Undertaking research projects in the workplace

CHICAGO —  Written by academics and practitioners from a diverse selection of libraries throughout the world, “Research, Evaluation and Audit: Key Steps in Demonstrating Your Value,” published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, provides library and information professionals with the guidance they need to undertake research projects in the workplace in order to inform their own practice and improve service delivery. This handbook, edited by Maria J. Grant, Barbara Sen and Hannah Spring, guides readers step by step through the key phases of planning, doing and disseminating research. Novices as well as those experienced with evaluations, audits or research will benefit from the text’s thorough and common-sense approach, which includes:

• an introduction to the concepts, ethics and planning stages of research projects;
• coverage of the fundamentals of projects, such as literature review, qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis and research tools;
• pointers on writing up the project, putting the results of the project findings into practice and disseminating the project to the wider community;
• case studies drawn from a broad range of LIS contexts and applicable to any institution.

Grant is research fellow, Salford Centre for Nursing, University of Salford, UK: Sen is lecturer, Information Studies Department, University of Sheffield, UK; and Spring is senior lecturer at York St. John University, UK.

Facet Publishing, the commercial publishing and bookselling arm of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is the leading publisher of books for library and information professionals worldwide. ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5052 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.