[Chris Tarr, UC Berkeley is the guest editor for this column. She shared some details of the following American Library Association conference presentation at the July 18, 1999 OBS/TS Research Roundtable at AALL. See also Becky Lutkenhaus’ minutes of the Research Roundtable on page 18. – LeGrande Fletcher.]

Publish! Information, Networking And Motivation For Cataloging And Classification Research

American Library Association, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Cataloging and Classification Section, Policy and Research Committee Program (New Orleans, LA, June 27, 1999).

This program was designed to offer support, advice and motivation for librarians doing cataloging and classification research. Three people spoke:

1) Dr. Francis Miksa, Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin (512) 471-3877;
2) Dilys Morris, Assistant Director for Technical Services at Iowa State University Library (515) 294-8186; and
3) Carlen Ruschoff, Head of Cataloging at Georgetown University and Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) section editor for Cataloging and Classification (202) 687-7429.

Sarah E. Thomas, University Librarian at Cornell University (607) 255-3689, commented on their advice. She was followed by Gregory H. Leazer of the Dept. of Library and Information Studies at UCLA (310) 206-8135 and recent winner of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), who spoke about the research that lead to his award. It was an inspiring and informative program.

Research is Like Grass
Dr. Miksa’s role was to inspire us. He spoke about the commonness of research as a human activity (common as grass, he said); the motivation for research, (curiosity about phenomena); and research topics (“curious questions I have had”). Dr. Miksa pointed out that the notion that research is some rare and specialized activity (think of Jody Foster in the film Contact) is inaccurate. He noted that people do research all the time – about airline fares, or the best lawn mower to buy, or simply about things which interest them. The difference between common and professional research is a matter of degree. For professional research, one needs a better toolbox of methods, willingness to work meticulously according to strong rather than weak procedural rules, and a commitment to thoroughness. He stated that the best research is motivated by curiosity – curiosity about a phenomenon, which he defined as something that comes to our attention and is striking or special. He then gave examples of things he has been curious about, which included questions about users and systems, and questions about “information-bearing entities” — the things we catalog — and in particular, whether the aspects we include in bibliographic records are really the most important things about those “entities.”

Ms. Morris spoke about the importance of research as a way to help us adapt to change. Her own research, time and cost analysis, sprang from her need to know the best way to implement change at her institution. She noted the importance of research for promotion and tenure. She gave tips on how to conduct research and come up with research topics, including collaborating with other librarians, including public service librarians; consulting with journal editors; attending conferences; and focusing on subject interests. She mentioned the importance of specialized journals, although she also noted that peer reviewed journals were the most valuable for attaining promotion and tenure. Above all, she advocated a synergy between professional research and practice (i.e. one’s job).

An Editor’s Writing Tips
Ms. Ruschoff is an editor of a peer reviewed journal, Library Resources & Technical Services (http://ala8.ala.org/alcts/lrts) and gave very practical advice from an editor’s point of view. She discussed how to find a topic, and how to write and submit an article. Criteria that editors look for include a topic of significance relevant to the journal’s readership in an article with a logical format, clear hypothesis and clear writing. She advised that, when choosing a topic, you should pick a topic of interest, but also one where you can make a contribution. Search the literature thoroughly to be sure you can shed a new light. When writing or submitting your article, match your approach to the topic and your language to the type of audience likely to be reached by the journal to which you submit. The problem should be stated clearly, using the literature to give background and to show that the problem is significant. The problem statement should be followed by a hypothesis, “if this then that”. The research methodology should fit the problem. Findings should be stated in a separate section, followed by an analysis giving the implications of the research – why it is important and how it can be used. The analysis should be as complete as possible, including failures. An honest and straightforward discussion is always more useful to the reader. The writing should be clear. You should remember that others are not as immersed in the problem as you are, and do not assume that your readers will be familiar with jargon.

When preparing to submit your article, read the guidelines in journals to find out what they want. If your article is accepted, you will likely be asked to make changes. Read these changes and ask questions. If your article is not accepted, the editors may write and ask that the article be rewritten and resubmitted. This is no guarantee of future publication. Talk to the editor, and consider how much time the rewriting will take. It may or may not be worth your while. If your article is rejected, don’t despair. It may be that your article is not on topic for that particular journal, or that your topic is well vetted already, or that your research is not well founded. Again, talk to the editor.

The Value of Research
Sarah Thomas, University Librarian at Cornell University, responded to the ideas presented by the three previous speakers. Speaking about the benefits and value of research, she seconded the notion that research can help us adapt to change. She noted that if we know what we are currently doing and can identify our successes and failures, we can make changes and move forward more easily. She also noted the importance of research in the tenure process, and in garnering respect for our profession, but noted that more altruistically, research helps us to understand ourselves and feel more satisfied in our jobs. She also mentioned some steps administrators can take to foster research. These included explicitly mentioning conduct of research in job descriptions; evaluating research in merit raises and promotions; and modeling research for colleagues by having staff who write or give presentations give them to staff at home as well. She also listed mentoring new librarians; being flexible about time for research; giving financial support; and giving research leaves with pay. She noted that while research is “as common as grass,” and can be very rewarding, it is also not easy. Some can be done at work, but inevitably it also takes weekends, even sunny week-ends that one would rather spend in the garden.