ERIC Number: EJ1365085
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Oct
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1531-2542
EISSN: EISSN-1530-7131
Fostering Collaboration by Leading Communities of Practice
Freeman, Jacqueline L.; Downing, Karen E.; Myers, Claire; Thorsen, Allison; York, Jeremy; Muller, Joseph; Yakel, Elizabeth
portal: Libraries and the Academy, v22 n4 p943-974 Oct 2022
Librarians continually seek innovative ways to integrate library expertise and resources into campus research endeavors. Although qualitative research has grown across disciplines, researchers using these methods often receive little campus-based support. The authors investigate this shortfall in support of qualitative researchers through interviews and a survey with respondents from a range of academic disciplines to better understand the challenges these scholars face. Findings suggest researchers who use qualitative methods employ make-do and expedient means to gather expertise from colleagues within their professional networks. They have multiple unmet needs and would welcome the opportunity to participate in groups of fellow practitioners to advance their skills. The authors propose and explore the communities of practice model, wherein participants gather to learn from one another around an area of common interest. This model offers a way for libraries to provide needed leadership and support for qualitative researchers. Librarians, in their roles as liaisons, domain specialists, and curators of methodology texts, are in prime position to foster collaborations between researchers who have or need qualitative research skills.
Descriptors: Communities of Practice, Academic Libraries, Library Services, Librarians, Qualitative Research, Researchers, Research Needs, Research Skills, Library Role, Novices, Expertise, Facilitators (Individuals)
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: https://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/list
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: RE9517010417