Student Learning Outcome 2

Current Research & Thought

Identifying current research refers to the need for librarians to find sources of information about their profession. Through my time in the MLIS program, I have learned of a number of common resources for librarians. Like many of my colleagues, I now read a number of library journals to keep up to date on current research. Since school libraries are my main area of interest, I began with Knowledge Quest and School Library Research, two journals published by the American Association of School Librarians. Reading the articles in these publications gives me knowledge about new trends and discoveries in school libraries that may help me better serve my students. An article in the November/December issue of Knowledge Quest this year gave me several ideas for increasing student interest in reading at the high school level

Professional organizations like AASL are another source of information for librarians. These organizations give us a way of connecting with other librarians, to see what they are doing and learning, and to share ideas about best practices in librarianship. By participating in conferences, discussion groups, and committees within professional organizations, librarians can learn about current research taking place in the field and later apply that knowledge to their own library programs. Many of these organizations also provide access to professional development as part of their membership

One of the simplest ways of keeping up to date with everything going on in the field is to follow other librarians’, educators, and organizations’ blogs. Though one regarded as little more than online diaries, blogs have evolved into something more closely related to journalism. Many blogs now provide news, commentary, editorials, and more in order to help their readers stay informed. The Knowledge Quest blog is written by current and former school librarians, and has been helpful for me recently in keeping up with changes during the release of the new AASL standards.

Evaluating information refers to a few distinct but related processes in this case. Of course, like our students, we must be able to recognize bias and inaccuracy in the research we find. This is a critical skill, since basing one’s practice on false research will be of no benefit to librarian or student. However, we need to also be able to judge the relevance of research in regards to our own library and its users. Though interesting, research done on academic library issues is often not applicable to school libraries. There is often more overlap between school and public libraries, but again there are some theories, practices, and ideas that just won’t translate.

​Conducting research is an often overlooked aspect of librarianship, although there are a number of reasons and methods for research that are used by librarians. Primarily, though, our research should focus on two main areas: what to our users need and want, and what does and does not work in our libraries.

​In LIS 664, I completed a Reader Case Study, which required me to interview a person about their reading habits, and then suggest ways that a library could meet this person’s needs. The interview was intended to help me understand what that person needs and wants from their library. In this case, I interviewed a family friend, and learned that as an elderly widow who values reading very highly, what she wants from her library is technology assistance and the opportunity to socialize with other readers. While this was an in-depth study of an individual reader, the type of results I received would be similar to the results of a survey given to library users to determine what they want from the library.

Action research is becoming increasingly common amongst school librarians, largely because it blends so well with everything we already do. Being able to conduct this type of research and use the results to improve practice in school libraries is crucial to the library program’s success (ALA, 2010). The process of action research revolves around identifying an issue in the library or library program and then trying and documenting different solutions (Howard & Eckhardt, 2005). This differs from using others’ research to change your practice because the results of the research are already tailored to your school library. There is no adjustment necessary, because the process will already show you whether the solution works for your students, staff, and other library stakeholders.

Finally, applying current research is the part where a librarian takes what they have learned through research and uses it to alter their own practice in their library. This is the most important step, because there is no point in even considering the previous three actions if you are not going to use your research to improve your library program. Every step of the research process I described above is intended to ensure that the librarian has determined what is regarded as “best practice” for their library so that they can then implement the best practice in the manner that will most benefit their library users. Sometimes, this will mean adding aspects to the library program. If your research reveals that you have a large population of English-Language Learners who are being underserved and you have determined that best practice would be including non-English materials, making signage that is easier to understand, and setting aside a time for a “conversation hour,” then you must actually do those things. Conversely, sometimes your research will indicate that an aspect of your program is unnecessary or even harming your users in some way. When this is the case, change is absolutely necessary to ensure that users are getting the service they need and want. We cannot be afraid to change, or we will find that we are considered irrelevant and expendable.

REFERENCES

ALA. (2010). ALA/AASL Standards for Initial Preparation of School ... Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aasleducation/schoollibrary/2010_standards_with_rubrics.pdf

Howard, J., & Eckhardt, S. (2005). Why Action Research? The Leadership Role of the Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection,24(2), 32-34. Retrieved from http://coekate.murraystate.edu/media/professors/files/koren/ActionResearch.pdf

ARTIFACTS

READER CASE STUDY