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The role of the research practitioner Dr Graham Walton, Head of Planning and Resources, Library and
Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Information Science, both Loughborough University
Session 7A, co-organized with LIRG: Research into practice Chair: David Haynes
International Society for Knowledge Organization (ISKO UK biennial conference: University College, London, 9th July 2013
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Purpose of practitioner research
Benefits of practitioner research
Difference and similarities between practitioner research and academic research
Challenges in disseminating practitioner research
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Areas covered in case study on practitioner research
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Loughborough University academics’ use of the Library both via building and online:2012
Daily Weekly Monthly Yearly Never0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
24
66
64
04
13
60
19
4
Online usage
Building usage
https://sites.google.com/site/lirgweb/home
Avera
ge
Under
grad
uate
P-G (t
augh
t)
P-G re
sear
ch
Acade
mic
staf
f
Other
13 1312
14 14
1011 11
10
8
10
12
Averag
e
Undergrad
uate
P-G (ta
ught)
P-G (r
esearc
h)
Academ
ic staff
Other
1413
12
1413
11
8 8
3
76
7
Comparison between 2009 and 2012 in ranked satisfaction/importance of e-books
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Avera
ge
Under
grad
uate
P-G (t
augh
t)
P-G re
sear
ch
Acade
mic
staf
f
Other
8 8 8
12
6
11
57
31
3 3
8 8 8
12
6
11
57
31
3 3
Comparison between 2009 and 2012 in ranked satisfaction/importance of e-journals
6
7
3
64
546
31 1
5
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Comparison between 2009 and 2012 in ranked satisfaction/importance of e-resources (e.g. Web of Science)
Avera
ge
Under
grad
uate
P-G (t
augh
t)
P-G re
sear
ch
Acade
mic
staf
f
Other
56
43
2
5
8
10
6
3
6 68 8
6
43
7
1011
5
98
4
https://sites.google.com/site/lirgweb/home
Comparison between 2009 and 2012 in ranked satisfaction/importance of Library online catalogue
Avera
ge
Under
grad
uate
P-G (t
augh
t)
P-G re
sear
ch
Acade
mic
staf
f
Other
1
2 2 2
5
1
4
6
5 5 5
2
54
2
7
15
65
7
23
5
1
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What are the research questions!
• What online services do academics use if 24% respondents access Library online daily?
• Why do academics see e-books as being less important in 2012 than in 2009?
• Why are academic more satisfied and attach more importance to e-journals in 2012 than they did in 2009?
• Why do academics see e-resources such as Web of Science as being less important in 2012 than they were in 2009?
• Why do academic staff have much lower satisfaction levels with the online catalogue in 2012 compared to 2009?
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Purpose of practitioner research
• Problem solving: University Library needed to know in more detail how academics are using its digital services to inform future services
• Evaluation: showing how services are performing
• Benchmarking: internal comparison to show how users’ information seeking behaviour is changing
• Influencing University Library strategy and policy, e.g. welfare or health policy
Not about contributing to the learning of library and information science discipline.[6]
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Benefits of practitioner research
• Generates evidence that can be used to inform practice
• Makes sure decisions are not based on guess work
• Process provides practitioners with wider skills mix including an understanding of research process and research tasks
• Can be used for promotional and marketing activities
• Allows empathy with researchers to be developed
• Gives credibility
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Difference and similarities between practitioner research and academic research
• Research not seen as core activity for practitioner researchers – has to be done on top of day job (with no resources allocated for research)
• Validity and reliability are not top of the agenda when practitioners are doing research
• Methodology is very much influenced by limited resources. Reason why online surveys proliferate and very rare to come across ethnographic studies
