Documenting the research experiences and employer support needs of library and information science practitioners

Abstract

This paper presents results of a survey of library and information science (LIS) practitioners, which explored their research activities and the support needed from employers for research collaborations and dissemination of results. Findings show that while LIS practitioners are actively engaged in research, there are significant gaps in the available supports offered by LIS employers across different library sectors. Dedicated time for research is limited, particularly in public libraries, for example, but when practitioners receive dedicated time, their research engagement and dissemination activities increase. The study also found that the type of LIS service significantly affects practitioners’ dissemination activities, with those working in national, state and territory libraries and special libraries, disseminating significantly more research results than practitioners working in other types of libraries. The findings point to a potential risk of a research dissemination divide in the Australian LIS sector, where the study was conducted. The study recommends enhancing the value placed on both conducting and sharing research related to employment or professional practice, to have a positive impact on library services and local communities. Encouraging presentations at conferences was identified as a valuable first step towards increasing LIS practitioners’ engagement with sharing research results, generally and writing up results for publication. Overall, these findings highlight the need for greater employer support and more targeted efforts to promote research engagement and dissemination among LIS practitioners.