research proposal: librarians 2.0: an investigation of southeast asian librarians’ social media...

Librarians 2.0: An investigation of Southeast Asian librarians’ social

media practices and attitudes

Ivan ChewNational Library Board Singapore

ivanchew@nlb.gov.sg

Research Proposal

Please note:

� This is a proposal

� Feel free to critique/ counter-propose

Outline

� About the research proposal

� Research questions

� Why does it matter?

� How will study be carried out?

� Who might be interested as co-researchers?

� What is required as co-researchers?

� How much time/ effort involved?

About the research proposal

About the research proposal

Librarians 2.0.: An investigation of Southeast Asian Librarians’ Social Media Practices and Attitudes

� Focus on Librarians

� Individuals (not institutions)

Librarians 2.0.: An investigation of Southeast Asian Librarians’Social Media Practices and Attitudes

About the research proposal

� Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand

� Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia etc.

� China & India?

Librarians 2.0.: An investigation of Southeast Asian Librarians’ Social Media Practices and Attitudes

About the research proposal

� Use of Social Media tools/ services/ concepts

� Blogs, Wikis/ YouTube, Facebook/ Creative Commons, Mash-ups, Barcamps

Librarians 2.0.: An investigation of Southeast Asian Librarians’ Social Media Practices and Attitudes

About the research proposal

� Professional or Personal capacities

� Use or Non-use

� Level of awareness

Librarians 2.0.: An investigation of Southeast Asian Librarians’ Social Media Practices and Attitudes

About the research proposal

Research questions

Research questions

� How do librarians from these countries interpret “Web 2.0”implementation in their context as library and information professionals?

Research questions

� What are their general attitudes about the relevance of social media, with regards to meeting the library’s objectives? This can be a range of questions posed to different grades of staff

Research questions

� Are there underlying factors facilitating or hindering their adoption of social media tools? E.g. Internet and IT infrastructure, knowledge, organisational policy, nature of work.

Research questions

� What is their level of awareness and experience in the availability and use? E.g. are they aware of any pitfalls in using new media tools?

Research questions

� Are they identifying themselves as librarians in their social media networks? Why or why not?

Research questions

� What are some possible factors to account for the similarities/ differences? E.g. economic,

infrastructure, political and social.

Why the research matters

Why the research matters

Because

social media

is a current reality

Why the research matters

� Growth of social media use

� Little/ no formal research on Southeast Asian librarians about their use & perceptions of social media

Why the research matters

� Current “Web 2.0” related articles cover on Institutions rather than Individual library professionals

� Uncover the Web 2.0 presence SEA librarians

Why the research matters

� We need to examine the relevance of social media tools in the pursuit of the library’s objectives.

� Before that, we need to understand how libraries and librarians are using social media, if at all.

Why the research matters

Possible research applications

� Develop a “Web 2.0 Core Competencies” framework for libraries

� Identify/ share best Social Media practices among SEA librarians

How will the study be carried out?

How will the study be carried out?

(For discussion)

� Questionnaires

� Interviews (Group/ Individuals)

Emphasis on QUALITITATIVE DATA

opinions, perceptions, attitudes

How will the study be carried out?

� Ideally TWO countries

Non-representative sample

� Written in English but research can be done in

native languages

Who might be interested as co-researchers?

(librarians who are full of curiosity and lifelong learners!)

Who might be interested as a co-researcher

� If you have an interest in Social Media practice

� If you think a long-distance (research) relationship is FUN!

� Comfortable with email & IM for discussion

How much time/ effort involved?

Let’s discuss!

Summary

Summary:

� About the research proposal

� Research questions

� Why it matters

� For discussion: How the study will be carried out

� Who might be interested as co-researchers

� What is required as co-researchers

� For discussion: Time/ effort involved

Librarians 2.0: An investigation of Southeast Asian librarians’ social media practices and attitudes