Colleen S. Harris, 2012 Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Libraries presentation, Limerick, Ireland.

1. MLS Without a Map?
A Call for a Mixed-Methods
Approach to Studying
Academic Library Leadership
Colleen S. Harris
Assistant Professor & Head of Access Services
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Lupton Library

2. Mixed Methods
• “the third methodological movement”
– Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003, p. 5
• “the third research paradigm”
– Johnson & Ongwuegbuzie, 2004, p. 15

3. Mixed Methods
• Mixes or integrates the two forms of
data concurrently by combining them
(or merging them), sequentially by
having them build on the other, or
embedding one within the other”
– Creswell & Plano Clark, 2001, p.5
– Key word: integrates

4. Methods in the LIS Curriculum
• Not universally required in MLS curriculum
• Not addressed in accreditation standards

5. Self-Identified
Mixed Methods in LIS
• When?
– Notably, after 2000
• Who?
– Geographically
• Australian Scholars
• New Zealand Scholars
• U.S. scholars lag behind in MM use

6. Mixed Methods in LIS, continued
• Where? (Publications)
– Journal Articles (9)
– Conference Proceedings (2)
– Dissertations & Theses (4)

7. Mixed Methods in LIS, continued
• What? (Method)
– Explanatory design (Creswell & Plano
Clark, 2011): Large-n quantitative with
qualitative follow-up to explore specific
themes & patterns Ided in data

8. Why Mixed Methods?
• Context matters: IDing reasons behind
data
• Individual experience matters
• Discover confounding variables
• Creating a robust research literature
• Triangulation of data collection & analysis
– Enhances reliability & validity

9. An Example:
Library Leadership
in the LIS Literature

10. What We Know:
LIS Leader Skills & Qualities

11. LIS Leader Skills & Qualities
• Bailey, M. J. (1992).
• Fitsimmons, G. N. (2008).
• Garrett, W. A. (2009).
• Hernon, P., Powell, R. R., & Young, A. P. (2003).
• Hernon, P., Powell, R. R., & Young, A. P. (2002).
• Hernon, P., Powell, R. R., & Young, A. P. (2001).
• Hernon, P., & Rossiter, N. (2007).
• Hernon, P., & Rossiter, N. (2006).
• Kreitz, P. A. (2009).
• Mahmoodi, S. H, & King, G. (1991).
• Young, A. P., Powell, R. R., & Hernon, P. (2003).

12. What We Don’t Know:
Or, The Elephant In The Room
Creative Commons image
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wrote/
1714475499/

13. Implications for LIS
• Room for growth part 1: Practice
– Opportunities to identify where our leaders
come from (in terms of background,
experience, career paths)
– Opportunities to influence professional
development opportunities and career paths:
articulating leadership development paths

14. Implications, continued
• Room for growth part 2: Research
– Opportunity for advanced methodological work
• LIS literature tends to lag behind other disciplines in
methodology development. Until 1985, only 1.6%
used qualitative methods (Järvelin and Vakkari,
1993)
• LIS literature abounds with small-n unrigorous
survey research making broad generalizations
(Afzal, 2006)

15. Implications, continued
• Room for growth part 3: Training
– Methodological training for LIS professionals
• MLS vs PhD
• Should we continue to assume only scholars, and
not practitioners, need methods training?
• Do we need to review program standards in light of
the work professionals are expected to do?

16. Further Research
• Where do leaders develop these skills
and qualities?
• What skills and qualities do librarians at
different career stages lack?
• Do different areas of librarianship offer
differential possibilities for leadership
development?
• Where might professional associations
be most effective for development?

17. Colleen S. Harris
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Lupton Library
colleen-harris@utc.edu
@warmaiden (Twitter & other social networks)