LRRT (Library Research Round Table)

Bio: Maureen Babb is a science librarian at the University of Manitoba who studies, among other things, the somewhat navel-gazing subject of librarian research.

Short Abstract:  When discussed in the LIS literature, research agendas tend to be described for the field, rather than for the individual, with the intent of identifying areas where further research is needed, and to suggest to librarian-researchers that these would be areas of study worth pursuing.  In other academic disciplines, developing a personal research agenda is a fairly standard component of becoming or developing as a researcher.  Librarians too can benefit from the creation of a personal research agenda, particularly those librarians interested in developing from one-off, short-term research projects to a broader research focus, and multi-project research interests.  This webinar will take attendees through a discussion of personal research agendas, covering what they are, how to create one, and how they can help you develop and proceed along your research journey. 

Long Abstract: Research agendas are a regular part of the scholarly grey literature in fields outside of Library and Information Studies (LIS) but are not nearly so common within.  When discussed in the LIS literature, research agendas tend to be described for the field, rather than for the individual, with the intent of identifying areas where further research is needed, and to suggest to librarian-researchers that these would be areas of study worth pursuing.  In other academic disciplines, developing a personal research agenda is a fairly standard component of becoming or developing as a researcher – they may even be an expected part of job interviews, performance reviews, or the process of setting up a programme or laboratory.  Though not generally a required item for librarians, we too can benefit from the creation of a personal research agenda, especially in roles where research is expected, such as academic librarianship.  A great deal of research in librarianship is practice-based, tied directly to projects that the researching librarian is undertaking at their institution – there is no doubt such research is valuable, but there may be a desire to take such practice-based research further, or to conduct research in other areas that is not so closely linked to practice. The creation of a personal research agenda would be of particular relevance to librarians interested in changing their research style from solely one-off, short-term research projects to a broader research focus, and to multi-project research interests.  Research agendas are living documents, designed to help you understand and navigate your desires and needs as a researcher, and may include not only your research interests and projects you hope to complete, but considerations of how you hope to develop as a researcher and how you might achieve those goals.  This webinar will take attendees through a discussion of personal research agendas, covering what they are, how to create one, and how they can help you develop and proceed along your research journey. 

Register to attend - Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Personal Research Agendas for Librarians: Beyond the Project to the Bigger Picture. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.