Coalition calls at FUMSI

April 8, 2010

A new article on the work of the LIS Research Coalition entitled “Coalition calling: focusing the research efforts in the LIS industry” by Joanna Ptolomey features in the current edition of FreePint’s FUMSI. FUMSI is well-known in the UK business information community for publishing tips and features that provide practical insight for finding, using, managing and sharing information. This feature is based on an interview with Hazel Hall at Online 2009 at London Olympia last December.

The article’s starting point is the question:

  • What ‘use’ do we make of information and when does this information join together and start to build an evidence base?

Joanna argues that the use of real evidence (or knowledge assets) is key to the delivery of effective and efficient information services, as well as prompts the generation of future ideas for influencing change and changing practice. In her article she considers the role of the LIS Research Coalition in co-ordinating and facilitating the research process and outcomes for the library and information sector. Read the full text at: http://web.fumsi.com/go/article/use/4575.

For a full listing of media coverage of the work of the LIS Research Coalition, please see the Media Coverage page. Included in the listing are links to the full-text of two other articles based on interviews with Hazel Hall, and a podcast interview:

  1. Elspeth Hyams interviews Hazel Hall about social computing, practitioner research and the LIS Research Coalition in Research in practice: a living example in the March 2010 issue of Library and Information Update (pp. 24-26).
  2. Archana Venkatraman interviews Hazel Hall about the work of the LIS Research Coalition for Information World Review in the article A decade for mobiles, social media and research, published on 5th February 2010.
  3. On 15th September 2009 in a Talking with Talis podcast Hazel Hall is interviewed about the plans of the LIS Research Coalition.

Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

LIS Research Coalition to contribute presentation at IFLA 2010

March 11, 2010

We learnt this week that our paper proposal for IFLA 2010 has been accepted. The co-authors of the paper are Hazel Hall and Caroline Brazier. Caroline currently serves as the British Library’s representative on the Board of Directors of the LIS Research Coalition, and it is she who will present the paper at the conference in Gothenburg in August 2010.

Entitled ‘Implementing a coordinated and strategic approach to Library and Information Science research: the work of the UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition’ the paper will reflect on what has been achieved in the first 12 months of the Coalition’s implementation. It will make reference to efforts to provide a formal structure to improve access to LIS research in the UK, and to maximise its relevance and impact. It will discuss progress on specific aims related to bringing together information about LIS research opportunities; encouraging dialogue between research funders; promoting LIS practitioner research and the translation of research outcomes into practice; articulating a strategic approach to LIS research; and promoting the development of research capacity in LIS. Of particular interest to IFLA delegates will be the Coalition’s strategies for fostering an interest in LIS research amongst the practitioner community so that the application of outcomes of earlier studies become routine in the workplace, and a greater proportion of practitioners undertake research themselves. Means of building an evidence base dedicated to demonstrating the value and impact of library and information services will also be considered.

Leave a Comment » | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

LIS Research Coalition “review” of Online 2009

December 9, 2009

Taken as a whole, the annual Online event at London Olympia each December is a huge gathering of the information industry. Upstairs in the conference centre there are the formal conference sessions, downstairs are the exhibitors and free seminars, and around Olympia smaller satellite events take place in hotels and bars. Hence the use of quotation marks of the title of this blog posting. This is a “review” of Online 2009 from the perspective of Library and Information Science Research Coalition staff: participation was limited by the laws of physics that render it impossible to be simultaneously in more than one place at the same time. Thankfully a number of other participants have also blogged their experiences of Online 2009. These include: Brian Kelly of JISC (@briankelly); Marydee Ojala and colleagues of Information Today (@marydeeo); and Bethan Ruddock, who worked on the Mimas stand at the exhibition (@bethanar). Others have contributed posts about specific conference themes, such as Pete Cranston (@petecranston). In the New Year reviews of Online 2009 will appear in the print media. In the meantime, for a fuller picture of what went on at Olympia in the first week of December this year, please follow the links provided at the end of this entry.

Keynote slide shot

Charlene Li was the opening keynote speaker on the Thursday


From the perspective of the LIS Research Coalition two themes appeared to dominate this year’s conference: (1) social media and (b) the semantic web. In her opening keynote on the Thursday morning Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell, made sense of much of the discussion of social media of the previous two days that had taken place in formal conference presentations and face-to-face conversations, as well as along the conference’s Twitter back-channel. It is now obvious that the time has come where engagement in social media is not optional for any organisation that hopes to maintain its competitive advantage. We are also now witnessing the impact of social media internally, for example on organisational structures, particularly in terms of communication and reporting.

In contrast the conference sessions on the semantic web gave the impression that those in library and information science related roles are now beginning to consider the exploitation of data to data links, although it is not yet obvious where the greatest commercial benefit will lie in doing so.

The CILIP stand on the exhibition floor


Other sessions of particular interest to the Research Coalition were those related to the future roles of information professionals. Professor Blaise Cronin’s discussion of the paradox of a postmodern profession made some astute observations, not least that long-term predictions on the future of library and information services by experts are often inaccurate. It was interesting to hear that an analysis of citations of LIS research literature shows that researchers from other domains are increasingly drawing on this body of work, thus indicating that its impact is growing in the research mainstream. Bob McKee, Chief Executive of CILIP (a founding member of the LIS Research Coalition) took advantage of the discussion following Professor Cronin’s presentation to refer to CILIP’s forthcoming “big conversation” on the LIS profession in 2010.

Both in the conference sessions and on the exhibition floor there were opportunities to see demonstrations of products and services that could be adopted by library and information services. Ellysa Kroski, for example, gave many examples of how libraries in the US are using social computing applications to their full potential. It was surprising to a few, however, how little mention was made of Google Wave in Online week.

FreePint stand

FreePint is a regular exhibitor at Online

On the Thursday morning Hazel Hall gave an introductory presentation about the LIS Research Coalition to Online 2009 delegates. This covered the background to the formation of the Coalition and its broad mission to provide a formal structure to improve access to LIS research, and to maximise its relevance and impact. Taking each of the five specific goals of the Coalition, she explained the progress so far that the Coaltion has made on each. Hazel encouraged the audience to visit the web site at http://lisresearch.org, as well as follow @LISResearch on Twitter. She hoped that delegates would be able to keep Monday 28th June 2010 free to attend the forthcoming LIS Research Coalition conference. Hazel’s slides Introducing the UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition are available on SlideShare.

Hazel and Ben

Hazel Hall with Ben, the youngest delegate and son of one of the speakers at Online 2009.

Throughout the three days of the conference, as well as on the Monday evening at a lively TFPL Connect event, Hazel met with a number of people interested in and enthused by the work of the Coalition. She accepted a number of speaking and writing invitations, the details of which will be publicised in due course.

Links

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

Hazel Hall named Information Professional of the Year 2009

December 3, 2009

One of the highlights of the annual Online Information Conference each December is the announcement of Information Professional of the Year, sponsored by the American Psychological Association. The awards are organised by Information World Review and the Online Information Conference organisers, Incisive Media. Nominations are judged by a panel of previous Information Professional of the Year award winners.

Peter Williams, Hazel Hall and Peter Gavionrno

Peter Williams (Editor of IWR magazine) Dr Hazel Hall & Peter Gaviorno (American Psychological Association)

This year Hazel Hall, Executive Secretary of the LIS Research Coalition, was named Information Professional of the Year. At a ceremony at London Olympia on Monday 1st December, Peter Williams, Editor of Information World Review, referred to Hazel’s “energetic and enthusiastic” contributions to the profession. He discussed how her work invigorates the professional landscape globally. He cited Hazel’s recent work with the Library and Information Science Research Coalition as an example of her achievements in 2009.

For further information, please see news coverage of:

Brian Kelly also noted the awards ceremony as one of the highlights of Online 2009 towards the end of his conference review.

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

Online 2009, London Olympia 1-3 December

November 25, 2009

It’s almost that time of year again when the international LIS community pays a visit to London Olympia for the annual Online conference and exhibition. This year the LIS Research Coalition will be playing a part in the proceedings. On Thursday 3rd December between 11.00 and 11.30 Hazel Hall will be presenting on the work of the Coalition in Theatre C as part of the free Information Masterclass series. If you are planning a trip to Online this year, do come along to learn more about the Coalition at the presentation next Thursday.

In addition, two of the Coalition member bodies will be at the Exhibition: the British Library on stand 628, and CILIP on stand 208.

Should you wish to find out more about the Coalition at a time other than Thursday 11.00-11.30, or meet up with Hazel in person at Online when you are there, staff at the CILIP stand will be able to point you in the right direction. Alternatively, Hazel will be picking up her e-mail while at the conference, so you may like to contact her at hazel.hall@lisresearch.org to set up a meeting.

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

LIS Research Coalition presentation at the SCONUL Autumn Conference

November 18, 2009

Hazel Hall

Hazel Hall at the podium at the British Library

Hazel Hall was invited to present at the SCONUL Autumn Conference on 17th November 2009 at the British Library. The presentation slides are available from Slideshare.

Hazel’s presentation focused on two aspects of the work of the LIS Research Coalition as relevant to the student experience agenda. These were (1) the Coalition’s mission to promote LIS practitioner research and the translation of research outcomes into practice and (2) the Coalition’s efforts in creating resources to bring together information about LIS research opportunities and results. Hazel’s starting point was the pressing need for an evidence base on which library and information services may draw, not least to prove their worth. She quoted Peter Griffiths, the current President of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), who highlighted in his October 2009 presidential address that “We must prove the value we provide with hard evidence. Start thinking what evidence you offer”. Hazel shares Peter’s view that practitioner research is important, but also recognises a number of challenges that face (potential) practitioner researchers. Hazel referred first to the barriers that LIS practitioner researchers may encounter. These include:

  • Navigating current funding infrastructures, for example due to the number of funding bodies and differing requirements as far as proposal writing and submission are concerned;
  • Negotiating working practices with mentors and partners;
  • Lack of confidence in research skills, especially when this is unfounded;
  • Fitting research work into a demanding job role that includes other competing, and often more obviously pressing, service priorities.

Hazel also pointed out that often individuals carry out work that is, in effect, practitioner research, but fail to recognise it as such.

The focus of the presentation then moved on to barriers associated with the dissemination of practitioner research. Hazel mentioned how research output often becomes trapped within an institution or sector, and thus has limited dissemination channels. This minimises the opportunity for others to take advantage of the research findings, and key messages do not reach the level of strategy development. As a result, individual institutions tend to focus on local research output in their planning activities.

Hazel took the opportunity to suggest a number of research themes related to student experience. She argued that we should look beyond the more “visible” issues related to facilities, such as upgrading library space and extending opening hours. LIS research effort in academic settings should also relate to broader institutional concerns such as student retention and international student fee income. There are also a number of research themes that interest library and information services staff regardless of sector. For example, community engagement, the relationship between library services and learning, and evidence-based practice are worth pursuing. Specifically, Hazel suggested a range of student experience related research questions ripe for consideration:

  • How can library provision be better aligned to broad institutional student experience initiatives?
  • How can we measure the contribution of academic library services to the overall student experience?
  • What are the roles of academic librarians in the learning processes of students?
  • How can we better engage teaching staff with library services?
  • How will scholarly communication develop in the future, and what will be the impact of this on library provision for students?
  • What is the best way to integrate information literacy provision into the curriculum?

Hazel noted that one question that was of particular relevance to her work with the Library and Information Science Research Coalition could be framed as “What is the relationship between awareness of LIS research within the academic community and good practice for the benefit of students?”

Hazel then turned her attention to the second theme of her presentation, i.e. the means by which the LIS Research Coalition is working to bring together information about LIS research opportunities and results. The Coalition has a web presence at http://lisresearch.org, as well as a Twitter feed at @LISResearch. The Twitter feed postings cover a range of topics of relevance to the LIS research community, as Hazel illustrated by displaying some Twitter screen shots. Amongst these she showed a page of alerts that included news of: a research funding opportunity; PhD studentships on offer; an invitation to join in a research-related consultation exercise; two newly published research reports; a link to a web page on a topical debate; a report on an on-going research project; a training event; conference registration opening; the publication of a new journal issue; and a US conference offering funded places. Hazel strongly encouraged audience members to start following @LISResearch, or at least arrange for members of staff in their organisations to take responsibility for keeping up to date with the postings on behalf of others at their home institutions.

Hazel concluded her presentation by reiterating the support that the LIS Research Coalition can offer for practitioner research. First she noted that the agile information provision on LIS research related news through the dedicated Twitter feed saves time of practitioner researchers. Then she spoke about the efforts to raise the profile of practitioner research, making reference to the LIS Research Coalition conference. This will take place on Monday 28th June 2010 at the British Library with the intention of “liberating” of research output that may be trapped within institutions and/or sectors. Hazel explained that in the longer term the Coalition hopes to provide opportunities for research methods training that will extend current UK provision in this area. Hazel’s final point was that she looked forward to the LIS Research Coalition working in partnership with other LIS stakeholders, including SCONUL, in building the evidence base that will contribute to future LIS research strategy, as well as policy development.

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

SCONUL Autumn Conference 17 November 2009

November 18, 2009

Stage set for SCONUL conference

The stage is set for presentations at the SCONUL Autumn Conference 2009

Yesterday the LIS Research Coalition participated in the 2009 SCONUL Autumn conference at the British Library’s Conference Centre (which, coincidentally, will be the venue for the LIS Research Coalition’s own conference on Monday 28th June 2010). The delegate list noted 124 individuals, mainly comprising academic library leaders from UK colleges and universities, as well as staff of the SCONUL secretariat and a number of guest speakers.

The conference was opened by Jane Core, the current Chair of SCONUL. The British Library’s Associate Director of Operations and Services Caroline Brazier also welcomed the delegates to the Conference Centre. Thereafter the speakers took their turns at the podium to tackle the conference theme of “The Student Experience”. Each was expertly chaired by a member of the SCONUL Executive Board.

David Sadler, Director of Networks at the Higher Education Academy was first on stage to set the strategic context for the student experience agenda. His presentation took into account a range of government and sector reports and proposals, as relevant to the interests of the academic library community. He pointed to a number of issues that he believes merit attention. These included the untapped expertise of external examiners, and the need for genuine engagement in Web 2.0 for services delivery across the sector. David concluded his presentation by highlighting a number of challenges of specific interest to the SCONUL audience. These included prioritising service delivery; securing funding; making the most of support from external bodies such as the HEA; and fostering further collaborative activity across the academic library community.

Next up was Michelle Verity who spoke of work in her new post of Head of Student Enterprise and Development at York St John University. Michelle’s explanation of the “learning reconsidered” approach as adopted at York St John raised some interesting questions related to the discourse of student experience. The question as to whether or not students are “customers”, and the deployment of the word “services” in academic settings were picked up later in the day in informal discussions and by later guest speakers.

The last session of the morning was presented by two student officers of Queen Mary Students’ Union: (1) President Nasir Tarmann and (2) Anna Hiscocks, Vice President – Education, Welfare and Representation. This was a very positive, upbeat presentation that drew on a small-scale research project completed at Queen Mary’s, as well the presenters’ input to proposed changes in information services provision at their University. This session stimulated further conversation over lunch as to how academic libraries meet the needs of their varied student populations, with much interest in the concept of “library-hopping” as introduced by Nasir.

The session immediately after lunch provided an opportunity for representatives of three organisations to present their perspectives on the student experience agenda. These were: (1) Simon Wright, Chair of the Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education; (2) Maureen Skinner, Chair of the Association of University Administrators; and (3) Hazel Hall, Executive Secretary of the Library and Information Science Research Coalition. The first two presentations revealed just how much the work of professional staff in UK universities has grown in recent years as student needs have changed and as some of the work previously undertaken by academic staff in schools has been moved to the centre. All three speakers highlighted shared interests which pointed to the potential for their bodies to develop closer relationships with SCONUL. The discussion that followed the panel members’ presentations focussed on job boundaries, the hybridisation of professional roles in academia, and the question of staff willingness to adapt to new work practices. (The detail of Hazel’s presentation is elaborated in a separate blog posting.)

The last main set of presentations provided case studies that demonstrated how three universities have made changes to their services delivery in response to factors related to the student experience agenda. Tricia King, who is Pro Vice Master for Student Experience and Director of External Relations at Birkbeck, University of London, focused on My Birkbeck, a major change initiative at her institution implemented in a tight timescale for one of the most diverse student populations in the UK (where students range in age from 18 to 100!) In Brendan Casey’s case, the challenges of managing super-convergence emerged as a strong theme with regards to the role of Director of Academic Services at the University of Birmingham. Graham Bulpitt, Director of Information Services at Kingston University, brought this session to a close with an illustrated timeline of developments at his institution that highlighted the changing role of library and information services staff. As well as outlining the type of frontline activities in which the Kingston staff are involved, Graham illustrated the support mechanisms available to them by showing the audience screen-shots from online staff resources.

The final presentation was delivered by Ewart Wooldridge, Chief Executive of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. This widened the debate to the theme of higher education leadership, and gave delegates the opportunity to discuss the opportunities for professional staff to reach the highest levels of management in their institutions, and the means of supporting such ambition.

(There is a Twitter back-channel for this the event, accessible by searching #sconul. As well as commentary on each of the presentations, there is a short debate on the engagement of higher education leaders with microblogging. This was prompted following a question to the audience from Hazel Hall regarding Twitter. A show of hands revealed that a large number of UK academic library leaders are indeed Twitter users.)

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall

Plans for the LIS Research Coalition podcast

September 15, 2009

Plans for the LIS Research Coalition are discussed with Talis in this podcast interview recorded on 15th September 2009.

Comments Off | Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Hazel Hall