TOC 486 College & Research Libraries November 2000 Guest Editorial Importance of Research and Publication by Community College Librarians One of the hallmarks of a profession is the ability of its members to give advice to clientele derived from a body of gen­ eralized and systematic knowledge that comprises its theoretical core. Donald E. Riggs warned years ago of an erosion of the foundation of librarianship due to neglect of research activities to build upon and support its theoretical base.1 The dearth of intellectually thought-provok­ ing articles and theoretically sound re­ search being submitted for publication is alarming to scholarly editors.2, 3 Although how-to anecdotal literature geared to­ ward helping librarians do their jobs bet­ ter is abundant, rigorous qualitative and quantitative investigations continue to decline. Most publishing efforts originate disproportionately from only one sector of academia. Riggs has observed: The bulk of manuscripts received come from university libraries … However, there are many exciting developments occurring in commu­ nity and four-year colleges, and these two institutions are woefully underrepresented in the literature on academic libraries/librarianship.4 Roots of the Problem Why are community college librarians not contributing? Librarians in two-year in­ stitutions do not face the same kind of publication and tenure pressures faced by library faculty in other segments of higher education. Their immediate survival con­ cerns revolve around time factors in pro­ viding practical, individualized service in an expanding work environment chal­ lenged by limited resources. Wearing multiple hats and juggling the increased responsibilities of teaching library skills, information literacy and troubleshooting computers, these librarians are over­ loaded, short-handed, and usually under­ paid. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a trend in commu­ nity colleges that has mushroomed over the past twenty years has been to econo­ mize by hiring adjunct staff, who account for more than 60 percent of faculty/librar­ ians at two-year colleges.5 These part-time vagabonds often have no office space in which to work, few communication chan­ nels with professional colleagues, and little time or incentive to participate in the research process. It is difficult to concen­ trate on scholarly pursuits while worry­ ing how to pay one’s medical insurance! At many community colleges in Florida, administrators have aimed to save money by leaving library director­ ships unfunded and unfilled for years, thereby straining skeleton crews left to fend for themselves without library man­ agement, divvying up the additional ad­ ministrative duties. No one in these in­ stitutions is providing leadership to en­ courage reflection and evaluation of what we are doing or why. Sadly, the historic community college motto of being “all things to all people” has been warped into a twisted interpretation meaning “all things to all people all the time provided by as few full-timers as affordable.” In general, community colleges have a reputation of being on the bottom rung or lower tier of the American higher edu­ 486 Guest Editorial 487 cation system. Although many have been providing inexpensive but quality edu­ cation for decades, they often are re­ garded as stepchildren in the intellectual world. As such, expectations are lower, for both students who attend and results produced by librarians/instructors who teach in these institutions. The academic elite tend to view community colleges as less worthy of serious scholarly attention. While universities have a research component as one aspect of their mission, community and junior colleges focus their efforts on teaching and serving lifelong learning needs of their constituents. The faculty reward systems differ at these dis­ tinct levels of higher education. Univer­ sity librarians struggle to meet research and publication requirements for tenure- track positions, but many community college librarians enjoy faculty rank with­ out classroom teaching responsibilities or scholarly demands. The notion of faculty status has even been politicized in Florida by guaranteeing it to librarians in the state statutes.6 The legislature has entitled us to the name without playing the publica­ tion game! Because so many community college educators have so little experience with academic research, there is an under­ standable hesitancy to undertake such intimidating projects. Most two-year col­ lege librarians hardly feel qualified to tackle any scholarly writing beyond the scope of their own experience. Library school curricula lack rigor in this prepa­ ratory area. Most MLS degrees are nonthesis, requiring course work and in­ ternships only, so many graduates enter their profession without ever having had to conduct significant research studies. Is it any wonder those who choose careers in the community college system produce the least of the professional literature? Why It Is Important The research drought is reaching crisis proportions as the gap in professional lit­ erature is becoming more of a chasm. Community college libraries are leading the way in this new millennium with cre­ ative activities related to instructional support, active learning, resource co­ operation, delivery of distance educa­ tion, and integration of emerging tech­ nologies. Such innovative ventures need to be examined systematically and shared with the rest of the educational world. Community college administrators are inclined to regard librarians as mar­ ginal professionals in comparison to other faculty. To upgrade and promote awareness of the professional status of librarians, it would be beneficial to dem­ onstrate our ability to engage in rel­ evant scholarly endeavors on a par with nonlibrary faculty in the academic mi­ lieu. Learning-centered institutions will gain support for their efforts when there are hard data to back up claims. Library programs can be enhanced and expanded only if there is substantive evidence point­ ing to unmet needs and/or changes that should be implemented. Because library services touch all segments of community college populations, librarians can play a central role in providing insight into in­ stitutional effectiveness. It is our profes­ sional obligation to do so. Not only will community college libraries gain new momentum through empirical validation, but the individual researcher will find personal satisfaction in making a mean­ ingful contribution to the field. Overcoming Barriers Without the lure of a tenure carrot, what else can possibly motivate community college librarians to pursue research and publication? Monetary rewards may be one enticement. Although most public community and junior college budgets are at the annual mercy of state and local governments to allocate salary increases, many institutions have some leeway in offering merit pay or productivity bo­ nuses. More community colleges now have foundation endowments able to fund such employee perks. A timely an­ nouncement of professional contribu­ tions may be compensated by one’s ad­ 488 College & Research Libraries ministration in the form of dollars, re­ assigned time to launch further explo­ rations, or other negotiable benefits. It is the responsibility of librarians to pub­ licize awareness of their own distinctive contributions to the academic commu­ nity, which may in turn be recognized and rewarded in positive ways. Research can have practical applicabil­ ity if it is initiated by frontline staff who have intimate knowledge of problems impacting their work and hold vested interests in finding solutions to their own needs. Only by scientifically scrutinizing current practices can ways and means emerge that may help community college librarians implement more effective pro­ grams and services for users. Such basic and applied research will consequentially enhance and solidify the theoretical foun­ dation of librarianship. Sources of Support To underwrite their research proposals, community college librarians need to be more aggressive in exploiting funding sources already established for such pur­ poses. Staff and program development (SPD) grants, tuition reimbursements, and sabbatical leaves of absence are pos­ sible avenues of support. Many local phil­ anthropic and service organizations also are willing to patronize special interest projects that may further their objectives in the local community. Campus institutional research and planning departments are always in­ volved in studying some aspects of ac­ countability. Librarians should be attuned to current research in progress at their colleges and offer their libraries as experi­ mental testing grounds for whatever the institutional research needs require. It makes sense to investigate the availabil­ ity of secretarial support, data processing, and other services from those in-house offices that specialize in research. In light of the increasing presence of university programs on some community college campuses—particularly those sharing joint facilities—another logical step is to foster partnerships with univer- November 2000 sity librarians who are searching for re­ search populations and suitable topics to fulfill their own publication and tenure demands. In addition, university faculty from other departments (e.g., education, computer and information science) may be receptive to collaborative research ac­ tivities of mutual interest. Linking up with library graduate schools may forge connections to a free labor pool of graduate students willing to distribute surveys, collect data, and prepare reports to meet course assign­ ments or receive independent credit. Conclusion There exists today a wealth of untapped talent and expertise among community college library personnel. The librarians who staff these dynamic learning resource centers have diverse, interdisciplinary backgrounds. Their unique and special­ ized interests are fertile ground for culti­ vating valuable research endeavors here­ tofore undeveloped by traditional academicians. Moreover, a new breed of information specialist is joining the ranks of librarianship. These techno-savvy new­ comers bring to the profession strong aca­ demic credentials; they are generally well grounded in research methodology, en­ thusiastic about the future and eager to lend a hand in creating it. Research scholarship contributes to the fulfillment of community college mis­ sions germane to teaching and service. Librarian researchers can become indis­ pensable assets to their institutions by capitalizing on unexamined, pertinent topics and issues of local concern. For in­ stance, recent emphasis on workforce development, dual enrollment, and joint baccalaureate programs are areas ripe with opportunities for probing scientific inquiry. Community college librarians are favorably positioned to gather, analyze, and interpret data on these and other trends. Such work may even become paradigmatic, thereby contributing to the advancement of library theory. Develop­ ing a strong theoretical base does not di­ minish the need to continue the useful publication of best-practices literature that offers tips for improving services and performance. Rather, undertaking ex­ perimental research on broader issues that affect the institutions and commu- Guest Editorial 489 nities served by two-year colleges complements the practical, nuts-and­ bolts material. The desire of some com­ munity college librarians to participate in the scientific research process needs encouragement and opportunity for re­ alization. It just might help save our pro­ fession. CAROLYN E. POOLE Director of Library Services Chipola Junior College Marianna, Florida poolec@chipola.cc.fl.us Notes 1 . Donald E. Riggs, “Losing the Foundation of Understanding,” American Libraries 25 (May 1994): 449. 2. Gloriana St. Clair, “Steps toward Writing a Sure Thing,” Library Administration & Manage- ment 11 (winter 1997): 5. 3. Donald E. Riggs, “Research: Value, Methods, and Publishing,” College & Research Libraries 60 (May 1999): 208–9. 4. ———, “Editor’s Observations,” College & Research Libraries 58 (Nov. 1997): 496–97. 5. “Part-time Instructional Faculty and Staff,” Condition of Education 2000. Available online at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/coe2000/section5/indicator57.html. 6. 1998 Florida Statutes, 228.041 (9)(c): 81. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/coe2000/section5/indicator57.html mailto:poolec@chipola.cc.fl.us << /ASCII85EncodePages false /AllowTransparency false /AutoPositionEPSFiles true /AutoRotatePages /All /Binding /Left /CalGrayProfile (Dot Gain 20%) /CalRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CalCMYKProfile (U.S. Web Coated \050SWOP\051 v2) /sRGBProfile (sRGB IEC61966-2.1) /CannotEmbedFontPolicy /Warning /CompatibilityLevel 1.3 /CompressObjects /Tags /CompressPages true /ConvertImagesToIndexed true /PassThroughJPEGImages true /CreateJobTicket false /DefaultRenderingIntent /Default /DetectBlends true /DetectCurves 0.0000 /ColorConversionStrategy /CMYK /DoThumbnails false /EmbedAllFonts true /EmbedOpenType false /ParseICCProfilesInComments true /EmbedJobOptions true /DSCReportingLevel 0 /EmitDSCWarnings false /EndPage -1 /ImageMemory 1048576 /LockDistillerParams false /MaxSubsetPct 1 /Optimize true /OPM 1 /ParseDSCComments true /ParseDSCCommentsForDocInfo true /PreserveCopyPage true /PreserveDICMYKValues true /PreserveEPSInfo true /PreserveFlatness false /PreserveHalftoneInfo true /PreserveOPIComments false /PreserveOverprintSettings true /StartPage 1 /SubsetFonts false /TransferFunctionInfo /Apply /UCRandBGInfo /Preserve /UsePrologue false /ColorSettingsFile () /AlwaysEmbed [ true ] /NeverEmbed [ true ] /AntiAliasColorImages false /CropColorImages false /ColorImageMinResolution 151 /ColorImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleColorImages true /ColorImageDownsampleType /Bicubic /ColorImageResolution 300 /ColorImageDepth -1 /ColorImageMinDownsampleDepth 1 /ColorImageDownsampleThreshold 1.10000 /EncodeColorImages true /ColorImageFilter /DCTEncode /AutoFilterColorImages true /ColorImageAutoFilterStrategy /JPEG /ColorACSImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /ColorImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /JPEG2000ColorACSImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 30 >> /JPEG2000ColorImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 30 >> /AntiAliasGrayImages false /CropGrayImages false /GrayImageMinResolution 151 /GrayImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleGrayImages true /GrayImageDownsampleType /Bicubic /GrayImageResolution 300 /GrayImageDepth -1 /GrayImageMinDownsampleDepth 2 /GrayImageDownsampleThreshold 1.10000 /EncodeGrayImages true /GrayImageFilter /DCTEncode /AutoFilterGrayImages true /GrayImageAutoFilterStrategy /JPEG /GrayACSImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /GrayImageDict << /QFactor 0.15 /HSamples [1 1 1 1] /VSamples [1 1 1 1] >> /JPEG2000GrayACSImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 30 >> /JPEG2000GrayImageDict << /TileWidth 256 /TileHeight 256 /Quality 30 >> /AntiAliasMonoImages false /CropMonoImages false /MonoImageMinResolution 600 /MonoImageMinResolutionPolicy /OK /DownsampleMonoImages true /MonoImageDownsampleType /Bicubic /MonoImageResolution 1200 /MonoImageDepth -1 /MonoImageDownsampleThreshold 1.16667 /EncodeMonoImages true /MonoImageFilter /CCITTFaxEncode /MonoImageDict << /K -1 >> /AllowPSXObjects false /CheckCompliance [ /None ] /PDFX1aCheck false /PDFX3Check false /PDFXCompliantPDFOnly false /PDFXNoTrimBoxError true /PDFXTrimBoxToMediaBoxOffset [ 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ] /PDFXSetBleedBoxToMediaBox true /PDFXBleedBoxToTrimBoxOffset [ 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 0.00000 ] /PDFXOutputIntentProfile () /PDFXOutputConditionIdentifier () /PDFXOutputCondition () /PDFXRegistryName () /PDFXTrapped /False /CreateJDFFile false /Description << /ENU (IPC Print Services, Inc. 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