Qualifying for Services: Investigating the Unmet Needs of Qualitative Researchers

Abstract

This study investigates the needs of qualitative researchers and the ways in which libraries may address some of those needs. Using qualitative interview methods, we conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with individuals from two stakeholder groups: researchers (faculty and doctoral students) and librarians. Among the variety of needs that emerged, ranging from methods training to identifying sources of funding, we discuss two implications for library practice in detail: (1) the need for depth in library resources on qualitative methodology, and (2) potential ways for the library to support communities of practice around qualitative research tools and methods. Introduction Though libraries have built, enhanced, and expanded service offerings to support scholarly needs across all stages of the research lifecycle, with particular emphasis on research data management, these services have tended to privilege quantitative approaches.1 Similarly, researchers are likely to encounter greater support for quantitative methods than qualitative ones elsewhere on campus and in dialogue with external funders.2 Developing services that attend to the needs of qualitative researchers will enable libraries to provide more inclusive services that intersect with and support a greater range of interventions and which encompass the research life cycle comprehensively. Through outreach and assessment activities, libraries can learn more about the needs of qualitative researchers across disciplines and develop services in alignment. Through a series of semi-structured stakeholder interviews conducted at the University of Michigan, this study provides insight into unmet needs of qualitative researchers and corresponding opportunities for library engagement. Analysis to date has highlighted opportunities for libraries to enhance their support for the development of methodological competencies. In particular, the interviews suggest that libraries may enhance support for communities of practice and lend more focused attention to the role of collections in supporting methodological learning. Literature Review According to recent studies, qualitative research is on the rise globally, especially in the social sciences and interdisciplinary studies.3 Though qualitative research is not new, recognition of its value in elevating stories that cannot emerge from quantitative methods alone has gained traction in recent years.4 Consequently, many disciplines have observed increased interest in and adoption of emerging qualitative and mixed methods approaches.5 As a result of the rise in popularity of qualitative research, some fields have experienced a corresponding increase in novice qualitative researchers. The literature suggests that these new researchers face many challenges in obtaining sufficient training, services, and support, even when they receive some training through methods courses. For example, Lena W. Carawan et al. developed an interdisciplinary qualitative analysis course and reported that student encounters with the “epistemology, ontology, and methods of qualitative research” were “disorienting and difficult” while Eleanor Mattern et al. found gaps between the methods training that doctoral students received in the classroom and the demands of their research projects, across methodologies.6