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Step-by-step guidance for using traditional research methods to help improve, validate, and ultimately advance the day-to-day work and purpose of libraries.
Using an innovative, real-world approach that makes the research problem and method relevant and valuable to the reader, this book provides a broad overview of research methods used in library and information studies and associated fields. Research remains a core purpose of every library. This book provides a text for LIS students and a practical handbook to librarians and other educators who need to conduct research in their libraries. In Research Methods for Librarians and Educators, contributors reinforce the essential nature of research and provide readers with the confidence that they can conduct research to find solutions to various problems and improve their libraries and library programs. The book details various research methodologies and uses a unique perspective on research that presents authentic scenarios to immediately make the research problem and method relevant and valuable to the reader. It covers topics ranging from various research methods, including Causal, Collaborative, Design-Based Research, Longitudinal, and Mixed Methods, as well as interview methods, learning assessment, literature review, and observation and survey methods. Each chapter includes questions intended to spark discussion and deeper reflection that make the book more useful in learning settings. The summary charts throughout provide a handy and easy reference for readers who want a quick refresher on the research method without rereading the entire chapter.
Ideal for public, school, and academic libraries looking to freshen up their reference collection, as well as for LIS students and instructors conducting research, this resource collects the cream of the crop sources of general reference and library science information. Encompassing internet resources, digital image collections, and print resources, it includes the full section on LIS Resources from the Guide to Reference database, which was voted a #1 Best Professional Resource Database by Library Journal readers. Organized by topic and thoroughly indexed, this guide makes it a snap to find the right sources. It offers an appealing introduction to reference work and resources for LIS students and also serves as an affordable course book to complement online Guide to Reference access.
Teacher Education and Practice, a peer-refereed journal, is dedicated to the encouragement and the dissemination of research and scholarship related to professional education. The journal is concerned, in the broadest sense, with teacher preparation, practice and policy issues related to the teaching profession, as well as being concerned with learning in the school setting. The journal also serves as a forum for the exchange of diverse ideas and points of view within these purposes. As a forum, the journal offers a public space in which to critically examine current discourse and practice as well as engage in generative dialogue. Alternative forms of inquiry and representation are invited, and authors from a variety of backgrounds and diverse perspectives are encouraged to contribute. Teacher Education & Practice is published by Rowman & Littlefield.
This biannual conference in Pahang, Malaysia, is a clearing house for many of the latest research findings in a highly multidisciplinary field. The contributions span a host of academic disciplines which are themselves rapidly evolving, making this collection of 90 selected papers an invaluable snapshot of an arena of pure and applied science that produces many versatile innovations. The book covers a multitude of topics ranging from the sciences (pure and applied) to technology (computing and engineering), and on to social science disciplines such as business, education, and linguistics. The papers have been carefully chosen to represent the leading edge of the current research effort, and come from individuals and teams working right around the globe. They are a trusted point of reference for academicians and students intending to pursue higher-order research projects in relevant fields, and form a major contribution to the international exchange of ideas and strategies in the various technological and social science disciplines. It is the sheer scope of this volume that ensures its relevance in a scientific climate with a marked trend towards disciplinary synthesis.
The proceedings from the eighth KMO conference represent the findings of this international meeting which brought together researchers and developers from industry and the academic world to report on the latest scientific and technical advances on knowledge management in organizations. This conference provided an international forum for authors to present and discuss research focused on the role of knowledge management for innovative services in industries, to shed light on recent advances in social and big data computing for KM as well as to identify future directions for researching the role of knowledge management in service innovation and how cloud computing can be used to address many of the issues currently facing KM in academia and industrial sectors.
Information and records management has been an important part of society for establishing procedures to effectively manage information. As technology has increased in society, this essential function has been impacted as well. With the onset of technological tools brought upon by the fourth industrial revolution, technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, big data, and more have changed the face of information and records management. These technologies and tools have paved new ways for security, efficiency in timely processes, new ways to create and process records, and other beneficial traits. Along with these advancements come new contemporary issues, leading to the need for research on how exactly information records management is functioning in modern times, the technologies brought on by the fourth industrial revolution, and both the benefits and challenges to this transition. The Handbook of Research on Information and Records Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution showcases contemporary issues and demonstrates the value of information and records management in the fourth industrial revolution. The book provides a summary of the key activities undertaken by information and records managers as they seek to make records and information management more visible in the modern knowledge-driven society. The chapters highlight innovation, the use of information and communication technology in information and records management, best practices, challenges encountered, and how they are overcome. The target audience of this book will be composed of professionals, librarians, archivists, lecturers, and researchers working in the field of library and information science, along with practitioners, academicians, and students interested in information and records management in the 21st century.
This book provides an overview of approaches to assist researchers and practitioners to explore ways of undertaking research in the information literacy field. The first chapter provides an introductory overview of research by Dr Kirsty Williamson (author of Research Methods for Students, Academics and Professionals: Information Management and Systems) and this sets the scene for the rest of the chapters where each author explores the key aspects of a specific method and explains how it may be applied in practice. The methods covered include those representing qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Both a chapter on the topical evidence-based practice approach, and another critiquing it, are also included. The final chapter points the way towards potential new directions for the burgeoning field.Renowned information literacy researcher Dr Christine Bruce affirms the usefulness of the book: New researchers and early career professionals will appreciate the clarity of the introductions provided' to each of the methods covered.
Research Methods: Information, Systems, and Contexts, Second Edition, presents up-to-date guidance on how to teach research methods to graduate students and professionals working in information management, information science, librarianship, archives, and records and information systems. It provides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures, giving students guidance, appreciation of the scope of research paradigms, and the consequences of specific courses of action. Each of these valuable sections will help users determine the relevance of particular approaches to their own questions. The book presents academics who teach research and information professionals who carry out research with new resources and guidance on lesser-known research paradigms. - Provides up-to-date knowledge of research methods and their applications - Provides a coherent and precise account of current research themes and structures through chapters written by authors who are experts in their fields - Helps students and researchers understand the range of quantitative and qualitative approaches available for research, as well as how to make practical use of them - Provides many illustrations from projects in which authors have been involved, to enhance understanding - Emphasises the nexus between formulation of research question and choice of research methodology - Enables new researchers to understand the implications of their planning decisions
This handbook provides library and information professionals with the information they need to undertake research projects in the workplace in order to inform their own practice and improve service delivery. Whether you are a complete novice or have experience of undertaking evaluations, audits or research, this book will guide you step-by-step through the key phases of planning, doing and disseminating research. The text is divided into three sections: • Part 1: Getting started introduces the concepts, ethics and planning stages. • Part 2: Doing research, evaluation and audit explores the fundamentals of projects, including the literature review, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis and research tools. • Part 3: Impact of research, evaluation and audit guides you through writing up your project, putting the results of your project findings into practice and dissemination to the wider community. Written by academics and practitioners from a diverse range of sectors throughout the world, the book offers a thorough but common sense approach. Each chapter is structured to begin with a comprehensive introduction to a discrete topic area complemented with case studies drawn from a broad range of LIS contexts to illustrate the issues raised and provide transferable lessons to your own context. Whatever your experience, this book will support your project development and explain how evidence-based library and information practice is relevant to you. Readership: This is the essential handbook for any librarian or information professional who wants to undertake research in the workplace in order to inform their own practice and the wider evidence base for library and information science. It’s also a useful guide for undergraduate and postgraduate LIS students undertaking their final year research project.
