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Like the word information, the word research can be used in many ways. To some people, research is simply a carefully conducted investigation of a subject or a situation. To others it is the discovery of previously unknown facts. To still others it implies a highly specific approach to designing and conducting research studies in keeping with externally determined guidelines or methods. Whatever the approach, the intent of research is to contribute to the shared knowledge base and to provide the grounds for a more informed decision making.
Since resources are finite, it is important to create, share and use research results in the most cost-effective way possible. In large part, the value of the profession depends on the extent to which practitioners are able to apply their knowledge base for the benefit of the organization and individuals being served. The challenges of measuring the cost/benefit of intangibles such as information services are considerable and represent one of the current research challenges facing the field of library and information science.
Special librarians are steeped in the research tradition. As university graduates at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, they have been taught to think broadly and critically about a broad range of social and research issues. More often than not, the information that special librarians collect, organize and make accessible to their clients is of a research nature. The very complexity and specialization of the information required in all realms of science, business, industry and public sector organizations today demands a high standard of specialized information service tailored for a particular environment and clientele.
As information professionals, it seems logical that we should recognize the need to create, share and use our own knowledge base in information and library science; however, this has not necessarily been the case in the past. Like other professional groups, librarians tend to be action-oriented, relying on our own experience and professional judgment to make decisions. Both the need to make decisions quickly and the lack of a clear connection between much library and information science research and the day-to-day problems faced by librarians make seeking and applying our own knowledge base a challenge. The increasing diversity of library and information science research also makes the development of a critical mass of applied action-oriented research problematic. |
