry — all the way from 2008 — has garnered thousands of pageviews over the years, and (unfortunately) remains very applicable, even in the present day.

Polar Bears, Zoos, And Repetitive Pacing

Many animal advocates work on zoo issues in their communities, and this study summary contains some data that could be very helpful in such campaigns.

The Classics

And finally, we come to the classics. A “classic” library summary would be something I consider to be highly informative, actionable, and well-known. You may remember these studies and summaries from when you first saw them, and they consistently get shared, even years after publication.

Global Animal Slaughter Statistics & Charts: 2022 Update

This data analysis, as well as the previous 2020 update and the 2018 version, paint a stark picture of the scale of animal slaughter around the world, based on numbers from the UN FAO. The sheer volume of pageviews these get is a testament to how much we need these numbers for use in our advocacy.

Effective Animal Campaigning: Current Knowledge And Guiding Principles

This roundup of data on effective advocacy tactics is a must-read (and must-share) for animal advocates looking to make a strong impact with limited resources.

Faunalytics Fundamentals

One of our most popular resources are the Faunalytics Fundamentals, a set of overviews of different animal advocacy topic areas in a highly visual format. Whether you're interested in learning more about companion animal welfare issues, getting a foundational understanding of zoonoses, or looking at data about how animal and social justice are intertwined, you'll find something relevant in this series!

A Summary Of Faunalytics’ Study Of Current And Former Vegetarians And Vegans

If you’ve followed Faunalytics over the years, you likely know that this is a study that garnered a huge amount of media attention — and even criticism from the animal protection community for the finding that 84% of people who go veg*n give up on it within a year. Our subsequent longitudinal reports (found here, here, and here) have explored this topic further, as we continue to build on this foundational work.

The Research Library is one of Faunalytics’ flagship programs, and in 2022 garnered over 500,000 pageviews. As we crest 5,000 entries and start building towards 5,000 more, we’re in the process of making some changes that will further improve the user experience, including an improved search function, better tagging, and clearer organization. Like a physical library, sometimes we need to assess the way things are shelved, reorganize the collection, and evaluate how accessible it all is. Here’s to many more years of our library, and to helping animal advocates inform themselves and each other about the best way to do their work.

If you’d like to help us continue to build the world’s largest, free online animal advocacy research library, please donate today. To double your impact, B Generous is matching all pledges made to Faunalytics this month, up to $5,000! Learn more about their Donate Now Pay Later giving option here. Thank you for your support!

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Author: karol orzechowski

Faunalytics' Content Director karol orzechowski is an animal advocate with a passion for blending activism and art. In addition to producing numerous investigative short films on animal issues, and co-producing the Animal Voices radio show for a number of years, karol was the director of Maximum Tolerated Dose, a full-length documentary about the psychological toll of vivisection on both animals and humans.