Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Doing Ethnographic Research in LibrariesFOR UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGOFEBRUARY 2017
CELIA EMMELHAINZ – ANTHROPOLOGY LIBRARIAN – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
Introductions
Image: Saad Aqeel & R Campbell, contextualresearch.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/the-ethnographic-research-cycle.png
Stages of qualitative research:
1. Develop a questionRead and converse to focus your question
3. Choose a method4. Choose a sampling strategy5. Collect data ethically6. Analyze data by coding for themes7. Share results and apply what you learned!
Isaacs (2014) “An Overview of Qualitative Research Methodology for Public Health Researchers,” p. 318-21
1. Asking a good question
1. Develop a question worth asking:
* Relevance to work & actionable changes
* New insights / Under-researched
* Value to profession
* Fascinating to you!
Exercise, part 1:
List any topics or questions you’re curious about
(three minutes)
Asking Anthropological Questions: Look for the whole picture
What is the larger context for this practice?
* How do departmental expectations for research affect how students approach our library?
Consider interpretations What do people mean by [X], and how do they use it to explain, defend, or change their world?
* What do librarians and administrators mean by the “value” of a library?
Compare two groups
Do other libraries or people also do this?
* Do international vs. American students use library resources in the same way?
Look at change over time
How is this practice or idea changing?
* How have vendor-librarian negotiations changed with consortial spending? What strategies do vendors deploy to negotiate with libraries?
Remember place and biology
How do human biology, culture & physical environments interact?
* How do plants or therapy animals affect study space? * How do disabled students interact with our physical and digital spaces?
Look at power and structures
How do power dynamics and policies affect our interactions or those of our students?
* How does the success or failure of collective bargaining affect librarian career strategies?
Reflect on your own position
How does my perspective influence what I research and what I hear from respondents?
* Do librarian values change as their taskload increases? Have mine?
Get in dialogue What do the people I work with need from this research, and are they shaping the study?
* How do first-generation sociology majors approach library consultations? (Hire them to co-design and lead a project with you)
Thomas Mathle, Accordion Players on Buchanan, Glasgow, on Flickr
Exercise 2:
Revise your idea to fit one of these types of questions
(five minutes)
Focus: Know your concept when you see it
Broad• “Experiences of
nontraditional women in libraries”
• “Student worker motivation”
Focused• “Factors that build student
confidence in finding archival materials”
• “Transmission of beliefs about “real” vs “practice” work among student library employees”
Exercise 3:
Get specific with a concept you’ll know when you see it.
(five minutes)
2. Choosing a good method
(Image of fieldnotes: Dunne 2016, dx.doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2016.1168747; image of librarians by Celia Emmelhainz)
Participant observation (fieldnotes)
Interviews
Focus groups
Pile sorts
Image: www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2014/12/revisiting-the-pile-sort-method-of-user-research.php)
(Image: Donna Lanclos, http://www.donnalanclos.com/?p=21 )
Cognitive mapping
Digital observation
(Image from Judi Briden, “Photo Surveys,” (p. 40-47), in Foster & Gibbons 2007, Studying Students)
Patron diaries (photo, audio, video, text)
Document / ephemera analysis
Exercise 4: Methods
Choose a method and note why you’re interested.
(three minutes)
Sampling for qualitative research
Convenience: who can I get easily? Snowball sampling: find hard to reach peopleHomogenous: shared characteristics in depthMaximum variation: diversity of viewsQuota sampling: sample to represent known pop.Random sampling: draw from full population
Exercise 5: Sampling
Write down how you might gather people for your research.
(two minutes)
3. Code the Results
Coding is a: “Systematic way to condense extensive data into smaller analyzable unitsthrough the creation of categories & concepts.”
– Lockyer 2004
““
We can mark text (“code”) for: ■ Your research question ■ Relevant text ■ Repeating ideas ■ Themes you notice ■ Ideas you’ve seen in literature
Auerbach and Silverstein (2003, p. 35)
Coding on paper
Image: from Summer Starling – QDA with MaxQDA presentation for the D-Lab, UC Berkeley
Coding in software
Reasons to use
• Complex codes • Test relationships• Handle large data• Good for teams
Reasons not to use
• Cost• Learning curve• Few interviews
Student & librarian pricing for software
Atlas.ti
• Students $99/2 yrs
• Librarians $670
MaxQDA
• Student $115/2 yrs
• Librarians $345 / base
NVIVO
• Students $120/1 yr
• Librarians $350/ starter
Dedoose
• $13/month• Web based
Reflect and note ideas with memos
Start with close reading, and notethoughts and ideas you notice.
For documents and concepts: Mark an interesting section Reflect on an idea Note connection to related ideas
Tag recurring themes and concepts with codes
Exercise 6: Hand-coding
Hand-code the interview or the survey for themes or topics.
(five minutes)
4. Moving to Conclusions
From Coding to Conclusionsa. Develop further questions to ask or code for.b. Explore differences by place, social group, etc.c. Draw maps or visualize links between ideas.d. Build narratives or case stories of why your ideas matter.e. Relate your resulting ideas back to conversations in your
field or workplace.
Adapted from Shelly Steward, Changing Gears: From Coding to Conclusions, presentation in the UCB D-Lab, October 28, 2016
Results: Articles
Emmelhainz & Bukhtoyarova 2016 “I Fell Into Librarianship…”
5. Next Steps: Planning for Research
Plan time for research… 2 months: Learn research skills: book, course, mentor 1 month: Develop a clear question, method, and goals 2 months: Gain library and human ethics (IRB) approval 2-3 weeks: Recruit participants 1-4 months: Do research and take notes / transcribe 2-3 months: Reflect on and analyze your data (“coding”) 2-4 months: Write up and share results
Optional Budget for… ■ Research assistance ($10-15 hour)
◦Literature review◦Transcription (five hours for every hour of audio)◦Data collection◦Coding
■ Incentives and awards (e.g. $20 for focus groups or interviews, $5 for a survey) ■ Poster or presentation materials
Exercise 6: Planning
Note how much time you have available, and funding sources.
(two minutes)
