Basic Research Methods for Librarians

Most library post-graduate programs teach research methods using generic research methods textbooks. However, this ground-breaking textbook covers the basic research methodologies likely to be used by librarians with an orientation to library issues. It also includes basic instructions on writing the research proposal and the research report.

RONALD R. POWELL is Professor in the Library and Information Science Program at Wayne State University. Prior to becoming a library and information science educator, he served as a university librarian and college library director. Powell has taught, conducted research, and published in the areas of research methods, collection development, bibliographic instruction, academic libraries, the measurement and evaluation of library resources and services, and education for librarianship. His other books include Basic Reference Sources (with Margaret Taylor), Qualitative Research in Information Management (with Jack Glazier), and The Next Library Leadership (with Peter Hernon and Arthur Young).

LYNN SILIPIGNI CONNAWAY is a Consulting Research Scientist at the OCLC Office of Research. Her current research projects include the identification and comparison of circulation and interlibrary loan patterns and library collections and WorldCat data mining to facilitate library decision making. She is the co-investigator on an IMLS-funded project to investigate the information-seeking behaviors of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates from 44 central Ohio colleges and universities. She was formerly the Vice President of Research and Library Systems at netLibrary, a Division of OCLC, served as the Director of the Library and Information Services Department at the University of Denver, and was on the on the faculty of the School of Library and Informational Science at the University of Missouri, Columbia.