Re-conceiving time in reference and information services work: a qualitative secondary analysis

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use the sociology of time to understand how time is perceived by academic librarians who provide reference and information service (RIS). Design/methodology/approach This study is a qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) of two phenomenological studies about the experience of RIS in academic libraries. The authors used QSA to re-analyze the interview transcripts to develop themes related to the perception of time. Findings Three themes about the experience of time in RIS work were identified. Participants experience time as discrete, bounded moments but sometimes experience threads through these moments that provide continuity, time is framed as a commodity that weighs on the value of the profession, and time plays an integral part of participants’ narratives and professional identities. Research limitations/implications Given that the initial consent processes vary across organizations and types of studies, the researchers felt ethically compelled to share only excerpts from each study’s data, rather than the entire data set, with others on the research team. Future qualitative studies should consider the potential for secondary analysis and build data management and sharing plans into the initial study design. Practical implications Most discussions of time in the literature are presented as a metric – time to answer a query, time to conduct a task – The authors offer a more holistic understanding of time and its relationship to professional work. Social implications The methodology taken in this paper makes sense of the experiences of work in RIS for librarians. It identifies commonalities between the experience of time and work for RIS professionals and those of other professionals, such as physicians and software engineers. It suggests revising models for RIS, as well as some professional values. Originality/value This paper contributes a better understanding of time, understudied as a phenomenon that is experienced or perceived, among RISs providers in academic libraries. The use of secondary qualitative analysis is an important methodological contribution to library and information science studies.

Just-in-Time or Just-in-Case? Time, Learning Analytics, and the Academic Library

“…The management of work and the discipline of workers requires the management of time (Adam 1990). Librarians use time as a marker of change, a means of counting and accounting, and an indicator of professionalism (Bossaller, Burns, and VanScoy 2017;Hicks 2014;Hicks and Schindel 2016). Because time is often used to measure service quality (e.g., wait times), it also serves as a form of self-regulation and discipline (Bossaller, Burns, and VanScoy 2017).…”

“…We contend that as a profession, librarianship is informed by the temporal strategies of cost accounting, scientific management, and just-in-time service models. Time serves as a means to demonstrate value and professionalism, a means of accounting, and a form of self-regulation (Bossaller, Burns, and VanScoy 2017;Hicks 2014;Hicks and Schindel 2016). Moreover, within the context of higher education as a space through which the neoliberal global project is mediated (Robertson 2009), time also serves as a strategy by which the academic library seeks to manage risk and secure its future.…”

Time, New Public Management, and Canadian Academic Librarians’ Scholarship and Service

“…Recent LIS literature has paid some attention to time (Davies and McKenzie 2002;Savolainen 2006;Chen and Rieh 2009;Hartel 2010;Allen 2011;Anderson 2013;Crescenzi, Capra, and Arguello 2013;Mizrachi and Bates 2013;Poirier and Robinson 2014;Hicks and Schindel 2016). In their study of librarians' perceptions of time while providing reference and information service, Bossaller, Burns, and VanScoy (2017) conclude that librarians may create self-imposed time pressures as a result of professional values anchored in efciency and saving the user's time. 6 Few have considered time in the context of the neoliberal academic library.…”

Problems and Promises of Qualitative Secondary Analysis for Research in Information Science

“…The original phenomenological studies sought to uncover how academic librarians experienced their work lives (Burns and Bossaller 2012;VanScoy 2013). Although time was not a theme in the original studies, we noticed mentions of time in various ways in the data and realized how this concept might offer an important, unexplored framework for thinking about work life (Bossaller et al 2017).…”