Evidence or Evidence Based Practice? An Analysis of IASL Research Forum Papers, 1998-2009

Abstract

Objective - Conferences are essential opportunities for professional development and for learning about research. This study analyses papers presented in the Research Forum track of the International Association of School Librarians (IASL) conferences to determine whether the amount of school library research reporting increased or decreased over time; who (i.e., what author roles and affiliations) has written about research; which countries were represented in the research articles; what topics were discussed in research articles; and what research methodologies were used. The aim was to determine the extent to which the Research Forum provides research evidence that relates to practice.
 
 Methods - This study continues the longitudinal analysis of published school library research begun by Clyde (1996) by analyzing Research Forum papers published in IASL conference proceedings from 1998-2009 and using the same approaches and metrics as previous studies by Clyde (e.g., 1996; 2002; 2004), Clyde and Oberg (2004), and Oberg (2006). 
 
 Results - Conference paper topics, author origins, quantities, and research approaches remained static through the 11 years analyzed. The analysis reveals that the papers’ authors, methods, and topics reflected those found in previous studies of school library research. As well as replicating previous studies, the role of academic research at a practitioner-based conference was investigated. 
 
 Conclusions - Based on long-established imperatives from leaders in the profession, the IASL conferences provide both evidence and evidence -based practice for school librarians from all over the world. However, when scholarly research is shared at practitioner venues, it is possible that school librarians may assume that research results constitute evidence -based practice (EBP), not evidence upon which practice should be based. This distinction is important if considering that the purpose of academic research is to objectively inform, not to advocate a particular position or practice. 
 
 The Research Forum can be a valuable venue for the presentation of empirical research findings and conclusions and objective program evaluations and provide a valuable complement to the evidence -based practice descriptions shared in the Professional Papers portion of the conference program. It is argued that the Research Forum must be clear in its purpose: to present the results of research; to present effective practice determined by rigorous evaluation; or to present research-supported arguments for the support of school libraries. Through a reconceptualization of EBP, the paper demonstrates how EBP is both a method and a methodology for the presentation of school library research and practice in a conference atmosphere.

The Open Source School Library Research Database: Learning without Borders

“…To honour Dr. Clyde, a team at the University of Alberta has been working to recreate her database and make it available to all. This presentation continues the work of Asselin (2011), Clyde (2006Clyde ( , 2004Clyde ( , 2003Clyde ( , 2002Clyde ( , 2001Clyde ( , 1996aClyde ( , 1996b and Mardis (2011).…”

“…It was impressive, however, that there were 100 researchers who had two or more items in the database. Mardis (2011) found that information skills and literacy, information technology, reading and reading promotion, and education in LIS made up over 50% of the research topics between 1998-2009. Reviewing the items in the database in the present review, these topics are also very popular.…”

“…Clyde (2005) found that there were a total 297 articles published between 1999-2003 and 43 authors published 3 or more articles. Mardis (2011), in her examination of Research Forum Papers at International Association of School Librarianship (see Table 3) conferences between 1998-2009, found that information skills and literacy, information technology, reading and reading promotion, and education in LIS made up over 50% of the research topics.…”

Evidence-based School Library Practice

“…International Association of School Librarianship https://iasl-online.org 6% of the research papers while 77% of research papers were authored by university faculty or students (Mardis, 2011). One possible reason for this low percentage of school librarians presenting a research paper may be their lack of research skills.…”

Using Analytic Tools with California School Library Survey Data

“…In the final analysis, student work, test scores, grades, retention and graduation rates serve as more useful data points of impact, although the library's contribution is generally harder to measure (except for analysis of research projects). Often librarians resort to perceptionbased assessment methods such as anecdotal observations, surveys, and interviews or focus groups, which may be more subjective compared to data-driven analyses (Loertscher, 2008;Mardis, 2011 The presence of the specific variables (shown in italics) became the basis for the California school library baseline standards. The variables that are quantitative in nature (e.g., budget size, currency of collection) were calculated to determine adequate levels of support, which also constituted part of the baseline library standards (California Department of Education, 2011).…”