Institute of Research Design for Librarianship (IRDL), is a three-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States, which seeks to provide professional development opportunities and a support system for academic librarians who want to improve their research skills and increase their research output. We have recently completed the first nine-day Institute for 25 librarians from all over the country, and we would like to share our experience with the international community, hoping to generate more interest and encourage more discussion on practitioner research in LIS. *** Presented at the Library 2.014 Conference on October 8, 2014. The recording of the session is available at https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/recording/playback/link/table/dropin?sid=2008350&suid=D.2D7040A7156F9544A91E1BDFA52A25. ***

1. Enhancing Librarians’ Research
Skills: A Professional Development
Program
Kristine Brancolini, Marie Kennedy (Loyola Marymount
University)
Greg Guest (FHI 360)
Lili Luo, Michael Stephens (School of Information, San
Jose State University)

2. Agenda
• IRDL program development (Kris, Marie)
• IRDL curriculum (Lili, Greg)
• IRDL learning network (Michael)

3. IRDL program development
• Background
• Goals
• Assessment plan

4. Background
• Grew out of a December 2010 survey conducted
by Brancolini and Kennedy
• Surveyed academic librarians regarding their
research experience, research confidence, and
perceived barriers to conducting research
*Kennedy, Marie R. & Brancolini, Kristine R. (2012).
“Academic librarian research: A survey of attitudes,
involvement, and perceived capabilities.” College &
Research Libraries 73(5): 431-448.

5. Results of the 2010 study
• How the survey informed the project and
eventual grant application
– Current research practice
– Confidence
– Methods training

6. Addressing Librarian Needs
• Foster an environment of collegiality and support
in the research process
• Provide instruction in areas needed to complete
the research design for a project developed by
each participant
• Encourage the dissemination of research through
publication or presentation
• Instill confidence in Institute Scholars about the
research process by providing clear instruction on
each step

7. IMLS grant to fund IRDL
• Submitted grant proposal to create a learning
experience and support network for academic
and research librarians
• Funded by IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century
Librarian Program, 2013-2016

8. Our partners
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• School of Information, San Jose State
University
• Statewide California Electronic Library
Consortium
• Advisory Board

9. SCELC Research Day
• Pilot the idea locally
• Now an annual event
• 2013 Research Day: morning of research
instruction, lunch-time discussion about the
Institute, and an afternoon of research
posters/reports/works-in-progress networking
time
• Topics decided by the SCELC membership via
survey
• Evolution of Research Day to its current model

10. IRDL Summer Workshop
• Centerpiece of the program is a nine-day
summer research “bootcamp” for academic
and research librarians
• Convened on the LMU|LA campus June 15-26,
2014

11. Application process
• Application form
• Cover letter
• Research proposal
• CV
• Letter of support from library Dean or Director

12. Selection process
• Application packets each reviewed by two
different Advisory Board members
• Rubric used to assist decision-making
• Project Directors made final decision
• 87 applications, 25 selected

13. The first cohort
• 1-7 years professional experience
• From 12 different states
• Varied professional library function

14. Our goal for the participants
• Goal: Increase the number of academic
librarians with specific research skills in
conducting and disseminating the results of
research
• Objectives:
– Host a nine-day research workshop in the
summer, with two instructors to provide the
research curriculum and one-on-one consultation
– Supplement with pre-workshop activities and
ongoing support for the year

15. Assessment plan
• Results of assessment of Year 1 will inform
changes for Year 2
• Four-part assessment plan:
– Scoring of research proposals pre- and post-IRDL
workshop – completed July 28-29
– Social network analysis – completed on last day of
workshop
– Mastery of curriculum content – pre- and post-tests
throughout the workshop
– Confidence – administered survey right before
workshop began and at the end

16. Other evaluation activities
• External reviewer from Colorado State Library
who was on site for three days; interviewed
instructors and participants
– Identified from participants factors that contributed to
learning
– Identified from participants suggestions for
improvement
– Perceived outcomes from participants
– Recommendations for improvement
• Survey of participants, incorporating feedback
from external reviewer; sent out July 31

17. IRDL Curriculum

18. IRDL Curriculum - Objectives
• Write effective research questions and hypotheses
• Choose an appropriate research design for a library science study
• Conduct a literature review
• Explain the conceptual logic behind various data collection approaches
and describe the rationale for selection of specific methods
• Access and participate in the Institute virtual community and related
networks for support during the research process
• Identify appropriate sampling strategies for research projects
• Use and apply commonly used qualitative data collection methods
• Assess and apply different qualitative data analysis options
• Design and implement a survey Understand survey data management
• Explain various analytic options for surveys
• Understand basic principles of mixed methods research design
• Choose an appropriate research dissemination forum
• Write and disseminate effective research report

19. IRDL Curriculum - Instructors
• Instructors
– Greg Guest, Research Director, FHI 360
– Lili Luo, Associate Professor, School of
Information, San Jose State University
– Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor, School of
Information, San Jose State University

20. IRDL Curriculum - Textbooks
• Fink, A. 2013. How to Conduct Surveys: A Step-
by-Step Guide, 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
• Guest, G., K. MacQueen & E. Namey. 2012.
Applied Thematic Analysis. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.

21. IRDL Curriculum – 9-day Institute
• Lectures
• Exercises
• Quizzes
• Research Proposal
• Consultation on individual project
and…

22. • Mixed methods over cocktail

24. Participatory Culture
Participatory Learning

26. Affinity Spaces - Gee
• content, something for the space to be
“about.”
• a generator gives the space content
• both content and interaction occur
• a portal affords entry into the space
Gee, James Paul Semiotic Social Spaces and Affinity Spaces: From The Age of Mythology to Today's Schools.
In D. Barton & K. Tusting (Eds.), Beyond communities of practice: Language, power and social context (pp. 214–232).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

27. Learning from Libraries That Use Wordpress: Content-Management System Best Practices and Case Studies
by Kyle L. M. Jones & Polly-Alida Farrington