Qualitative Research and the Modern Library
- 1st Edition - July 30, 2011
- Author: Valeda Dent Goodman
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 8 4 3 3 4 - 6 4 4 - 9
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 7 8 0 6 3 - 2 6 8 - 1
Qualitative Research and the Modern Library examines the present-day role and provides suggestions for areas that might be suited to this type of research for the purposes of… Read more
Qualitative Research and the Modern Library examines the present-day role and provides suggestions for areas that might be suited to this type of research for the purposes of evaluation. The author discusses how the results from such research might be applied, and the overall impact of using this type of research to inform development of a more user-centred organisation. The book provides a thoughtful look at the implications of using qualitative research to inform decision-making processes within libraries and is written by an author and library researcher with international experience in various types of libraries, implementing/improving programs and services, and supporting user needs.
- Fills a gap in the current literature that hasn’t been found in journal articles written on this topic
- Contains practical applications of qualitative research principles, with practical examples of select projects
- Written by an author and library researcher with international experience in various types of libraries, including work with large-scale qualitative studies, research design and evaluation of library services
Academic and other librarians interested in the application of research to inform decision-making and build stronger libraries. Graduate students in library school programs
Dedication
List of figures and tables
Acknowledgments
Author biography
Introduction
Chapter 1: A brief overview of qualitative research
Abstract:
A description of qualitative research
Gathering the data
A little bit about grounded theory
A little bit about analyzing the data
Challenges to working with qualitative data
Chapter 2: Examples of qualitative research in non-library settings
Abstract:
Becoming a student: research in an academic environment
A.C. Nielsen Company as an example of rich media research
Qualitative research in nursing
Qualitative research in medicine and mental health disciplines
Chapter 3: Ethnographic research practices in library settings
Abstract:
Key concepts of ethnographic research
Historical application within libraries and information settings
Examples of recent ethnographic research in library environments
Chapter 4: Eyes wide open: using trends, professional literature, and users to create a research canvas in libraries
Abstract:
Generational differences and the digital landscape
The state of the research and academic library
Understanding the role of technology through research
The matrix: a tool for the beginning
Chapter 5: Inside the mind of the user: qualitative approaches to understanding user experience in library settings
Abstract:
The self and user experience
Design, broken-ness, and the library user experience
Useit.com on UX research
Flow as an element of the user experience
Chapter 6: Narrowing the field: using qualitative approaches to explore specific areas of interest
Abstract:
The library is still scary—a new look at reference by way of an old concept
Still with us: the library website (The Rutgers Study)
Disruption and the information seeker
Chapter 7: What about us? Using qualitative methods to explore the library as workplace
Abstract:
Chapter 8: A place in the world: qualitative research as a way to study global libraries
Abstract:
Why use a qualitative approach?
The role of the rural village library
Elements of the project’s methods
What the content analysis revealed
Chapter 9: Learning more about qualitative research
Abstract:
Chapter 10: Qualitative research as a way to explore change in the modern world
Abstract:
Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: July 30, 2011
- Language: English
VG
Valeda Dent Goodman
Valeda Dent Goodman has worked as a librarian and library administrator for more than twelve years. She holds an MSW from the University of Michigan’s School of Social Work and an MILS from the University of Michigan’s School of Information Science. Her research interests include information literacy, agent technology, and rural libraries and literacy. She has published numerous articles in several journals including Library Hi Tech, New Library World, Libri, Research Strategies, College and Undergraduate Libraries and Reference and User Services Quarterly. Dent Goodman is currently working on her PhD at the Palmer School of Information Science, Long Island University, New York.
Affiliations and expertise
Long Island University, USARead Qualitative Research and the Modern Library on ScienceDirect