Introduction

Librarians have many skills and wide-ranging knowledge, which makes them ideally placed to support members of their research community in carrying out every stage of their projects, though many information professionals are less confident about using their skills when working on their own research. When undertaking personal research projects, library staff experience the same challenges that researchers come across daily so those with this experience are well placed to understand researchers’ needs. This can help the library to provide more effective services and training at a time when it is most necessary. However, novice researchers who have never worked on a research project of their own before can find it intimidating, especially if they are unsure where to begin or how research fits in with their wider role.

This chapter looks at different types of research, outlines some of the reasons why librarians should consider conducting their own projects and the skills they can develop in doing so, discusses some of the main barriers to conducting research, and suggests ways of getting involved in research and sharing findings. It concludes with a case study from a librarian who works on external projects and a handy seven-step guide to developing a research plan. At the end of the chapter readers will have a better idea of how they can adapt the research process to suit their circumstances and have a basic plan for their first project.

Different types of research

Librarians can get involved in many types of research, no matter their current role or career stage. As discussed in Chapter 2 on RDM, terminology has a great deal of power and the term ‘research’ is no exception. There is a perception that only work which appears in peerreviewed journals, formal reports, academic texts or major academic conferences is worthy of being called research, but this is not true. Other venues and types of research also have value. Researchers in the library community use and share their work through many outputs, which address all sorts of areas within the profession.

Some people are in a position to be able to take time off to undertake an academic research project, and sometimes librarians who have an element of academic responsibility in their role, such as lecturers at a library school or those working in academic institutions and pursuing tenure, can do this.