The Personal Touch: A Qualitative Dive into the Knowledge Networks of Librarian

Abstract

Goal: This work-in-progress conference presentation seeks to understand how librarians share knowledge and activate their social networks to solve job-related problems. Cross and Parker’s (2004) latent network view of access and awareness challenges serves as the foundation for surfacing both barriers and coping strategies.

Methodology: Five open-ended responses were collected as part of an online survey of 280 professional librarians in 2019. Inductive coding is being used to identify and categorize lower-level concepts into overarching themes and a cohesive storyline (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Data will be queried to identify themes that may be more relevant for individuals sharing certain demographic attributes (i.e., gender, ethnicity, age).

Results: Findings will be submitted to a top library science journal in 2025 and communicated via narrative description, diagram, and cross-tabulation.