The Reflective Professional

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The Reflective Professional
South East Branch, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and
Oxford District 9 March 2005, Reading

• Margaret Haines
• Director of Information Services and Systems
• Kings College London
• President of CILIP

based on the IMRI Lecture, 15 December 2004
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A Presidential Rant!

• What is a profession?
• Does being a professional necessitate being
  reflective and evidence-based in approach?
• Do LIS practitioners need to be research active
  as well as having access to research literature
  to be professional?
• If so, how can we improve our practice using
  reflection and research?

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What is a profession?

• An occupation that regulates itself through
  systemic, required training and collegial
  discipline, that has a base in technical,
  specialist knowledge, and that has a service
  rather than a profit orientation enshrined in its
  code of ethics. (Starr)
• Reiss 6 characteristics of professional learning
  
• Service, understanding, practice, judgment,
  learning, community

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Do professions need reflection research?

• To be evidence-based in practice
• To meet the challenges in todays society
• Better quality services, reduced costs, increased
  transparency
• Skills of research and reflection are
  increasingly important in a wide range of
  employment contexts
• Professional doctorates are being introduced
  which emphasize discipline-related professional
  practice as well as research

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Are we a profession?

• YES!
• We have a defined knowledge base and standards of
  professional practice
• We provide a service to users and to society
• We have a code of ethics, a disciplinary process
  and a regulatory role (in part)
• We have a defined framework of academic and
  professional qualifications
• We have a defined professional community and
  professional association

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Does our profession need reflection research?

• Impact of the Information Society
• New digital resource management roles
• New knowledge management roles
• New legal compliance roles
• New expanded non-LIS services
• New organisation structures for LIS
• All these require evidence of benefits to users,
  value for money for funders, what works for
  practitioners

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My priorities for our profession

• Reflective Practice
• (how we learn from our own practice)
• Evidence-based Practice
• (how we learn from the practice of others)
• Research Practice particularly Impact Measurement
  
• (how we learn from our users about our practice)

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1. Reflective Practice

• The capacity to reflect on action so as to engage
  in a process of continuous learning is a defining
  characteristic of professional practice (Donald
  Schon, The Reflective Practitioner)
• Involves thoughtfully considering ones own
  experience in applying knowledge to practice
  while being coached by professionals in the
  discipline
• This requires keeping up to date with the
  knowledge base of the profession

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Why Reflective LIS Practice?

• To ensure that we are professional in our
  approach
• To develop thoughtful and enquiring practitioners
• To provide a basis for continuing professional
  development strategies at individual and
  organisational level
• To ensure that experience and knowledge from
  senior practitioners are shared with junior
  colleagues

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Asking the right questions

• Being reflective about our work involves taking
  time out to engage in a dialogue about what we
  think, what we believe in and what we do
• The value you receive from reflecting on what
  you do will depend on the kinds of questions you
  ask yourself. The better the questions, the more
  gold you will mine from your thinking. (John
  Maxwell, 11 Ways Highly Successful People
  Approach Life and Work)

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2. Evidence-based Practice

• Evidence-based Information Practice is
• an approach to information practice that
  promotes the collection, interpretation, and
  integration of valid, important and applicable
  user-reported, practitioner-observed and
  research-derived evidence. The best available
  evidence, moderated by user needs and
  preferences, is applied to improve the quality of
  professional judgements.
• (Andrew Booth and Anne Brice, Evidence Based
  Practice for Information Professionals)

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Why EBP for the LIS profession?

• As a profession which has the ability to manage
  the literature of research, librarianship is
  uniquely placed to model the principles of
  evidence-based practice, not only as they apply
  to other disciplines which we serve, but also as
  they apply to our own professional practice.
  (Ritchie, 1999)
• Combined with reflective practice, it is a
  powerful tool to improve the quality and
  effectiveness of our services

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following the right process

• And asking the right questions (SPICE)
• Setting
• Perspective
• Intervention
• Comparison
• Evaluation
• Finding the evidence
• Appraising the evidence
• Applying the results locally
• Evaluating the change/outcome

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3. Research Practice

• Publicly-funded research plays a fundamental
  role in underpinning the UK's growing knowledge
  economy. (Professor John O'Reilly, Research
  Councils UK, speaking at the launch of Material
  World Knowledge Economy)
• Research Councils are the main public investors
  in fundamental research in the UK with an annual
  budget of 24 billion

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Why LIS Research?

• Research is not simply a systematic process in
  which data are gathered and processed but one
  that carries forward findings and innovation into
  development and practice. Research should enable
  people to increase their knowledge and
  understanding, to make decisions and to generate
  new ideas which lead to innovative and improved
  library and information services and should
  inform and influence policy making at all levels.
  (LIC, Prospects A Strategy for Action, 1998)
• Work is needed to stimulate greater interest in
  and respect for research within the LIS
  community. (McNicol and Nankivell, The LIS
  Research Landscape, 2003)

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Using the right methods

• Asking the right questions, following the right
  process andusing the right methods
• Better research designs used in LIS research
• Better training in research methods
• Better indexing of LIS research
• Better communication between researchers and
  practitioners
• Better dissemination of the findings
• Research can help demonstrate efficiency,
  effectiveness and impact

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Reflect, Review, Research

• Reflective practice
• Built into the new cilip Framework of
  Qualifications
• Evidence-based practice
• Encouraged and CPD courses offered
• Research practice
• ????
• What more can we do to improve our practice
  through reflection and particularly through
  research?

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Reflect, Review, Research

• Why are we not doing these things?
• No time or money to do it
• Poor quality of LIS research
• Lack of research in specific operational areas
• Need to consult wide range of disciplines for
  evidence
• Lack of skills in research methods and critical
  appraisal
• Lack of confidence
• What can we do to improve our practice through
  the 3Rs?

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Who Should Hold the Mirrors?
LIS Associations
LIS Educators
LIS Employers
LIS Practitioners
Linda Watson, MLA President
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LIS employers can

• Recruit individuals with problem solving and
  reflective approaches
• Create an environment supportive of research and
  reflective practice
• Encourage presentations, in-house research and
  publications
• Encourage mentoring and senior staff engagement
  with FOQ!
• Encourage LIS staff to seek out appropriate
  partnerships within the institution
• Set a good example!

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Library practitioners can

• Keep up their core skills and knowledge through
  CPD and searching the literature
• Make the time to reflect on their personal,
  professional and service effectiveness
• Find mentors to help them reflect
• Ensure that their service is evidence-based
• Recognise their ability to get involved with
  research internally and externally
• Share what they learn from their reflective and
  research practice

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Academics role in research

• Provide training in research methods, critical
  appraisal, question formulation, research
  administration and support
• Work with library practitioners and employers in
  conducting research and in getting research into
  practice
• Encourage students to do systematic reviews and
  original research
• Work with professional bodies in promoting the
  results of research and raising the profile of
  research in our profession

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LIS educators can

• Provide training in research methods, EBIP and
  reflective practice
• Work with library practitioners and employers in
  conducting research and in getting research into
  practice
• Encourage students to do systematic reviews and
  original research
• Work with cilip in promoting the 3Rs in our
  profession

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Professional bodies and research

• Support research interest groups
• Produce research policy statements
• Encourage reflective and evidence-based practice
  through qualifications and training
• Encourage and fund value and impact research
• Work with research funders in examining the role
  of LIS in supporting research and in conducting
  research

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Professional bodies can

• Establish Research Sections and newsletters e.g.
  Hypothesis (MLA)
• Run Evidence-based Librarianship conferences and
  courses (CHLA)
• Encourage reflective practice (CILIP)
• Encourage value and impact research (MLA and
  RCUK)
• Share approaches to improving professional
  practice with each other

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An Example - MLA

• Research Statement
• Research is seen as a foundation for excellence
  in health information practice, for new and
  expanded roles for health librarians, and for
  attracting excellent people to the profession
• Research section and newsletter - Hypothesis
• Research and EBIP courses
• Research scholarships and awards

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What about cilip?

• Knowledge Economy Advisory Group (2002)
  recommended that cilip develop a research
  strategy
• Health Advisory Group (2004) also recommended
  leadership role for cilip in LIS research
• CEO argued for strong role for cilip in research
• Cilips President is actively promoting greater
  research culture

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Cilip can

• Facilitate networking and mentoring
• Embed reflective practice in the New
  Qualifications Framework
• Disseminate evidence of good practice via its
  website
• Provide the tools/training for cilip members in
  critical appraisal
• Support the work of its groups in promoting
  research and EBIP

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Cilips Research Agenda

• Work with other national bodies in encouraging an
  active research culture
• Influence national policy-makers, research
  funders and employers to support information and
  knowledge research
• Actively facilitate LIS research communities of
  practice through LIRG
• Demonstrate exemplary practice itself
• Produce a Research Statement

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Cilips Research Responsibilities (1)

• To Society
• Work with other bodies (both LIS and non-LIS) in
  encouraging an active research culture to
  underpin the knowledge society
• Actively support initiatives to facilitate
  knowledge transfer, nationally and
  internationally, and promote the role of LIS in
  knowledge transfer
• Influence UK policy-makers, research funders and
  employers to support information and knowledge
  research

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Cilips Research Responsibilities (2)

• To the LIS Community
• Produce joint statements with other professional
  associations and bodies to emphasize the
  importance of research to our profession
• Support research relevant to our profession
  through participation in national projects i.e.
  contributing funding or time and expertise
• Support evidence-based information practice
  through dissemination of research findings using
  its website and journals

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Cilips Research Responsibilities (3)

• To its members and staff
• Help LIRG in promoting and supporting LIS
  research including actively facilitating research
  communities of practice
• Support members in acquiring appropriate research
  and EBIP skills through CPD, certification and
  accreditation processes
• Demonstrate exemplary practice itself in using
  research evidence to inform practice and promote
  models of good practice in this area

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And cilip does have LIRG!

• A special interest group devoted to library and
  information research
• Runs research and EBIP workshops
• Makes awards to recognise good research in our
  profession
• Advises other cilip groups
• Contributes to cilip Corporate Plan and Policy
• Drafting a research statement for cilip

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But LIRG and cilip could also

• Put self-help guides on its website and support
  online virtual journal clubs
• Conduct systematic reviews of library literature
  and produce evidence-based guidelines
• Encourage library journals to require structured
  abstracts along the SPICE model
• Help develop LIS applications for research
  funding
• Help review academic programmes

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A Draft cilip Research Policy

• Being developed by Dr. Eric Davies et al in LIRG
• Endorses idea that the LIS profession must
  capitalise on research and development
• Defines purpose of research as creating new
  knowledge and thereby contributing to the growth
  of LIS as a profession
• Identifies 10 roles for cilip
• Outlines short-term and medium-term targets

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What are some of the targets?

• Endorsement of the research policy
• Active positioning at the centre of research
• Gathering of information on key research needs
• Evaluation of dissemination means
• Build RD skills into the knowledge base
• Assess RD training needs
• Develop ethical foundation for RD

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As cilip President, I can

• Promote the importance of reflection,
  evidence-based practice and research in our
  profession
• Engage other relevant professional bodies in
  producing joint research-related policy
  statements
• Encourage membership in LIRG and a greater role
  for LIRG in supporting other groups and branches
  within cilip

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I can also

• Promote and practice the 3 Rs (reflect, review,
  research) myself in my role as employer,
  practitioner and educator
• Work with others on developing cilip as a
  learning organisation and its staff as reflective
  and evidence-based practitioners
• Reflect on my year as President and pass this
  learning on to other Presidents

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Conclusions

• Professionals need a research base
• LIS is a profession and needs research
• We need to improve and expand our research
  activity
• New research-based qualifications, CPD to
  encourage use of research, more funding, better
  dissemination, more collaboration between
  research groups and practitioners
• Cilip should be a major player in delivering this
  agenda my priority as Past President