Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL) 2016

We are issuing a call for applications for the Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL) 2016. We are seeking novice librarian researchers who are employed by academic libraries or research libraries outside an academic setting in the United States to participate in the Institute. Novice researchers typically may have conducted research but have not yet had a peer-reviewed article published as the primary author or had an individual presentation accepted by a peer-reviewed conference. We define “novice” broadly; if you feel that you would benefit from being guided throughout the entire research design process, we encourage your application. Librarians of all levels of professional experience are welcome to apply. IRDL 2016 will be held on June 6-16, 2016, with arrival on campus on Sunday, June 5, and departure on Friday, June 17.
 
The William H. Hannon Library has received a three-year grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to offer this continuing education opportunity for academic and research librarians. Each year 21 librarians receive, at no cost to them, instruction in research design and a full year of peer/mentor support to complete a research project at their home institutions; the learning experience, travel to and from Los Angeles, CA, accommodations, and food will be supplied to Scholars free of charge. The summer IRDL workshop is supplemented with pre-Institute learning activities and a peer learning network that provides ongoing support. The workshop will be held on the campus of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. For more information about the project, including the project partners, the San José State University School of Information and the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), please see the project website:  http://irdlonline.org.
 
IRDL seeks librarians with a passion for research and a desire to improve their research skills. IRDL is designed to bring together all that the literature tells us about the necessary conditions for librarians to conduct valid and reliable research in an institutional setting. The cohort will be chosen from a selective submission process, with an emphasis on enthusiasm for research and diversity from a variety of perspectives, including ethnicity and type and size of library. 
 
Selection criteria:
  • Commitment to the year-long process of communicating with other participants and conducting the proposed study within the 2016-2017 academic year;
  •  Significance of the research problem to the operational success of the applicant’s library or to the profession of librarianship;
  •  Thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and clarity of the research proposal;
  • Enthusiasm for research and a desire to learn.
 
Applications for IRDL 2016 will be accepted from December 1, 2015 to February 1, 2016. Scholars accepted to the Institute will be notified in early April, 2016.
 
Please contact Project Directors with any questions about the Institute or the application process: 
Kristine Brancolini, Dean of the Library, Loyola Marymount University (brancoli@lmu.edu
Marie Kennedy, Serials & Electronic Resources Librarian, Loyola Marymount University (
marie.kennedy@lmu.edu)
 
“IRDL not only set me on the path to producing and properly documenting original research, but it set me up with a network of like-minded Librarians who will help me achieve my goals.” — 2014 IRDL Scholar

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