Presentation by Hazel Hall at LIRG LIS research resources briefing, July 10th 2012, London. Further details at http://lisresearch.org/2012/07/10/research-into-practice-lis-research-resources-briefing/

1. Research into practice: library and
information research resources briefing
Christine Irving, Peter Cruickshank & Hazel Hall
Edinburgh Napier University

2. Today’s agenda
#rilies

3. Today’s agenda

4. Today’s agenda

5. Peter: evidence base, sources, tools

6. Christine: community response

7. Hazel: RiLIES rationale and results

8. Getting to know one another
• Task to be completed in groups of 3 or 4
– Introduce yourself to your other group members and
tell them about your work and interests in LIS research
– Together decide which sticker to add to your badge
• Red: practitioner interested in LIS research
• Green: practitioner who conducts LIS research
• Yellow: LIS researcher (i.e. someone who is LIS research-
active but does not currently practise as a library or
information professional)
• Orange: other, e.g. consultant

9. The Coalition, DREaM & RiLIES
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
To facilitate a co-ordinated
and strategic approach to
LIS research across the UK

10. The Coalition, DREaM & RiLIES
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
To explore the extent to
which LIS research projects
influence LIS practice
To facilitate a co-ordinated
and strategic approach to
LIS research across the UK

11. The Coalition, DREaM & RiLIES
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
To create outputs to
support the use and
2 execution of research by
librarians and information
scientists
To facilitate a co-ordinated
and strategic approach to
LIS research across the UK

12. The Coalition, DREaM & RiLIES
To develop a UK-wide
network of LIS researchers
Both RiLIES projects are
concerned with impact
To facilitate a co-ordinated
and strategic approach to
LIS research across the UK

13. Impact: why?
• Investment in research should deliver a socio-
economic impact
– Need for an evidence base on which to base
decision-making in public services
• Need for the evidence base to be consulted
– Research funders focus on value for money
– REF2014

14. Impact: why?
• Investment in research should deliver a socio-
economic impact
– Need for an evidence base on which to base
decision-making in public services
• Need for the evidence base to be consulted
– Research funders focus on value for money
– REF2014

15. Impact in the context of LIS & RiLIES
Projects Focus Key research question
LIS The evaluation of library What is the impact of these services?
and information services
Methods for evaluation What is the best way to measure the impact of
library and information service provision?
services
Bibliometrics What is the impact of specific research outputs
on the work of others (“academic” impact)?
RiLIES1 Links between research To what extent do funded LIS projects
output and practice influence practice?
Which factors increase/hinder the impact of
research findings on those who deliver library
and information services?

16. Impact in the context of LIS & RiLIES
Projects Focus Key research question
LIS The evaluation of library What is the impact of these services?
and information services
Methods for evaluation What is the best way to measure the impact of
library and information service provision?
services
Bibliometrics What is the impact of specific research outputs
on the work of others (“academic” impact)?
RiLIES1 Links between research To what extent do funded LIS projects
output and practice influence practice?
Which factors increase/hinder the impact of
research findings on those who deliver library
and information services?

17. RiLIES1 project stages
• February to July 2011
• Desk research
– Literature review
• Empirical work
– Practitioner poll
– 5 case studies of “impactful” projects
– 3 sector-specific focus groups
– Validation survey

18. 5 “Impactful” studies identified
from the practitioner poll
1. Open to all (2000)
2. eValued (2004)
3. Researchers’ use of academic libraries (2007)
4. Evaluating clinical librarian studies (2009)
5. School libraries in the UK (2010)

19. RiLIES1 findings as relevant to
today’s themes
• What did the findings from RiLIES1 tell us
about:
– preferences for exploiting the existing evidence
base?
– long-term research support needs of LIS
(practitioner) researchers?

20. Preferences for exploiting the
existing evidence base
• Dissemination face-to-
face highly valued New!
– tailored
– overcomes fragmented
infrastructures, informat
ion overload
• Textual dissemination
– teaching & community
support materials
– in accessible language

21. Preferences for exploiting the
existing evidence base
• Dissemination face-to-
face highly valued
– tailored
– overcomes fragmented
infrastructures, informat
ion overload
• Textual dissemination
– teaching & community
support materials
– in accessible language

22. Social media as key tools to raise
awareness of research
New!

23. Practitioners more likely to exploit
research if involved in project design

24. Long-term support needs of LIS
(practitioner) researchers
• Training needs
– How to attract funding, sponsorship, high level
stakeholders
– How to replicate good practice from other sectors
• Challenges
– Relevance of funded projects depends on
practitioner input: explicit research goal should be
to influence practice
– Lack of institutional/professional “reward” for
research activity

25. From RiLIES1 to RiLIES2
Peter will cover (amongst other things):
sample teaching and community support
materials we have developed (leaflets); how
we have addressed problem of fragmented
infrastructures (web pages); proposals for
technical/community solutions to issues of
access.

26. Contact details:
http://about.me/hazelh
h.hall@napier.ac.uk
@hazelh