Knowledge Into Action

Danny P. Wallace was professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman. He was coeditor of RUSA Quarterly, coauthor of Library Evaluation (Libraries Unlimited, 1999), and served on ALA's accreditation committee.

The only book currently available that comprehensively integrates research and evaluation for evidence-based library and information science practice.Numerous books cover research and evaluation in general, but not within the context of library and information science. Many others cover the field of library and information science overall but with little focus on research. Knowledge into Action: Research and Evaluation in Library and Information Science offers in a single volume, an expert introduction to these two distinct, yet deeply interrelated, phases of information-gathering as they are practiced in the information sciences.Knowledge into Action takes readers through the core principles, working processes, and practical tools for conducting and evaluating research in library and information science, enhancing the presentation with examples, informational graphics, study questions, and exercises directly relevant to this field. It is a welcomed resource for students and scholars who want to use appropriate techniques for gathering and assessing research, as well as information professionals looking to improve services at their libraries or information centers. The book is also designed to educate practitioners as consumers of the research and evaluation literature and as active participants in professional conferences, meetings, and workshops.

The only book currently available that comprehensively integrates research and evaluation for evidence-based library and information science practice.

CONTENTSIntroductionChapter 1: Knowing, Research, and EvaluationChapter 2: Research and Evaluation ProcessesChapter 3: Ethics and Politics in Library and Information Science Research and EvaluationChapter 4: Published Reports and the Professional as ConsumerChapter 5: The Project Plan or ProposalChapter 6: Measurement, Populations, Samples, and SamplingChapter 7: Historical MethodsChapter 8: Descriptive Methods-Questionnaires and InterviewsChapter 9: Descriptive Methods-ObservationChapter 10: Experimental MethodsChapter 11: Bibliometrics and Citation AnalysisChapter 12: Data Analysis and PresentationChapter 13: Descriptive and Inferential StatisticsChapter 14: Funding for Research and EvaluationChapter 15: Research, Evaluation, and ChangeGlossaryBibliographyIndex