Presentation by Louise Cook at the LIS DREaM final conference. More information about this event is available at http://lisresearch.org/dream-project/dream-event-5-conference-monday-9-july-2012/

1. Facets of DREaM: an Analysis of
Network Development to Support UK
LIS Research and Researchers
Louise Cooke
l.cooke@lboro.ac.uk
@DrVanvan
Senior Lecturer, Loughborough University

2. • Overview of the presentation:
– A bit of background context
– Data collection
– Some results and their meaning
– What does this tell us about DREaM and the LIS
Research Coalition?
– And what does it mean for us as individuals?

3. The Power of Networks
• A brain is a society of very small, simple
modules that cannot be said to be thinking,
that are not smart in themselves. But when
you have a network of them together, out of
that arises a kind of smartness. Kevin Kelly

4. Social Network Analysis
• Social Network Analysis:
– A research technique that focuses on relationships
between entities, rather than the attributes of the
entities themselves
– Underlying perspective that structure matters – by
analysing network composition and the position of
an actor within the network, we can gain a better
understanding of the world around us

5. Some example uses in LIS
• Some example uses in LIS:
– Citation analysis
– Technology diffusion and adoption
– Knowledge management

6. Ethical Issues
• Ethical issues:
– Data cannot usually be collected anonymously, but
it can be presented anonymously – but this can
reduce the meaning and impact of the
presentation
– Relationship ties can be a sensitive issue!
– Accurate interpretation of the meaning behind the
data is key

7. The Data Collection
• Data collection and analysis:
– Participants’ ‘awareness of the other’s knowledge,
expertise or experience’
– ‘Social or research-related interaction’
– Attribute data relating to gender and role
– Data analysed using Ucinet software to calculate
network statistics and Netdraw to visualise the
results

8. Workshop 1: Awareness

9. Workshop 3: Awareness

10. Workshop 1: Awareness - roles
Public Library Practitioner
Academic Librarian
Health Sector Practitioner
Other Sector Librarian
PhD Student
Academic or University Researcher
Other

11. Workshop 3: Awareness - roles
Public Library Practitioner
Academic Librarian
Health Sector Practitioner
Other Sector Librarian
PhD Student
Academic or University Researcher
Other

12. Workshop 1: Interaction

13. Workshop 3: Interaction

14. Workshop 1: Interaction - roles
Public Library Practitioner
Academic Librarian
Health Sector Practitioner
Other Sector Librarian
PhD Student
Academic or University Researcher
Other

15. Workshop 3: Interaction - roles
Public Library Practitioner
Academic Librarian
Health Sector Practitioner
Other Sector Librarian
PhD Student
Academic or University
Researcher
Other

16. Statistics: Overall Density
• Statistics: Overall density
– Awareness:
• Workshop 1: 0.1854, average no. of ties 6.6767
• Workshop 3: 0.4216, average no. of ties 13.9118
– Interaction:
• Workshop 1: 0.1944, average no. of ties 7.0
• Workshop 3: 0.3850, average no. of ties 12.7059

17. • What this indicates:
– The DREaM events have been very successful in
achieving the key aim of ‘developing a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers’
– The combination of using social media and
bringing people together face to face on a regular
basis is an effective mode of network building
– The central role of a few active individuals in
maintaining momentum has been key to this
success

18. Some questions and caveats
• A caveat and some questions:
– Network analysis is primarily based on
quantitative metrics – we also need to investigate
the qualitative indicators that help us to
understand our network
– The network patterns suggest network
connections have been made successfully – but
how do we ensure that these links are sustained
and extended?
– How important is it to you that they are?