9th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, Limerick Ireland 23-26 May 2017
Call for Papers for the Special Session/s entitled:
1. Linking research and practice: the synergies and their relevance to practice, policy and academia.
Coordinator: Maria G. N. Musoke, Professor of Information Science and Former University Librarian, Makerere University, Kampala. Uganda. East Africa.
Contact: mmusoke@mulib.mak.ac.ug , maria.gnmusoke@yahoo.com,
Scope & rationale:
In an era of partnerships and collaboration, rapid advances in information technology, paradigm shifts in research, learning and teaching, the growing research output that is increasingly becoming open access and the demands from library users/patrons, there is need to build on the synergies to impact academic and research libraries’ service delivery. Practicing librarians who conduct research or LIS academics and researchers who do research related to the practice of academic librarianship are invited to contribute papers to this session. The papers should share research findings about innovative practices and experiences – what works and what doesn’t - to enable the participants to learn from the best practices or avoid what doesn’t work. The application of the research findings to library service delivery, policy and in theories relevant to academics will enrich the session.
Abstracts should be sent to the coordinator and to the secretariat secretar@isast.org.
2. From Assessment to Adjustment: Using Data to Evaluate and Improve Collections
Coordinator: A. Jade Alburo, Librarian for Southeast Asian and Pacific Islands Studies, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (Los Angeles, CA), jalburo@library.ucla.edu
Scope and Rationale
In times of budget cuts and scarce spaces, it is crucial to be strategic when developing and managing collections. What information can be used to inform these acquisition decisions? In this session, hear from presenters who used different assessment approaches – from comparative collection analysis and circulation data to surveys, interviews, and discussions – to improve their collection policies and better meet the needs of their users. Abstracts should be sent to the coordinator and to the secretariat secretar@isast.org.
3. Breaking the borders: How to measure the impact of innovative customer oriented services?
Coordinators: Markku A. Laitinen, Planning Officer, National Library, Finland and Antti-Pekka Seppänen, Senior Adviser, Regional State Administrative Agency of Southern Finland and Jarmo Saarti, PhD, Library Director, University of Eastern Finland Library, Finland. Emails: markku.laitinen@helsinki.fi, antti.seppanen@avi.fi, jarmo.saarti@uef.fi
Scope & rationale:
The libraries have started to act in a more networked manner, both with each other and with different service providers. Thus, a need to develop new kinds of service concepts has arisen and new innovative services are being developed. This means that new evaluation methods and indicators will be needed in order to indicate the value and impact of these services. The need for the new indicators goes beyond mere numerical indicators, the main goal being to obtain knowledge about the strengths as well as needs for development of the services. These tools on the other hand support the management keeping in mind the value added for the patrons. Abstracts should be sent to the coordinators and to the secretariat secretar@isast.org.
The main themes of the session are:
· emerging new service concept
· innovation ecosystem of the libraries
· measurement, assessing
· innovation management
Important dates
Abstract submission deadline: 10th of March 2017
Notification of acceptance two weeks after deadline
Deadline for Paper Submission: 1st of May 2017
Deadline for Presentation Submission: 1st of May 2017
Registration Details: see www.isast.org
Anthi Katsirikou
Librarian, PhD, MSc
Director of the Library of the University of Piraeus
Member of the Board of Greek Librarians Association
Co- Chair of the QQML International Conference
