PRESS RELEASE: 20th March 2006
Interactions … between academic researchers and library and information
and archive practitioners.
Overview:
What is the role of research in the working practices of library and
information professionals and archivists? How do practitioners access and
implement research findings? To what extent do practitioners see
themselves as researchers, and what types of networks do, and should
exist, between academic and practitioner communities?
These are the key questions being addressed in a study funded by the Arts
and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), due to be completed in May 2006.
The project is being carried out by Juliet Eve, from the Social
Informatics Research Unit (SIRU) at the University of Brighton and Noeleen
Schenk of ikmconsult.
Background:
The link between research and practice in the library and information
world has long been a part of the way research in the sector has
functioned. Collaboration between researchers in academic departments and
practitioners has been common practice for many years; projects funded by
the British Library’s Research and Development Department, and later the
Library and Information Commission (LIC) during the 1990s drew on and
promoted such collaboration, and the LIC identified transferring research
into practice as a key part of its agenda. Since the merger of LIC and
the Museums and Galleries Commission into what is now MLA, The Museums,
Libraries and Archives Council, this kind of ‘practitioner-focused’
research has fallen into the gap left between the policy-driven research
agenda and the more ‘academic’ nature of higher education funding
councils. The archives domain did not benefit from an LIC-equivalent
champion and has been seen by archivists as something of a poor relation
to libraries in terms of resource allocation and visibility. Most of the
funding for archives research has come from the higher education sector,
where the focus has been on practical projects such as digitisation and
preservation.
Issues:
Previous research suggests that, although research is indeed carried out
by practitioners as part of everyday working practices, it is not always
seen as such; moreover, different agendas for practitioners and academics
(as regards publishing, for example) often inhibit the best ‘translation’
of research results and tools. The current and growing interest in best
practice and evidence-based practice suggests that dissemination of
research is a key issue for all those working in the library, information
and archives sectors.
The study:
The research will use focus groups and interviews with professionals from
across the sectors to map the current landscape, and to identify issues
and their potential solutions.
If you would like further information, and/or would like to be involved in
the study, please contact: Juliet Eve at the University of Brighton
([log in to unmask]; 01273 643506)
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