Paul Earp is currently the Library & IT Director of a small college in Northeast Ohio. Paul obtained his Bachelor’s of Organizational Supervision late in his career, and moved straight into the Master’s for Library & Information Science at Kent State University. With a technology background since 1984, and specifically in academia since 1995, Paul co-authored with Adam Wright a book on libraries and technology in 2009, and co-authored a book chapter with Vanessa Earp on gaming in academic libraries in 2008. Paul just completed his Master’s in Research, Measurement, and Statistics at Kent State University.
Librarians have a certain inherent sense, whether from their professional degree or from experience in the field, of being able to locate information. They are the Sherlock Holmes of Library and Information ScienceLibrary and Information Science An interdisciplinary field that examines how physical and digital information is organized, accessed, collected, managed, disseminated and used, particularly in library settings.. This ability is invaluable to researchers. As impressive as this skillset is, it does not necessarily translate into the skills and understanding that are requisite in formulating research methodologyMethodology The theoretical framework that informs how a researcher approaches their work and what methods are used to collect data. and analyzing the resultant data. And this is not the fault of the librarian.
Not all undergraduate degrees require Statistics I courses. There is no statistical information available about the different undergraduate degrees that librarians hold. It would be an interesting study if the data could be obtained. If we look at those undergraduate degrees, we might just find that very few have that a Statistics I course as a requirement.
So what’s a librarian without a research and statistics course underpinning to do when they are expected to do research as part of their job requirements? And when I use the term “research and statistics” here, I am referring to the collection of data to determine impact, correlation, prediction, or trends in large datasets, to name just a few factors. For those purposes you truly need to understand proper data collection techniques and the correct methods used to analyze the data.
The solution that I would recommend is to invite a research statistician to join the project at the very beginning. When you tell them what you want to determine, they will provide you with a list of what needs to happen process-wise, in what order, how to validate the collected data, and what statistical analysis needs to be done to have meaningful resultsResults The section of a research article where researchers share the results from the research. This section takes the results and directly connects them to the research questions or hypotheses posed at the start of the article. Also can be called “Findings.” . It’s a very enlightening experience. More important for you the librarian will be the understanding of the depth of knowledge needed to do proper research. You will grow in your own understanding. Over time, you may not need a statistician to assist you, although there is a lot of minutiae within statistical analysis that must be considered for correct results and you may find it helpful to seek out consultations for all of your projects as necessary.
The question now is where do you find a research statistician? If your campus has a degree program for research and statistics, the instructors may have students needing to conduct actual original research projects – I know I had to – and your interests may align with theirs. The student will have all the instructor’s experience to call upon for assistance. This will help ensure the integrity and accuracy of the analysis. If you publish your results, it will be a publication for their resume as well. Some of these programs offer drop-in help sessions which can be an easy entry point to seeking help with your data needs.
Another resource requires a little more effort. When there are large numbers of authors writing an article, there is a good chance that one of them was the statistician or responsible for the analysis portion. Locate a few research articles that are similar to the topic you are examining, and look at the authors’ credentials to determine if they have a degree or were the one primarily responsible for the statistical analysis. Reach out to them to see if they would be interested in joining you in your research. They may be in need of additional publications to advance their career at their campus, and join your team.
Another source is to look into joining a research organization like American Education Research Association (AERA). Their “D” division is specifically for research statisticians. At a conference I attended recently, one of the “D” division sessions had two speakers that were authors of statistics textbooks. While they probably wouldn’t be available to assist you, the networking that you can do will provide you with valuable contacts of academic researchers in need of publishing for job advancement.
The Academic College Research Libraries (ACRL) is another organization that may prove beneficial, but not necessarily in locating a research statistician. ACRL’s charter is supporting researchers through quality librarianship, which is not quite the same as librarians doing actual research for the library science field. Putting out a call on ACRL’s ALA Connect channel, or submitting a call on LibParlor’s Classifieds could help connect you with someone.
Quality research in library science is a necessity for continued growth and to provide evidence of the value of librarians in the academic community and in our current digital world where Artificial Intelligence purports to challenge the integrity of our jobs. When we conduct valid and valuable research we prove that we are not on the path to obscurity, and our value is maintained. Inviting research statisticians to participate in your research projects ensures the quality of the research project and results in improved contributions to the field of library science. A win-win scenario for all involved.
Have you had to seek out a statistician for your own research? What worked best for you?
Featured image by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
1 comment on “Inviting Statisticians to Play in the Library”