College and Research Libraries


DAVID C. TAYLOR LIBRARY 
RESEARCH 

FOR 
LIBRARIANS 

Library Research for Librarians: 

''L IBRARY RESEARCH FOR LIBRARIANS " 
was the title of a conference held at the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
in March 1979. Sponsored by the Librarians 
Association of the University of North Car-
olina at Chapel Hill, this conference 
attracted llO librarians from throughout the 
southeastern United States. 

The purpose of the conference was to 
stimulate practicing librarians to undertake 
research by helping them identify research 
topics, devise workable methodologies, rec-
ognize the standards by which research is 
judged , and understand the requirements 
for preparation of manuscripts for publica-
tion. 

The program committee for the confer-
ence recognized the importance of research 
for libraries and for librarians. For the de-
velopment of libraries as well as for their 
more effective and efficient management, 
many questions need to be answered and 
problems solved. Not only must we have 
more and better trained librarians with ad-
vanced degrees who can undertake sophisti-
cated research, but the profession also 
needs the participation of many other in-
terested researchers who can contribute 
sound, honest, clearly written studies. 

Librarians have the raw material for re-
search at hand: reports, statistics, library 
collections, archives, and experience. 

They have the need to know, because 

David C. Taylor is undergraduate librarian, 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , and 
chair of the program committee of the Librarians 
Association at the university. 

Introduction 

most of the research to be done has quite 
practical application to librarians ' daily 
activities. Academic librarians also have 
additional incentives in many libraries , with 
recognition and promotion as rewards for 
successful researchers. But few librarians 
have had training in research. Many are in-
terested in re search but need some help. 
This the conference was designed to give. 

In his concluding remarks at the confer-
ence , Paul S. Koda of the university library 
called attention to the happy work situation 
for librarians: 

We have been called a "practitioner" discipline 
because our work and our thinking about our 
work constitute a reciprocal give and take of idea 
and doing. This organic, ever-evolving view of 
"our" profession was described years ago by the 
famous theologian and scholar Theodor Momm-
sen. He summed up the work of many profes-
sions as the best of two worlds. The "pragmatic 
historian" he described is today ' s " pragmatic 
scholar-librarian. " 

Do we not share the best of these two worlds? 
As pragmatic scholar-librarians let us begin and 
let us continue those habits of mind and applica-
tion which hone our skills and refine our re-
search. Let us become capable to the point 
where we not only carry on the day-to-day busi-
ness of our libraries, but also provide the intellec-
tual means to improve our libraries for the fu-
ture. 

Those attending the conference were very 
positive in their evaluations and praised the 
speakers highly. The following three articles 
are based on addresses given at the confer-
ence, and we are pleased that they are now 
available to a wider audience through 
their publication in College & Research 
Libraries. 

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