Open AccessBuilding Librarians’ Research Skills through Experiential Learning
Author(s) -
Raeda Anderson,
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Katherine Fisher,
Emily Williams,
George Usmanov,
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Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
the georgia library quarterly/georgia library quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2161-3540
pISSN - 2157-0396
DOI - 10.32727/7.2022.1
Subject(s) - experiential learning , data collection , participatory action research , productivity , computer science , knowledge management , medical education , process (computing) , psychology , mathematics education , medicine , sociology , social science , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics , operating system
Experiential learning programs are an effective method to teach data-focused research skills and statistical analysis. We examine the effects of a participatory research training program developed and executed by a data librarian and administered to library employees at a large academic library. The program aimed to improve research skills and increase research productivity. This study employs a survey within a concurrent mixed methods methodological framework to examine the outcomes of the training program. Our findings show that the program served as a low-cost, short-term, effective method of teaching data collection and quantitative analysis that increased participants’ knowledge of the research process, boosted their research confidence, and provided valuable data on library services for use by the participants and library administration.