This conceptual article considers data used in the humanities and the human sciences, which are fundamentally different from data in other disciplines, such as the sciences or medicine. Data in the humanities are, however, equally important to study and understand. Humanists and others studying human artifacts often face the dual challenge of both…

The number of systematic reviews (SRs) published continues to grow, and the methodology of evidence synthesis has been adopted in many fields outside of its traditional health sciences origins. SRs are now published in fields as wide ranging as business, environmental science, education, and engineering; however, there is little research looking…

This paper discusses the design, facilitation and outcomes of a pilot embedded librarian initiative that transpired in a research methods course in a political science program. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact and affordances of embedding a librarian in an undergraduate methods course. This study explored how embedding a…

Adopting a demand-oriented perspective helps librarians to understand their users better. Involving them in ongoing changes has the potential to have a lasting positive effect on the satisfaction of existing users and the recruitment of new ones. Three case-studies, which involved creating new learning spaces at the University Library of…

This report features syntheses of select Causality: School Libraries and Student Success II (CLASS II) research findings as they relate to the Shared Foundations of Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage from the The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "National School Library Standards for Learners, School…

The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) Causality: School Libraries and Student Success II (CLASS II) project was the first step in developing a long-term, three-phase school library research agenda to investigate causal relationships between school libraries staffed by professionally prepared school librarians and student learning.…

This article is an exploratory study of graduate-level instruction on research designs and methods for pre-service school librarians (PSSLs). Using a focus group of one cohort of PSSLs, we examine students' perceptions of understanding research methods, course content and delivery, and self-reported application of new knowledge from a sequence of…

To create more direct and equal collaborations with faculty, the University of Minnesota Libraries in the Twin Cities adapted a new model of engagement: the "Research Sprints." Research Sprints place librarians in direct proximity with faculty to rapidly and collaboratively work on a component of a research project in less than a week.…

Professional development programs have been established in many academic libraries to support the research and scholarly activities of librarians. Continuous assessment can contribute to the sustainability and effectiveness of these programs. This study describes how measures of need, participation, satisfaction, and impact were employed to assess…

Objective: To evaluate and validate the time of completion and results of a new method of searching for systematic reviews, the exhaustive search method (ESM), using a pragmatic comparison. Methods: Single-line search strategies were prepared in a text document. Term completeness was ensured with a novel optimization technique. Macros in MS Word…

While the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has prompted important new scholarship, Jan Meyer and Ray Land's related theoretical work has received less attention from librarians. The study described in this article is based upon 20 in-depth interviews with undergraduates…

This study investigated how library and information science (LIS) scholars who used qualitative data explained and justified their methods. It analyzed research tasks mentioned in the methods sections of 151 peer-reviewed LIS studies published from 2011 to 2015 and in a survey of their authors. The study assumed that professors of LIS would…

Librarians at Linköping University help researchers keep abreast of developments in their fields and to increase the visibility of their work. Strategic, professional use of social media ought to be an essential part of a researcher's communication strategy. This article investigates the level of awareness of the professional use of social media…

This action research study explores first-year students' conceptions of the research process, with a focus on which aspects students find most challenging and how this information can guide stakeholders in developing curricular or service-based interventions. To gather student reflections on the research process, researchers assigned and collected…

Quantitative metrics in research assessment are proliferating all over the world. The demand has led to an increase in bibliometric practitioners and service providers. Their professional roles and competencies have not yet been subject to systematic study. This paper focuses on one important service provider in evaluative bibliometrics--academic…