Conceptualisations of LIS research impact and value: Learning from the LIS Research Coalition and DREaM

Research, Impact, Value & LIS - #lis_rival - Edinburgh - 11th July 2018
Practitioner research: value, impact, and priorities
Professor Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University
Conceptualisations of LIS research impact and value:
Learning from the LIS Research Coalition and DREaM

#lis_rival

http://hazelhall.org/about
@hazelh

https://drhazelhall.files.wordpress.com/
2018/07/2018_07-csi-flyer-v5-a4.pdf

Today’s programme encourages us to:
1. Explore concepts and examples of the impact and value of LIS research
to services delivery in practice
2. Encourage the strengthening of links between creators, users, and end-
user beneficiaries of LIS research output
3. Narrow gaps between LIS research and practice
4. Lay the ground for future research-related support and collaborations
across the sector

‘There will also be contributions on the impact and value of past
investments at national level to support LIS research in the UK - notably the
Library and Information Science Research Coalition (2009-2012) and the
Developing Research Excellence and Methods (DREaM) project (2011-
2012)’

 2006-2008: Consultations
 March 2009: Coalition formally established
by 5 founding members
 August 2009: Dr Hazel Hall appointed to
lead the implementation, 2 days per week in
a seconded role
Establishment of the LIS Research Coalition
To facilitate a co-ordinated
and strategic approach to
LIS research across the UK
(2009-2012)

‘To facilitate a co-ordinated and strategic approach to LIS
research across the UK’
Provision of a formal structure
 Improve access to LIS research
 Maximise the relevance and impact of LIS research
Main aims
 Bring together information about LIS research opportunities and results
 Encourage dialogue between research funders
 Promote LIS practitioner research and the translation of research outcomes into
practice
 Articulate a strategic approach to LIS research
 Promote the development of research capacity in LIS

http://lisresearch.org
@LISResearch

Heavy use of social media
through Twitter feed still active
in 2018

and strategic approach to LIS
research across the UK
(2009-2012)
To explore the extent to which
LIS research projects
influence practice (2011)
To create outputs to support
the use and execution of
research by librarians and
information scientists (2012)
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
(2011-2012)

IMPACT
Benefits to economy, society, culture,
public policy/services, health,
environment, and/or quality of life
beyond academia

IMPACT THEMES IN THE LIS LITERATURE
1. Evaluation of library and
information services
Considers the impact of the use of
resources accessed through
libraries and information services
e.g. in end-user decision-making
Common in healthcare librarianship
2. Methods for the evaluation of
library and information services
Explores means of evaluating services
in context of demonstrating value and
improving their return on investment
3. Bibliometrics
Quantitative analyses of
publication collections: heavy use
of citation data and altmetrics
(Academic impact)
4. Relationship between LIS
research and practitioner work in
the domain
Assesses the extent to which theory
informs practice and – to a lesser
extent – how practice informs theory

IMPACT MEASUREMENT CHALLENGES IN LIS: EXAMPLES
‘Research into practice’ conceived as
a linear process in a single domain:
 Time lags between execution of
research and its
applicability/application
 Identification of impact when it lies
elsewhere
Lack of attribution/recognition:
 Research-informed training sessions
 Journalists’ reports in professional
literature
Funding mechanisms:
 Research projects funded for the
execution of research
 Funding (not usually) provided for
enhancing or measuring impact, e.g.
for extensive dissemination
strategies, impact evaluation studies
‘Gaming’ in measurement:
 To present the best picture
 REF

 Establishment of Library and Information
Science Research Australia (LISRA) March
2016
 CILIP LIRG ‘invigorated’, adoption of Coalition
practices/initiatives
 Research skills in CILIP’s (new) Professional
Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB)
 Some activities in Canada: library research
symposia in Ontario
All impact cited above is at the level of the
profession, rather than services delivery -
consistent with the Coalition’s main aims
(Indicative) impact of LIS Research Coalition
and strategic approach to LIS
research across the UK
(2009-2012)

1. Had DREaM workshop participants
innovated in the workplace since 2012?
2. Had their post-DREaM research determined
services provision and/or influenced the LIS
research agenda?
3. To what extent could they point to any impact
of their post-DREaM research on end-user
communities?
4. Had the DREaM network opened up new
opportunities for their research?
5. Did they continue to work as a network?
Impact of DREaM: assessed in DREaM Again study
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
(2011-2012)

 Online survey
 Focus groups in Edinburgh and London
 Some data collected by phone and email
 32 out of the full population of 35 DREaM cadre
members provided data
 Article (forthcoming) addresses RQs 1-4
 Article published in Journal of Documentation
addresses RQ5
 Hall, H., Cruickshank, P. & Ryan, B. (2018). Long-
term community development within a researcher
network: a social network analysis of the DREaM
project cadre. Journal of Documentation, 74(4),
844-861.
DREaM Again methods and outputs

RQ1: Had DREaM workshop
participants innovated in the workplace
since 2012?
 Yes – but the extent to which this can be
attributed to DREaM cadre membership is
difficult to assess
 If not innovating themselves, DREaM workshop
participants support innovation of end-users in
their research activities (e.g. encouragement of
the use of techniques such as social network
analysis)
 Indications that the growth in the research
confidence of members attributable to DREaM
participation will embolden them to innovate in
the future

RQ2: Had their post-DREaM research
determined services provision and/or
influenced the LIS research agenda?
Yes – but the extent to which this
can be attributed to DREaM cadre
membership is difficult to assess

RQ3: To what extent could they point to any
impact of their post-DREaM research on end-
user communities?
Primarily as research methods evangelists

RQ4: Had the DREaM network opened up new
opportunities for their research?
YES!
 Growth in confidence as researchers has encouraged uptake of
opportunities that might have previously been dismissed
 Much on-going research-related activity (including publishing – all role
types), around a quarter of which has been undertaken with other cadre
members: 52% peer reviewing; 24% bidding for research funding; 21%
winning research funding
 Learning from DREaM applied in majority of research outputs identified
 Clear indications that much of this activity would not have occurred
without DREaM
 Links between levels of network connectivity and productivity: the 12
most connected cadre members were also the most productive

RQ5: Did they continue to work as a network?
YES!
 A loose, but persistent network endured
 Social ties were more important than work ties
 Network members with the greatest centrality were from academic
institutions
 Job status had no bearing on network centrality
 Physical proximity was/is important to the maintenance of network ties

Social infrastructure
Today’s delegates strengthen
links to narrow gaps:
 Librarians: academic, health,
national, prison, public, school,
special
 Plus: LIS academics,
professional body officers,
independent consultants, users

Next up: presentations on impact and value in practice

Contact Hazel Hall
@hazelh
http://hazelhall.org
http://about.me/hazelh
h.hall@napier.ac.uk
+44 (0)131 455 2760
Slides on SlideShare at:
http://slideshare.net/hazelhall

Conceptualisations of LIS research impact and value: Learning from the LIS Research Coalition and DREaM

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