DREaM, British Library, July 2011 …And Into The Zone Of Quasi-Rationality Blaise Cronin Rudy Professor of Information Science, Indiana University Honorary Visiting Professor, City University London Visiting Professor, Edinburgh Napier University
LIS DREaM 1 Keynote: “… And into the zone of quasi-rationality”
Dec 18, 2014
Opening keynote presented by Professor Blaise Cronin, Rudy Professor of Information Science, Indiana University.
In his keynote presentation Professor Cronin will provide a brief historical overview of LIS research before critically reviewing competence and practice in the field. He will identify a number of deficiencies, including lack of cumulation, “narcissism of minor differences,” false antinomies, failure to scale, and redundancy. At the same time, he will highlight several trends that may (or may not) be seen as having potentially positive downstream effects: growth in the number of faculty from disciplines other than LIS populating LIS departments, increasing rigour and diversity of LIS research programs, quantifiable growth in the export of ideas from LIS to other disciplines, greater receptivity of LIS research to outsider literature. He will consider social media both as a means of fostering research collaboration and as a subject warranting significant research attention in its own right. He will conclude by considering a few domains in which LIS researchers may be able to establish a stronger presence.
In his keynote presentation Professor Cronin will provide a brief historical overview of LIS research before critically reviewing competence and practice in the field. He will identify a number of deficiencies, including lack of cumulation, “narcissism of minor differences,” false antinomies, failure to scale, and redundancy. At the same time, he will highlight several trends that may (or may not) be seen as having potentially positive downstream effects: growth in the number of faculty from disciplines other than LIS populating LIS departments, increasing rigour and diversity of LIS research programs, quantifiable growth in the export of ideas from LIS to other disciplines, greater receptivity of LIS research to outsider literature. He will consider social media both as a means of fostering research collaboration and as a subject warranting significant research attention in its own right. He will conclude by considering a few domains in which LIS researchers may be able to establish a stronger presence.
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DREaM, British Library, July 2011
…And Into The Zone Of Quasi-Rationality
…And Into The Zone Of Quasi-Rationality
Blaise CroninRudy Professor of Information Science, Indiana University
Honorary Visiting Professor, City University London Visiting Professor, Edinburgh Napier University
Blaise CroninRudy Professor of Information Science, Indiana University
Honorary Visiting Professor, City University London Visiting Professor, Edinburgh Napier University
“the assembly hall of a secret police
academy”
“the assembly hall of a secret police
academy”
“This necessary library science” Pierce Butler, 1933
“This necessary library science” Pierce Butler, 1933
• Scientific knowledge
• Sociological study
• Historical consciousness
• Scientific knowledge
• Sociological study
• Historical consciousness
From Ideology to (Pseudo)-Science
From Ideology to (Pseudo)-Science
“A secular priesthood, administering a sacrament of cultural communion to individual souls”
Butler, 1933
“A secular priesthood, administering a sacrament of cultural communion to individual souls”
Butler, 1933
Aux Armes Citoyens!Aux Armes Citoyens!
• Direct action• Lobbying
• Libraries and democracy
• Direct action• Lobbying
• Libraries and democracy
British Empiricism British Empiricism
The scattering of articles on a given subject
Bradford, S. C. Documentation. 1948. First formulation: 1934M. Bates’ Fig.
The scattering of articles on a given subject
Bradford, S. C. Documentation. 1948. First formulation: 1934M. Bates’ Fig.
Plus ça change…Plus ça change…
“Too much…research…is of marginal interest … an interesting hobby rather than a rigorous pursuit of new insights.”
UGC & National Advisory Board
on Higher Education, 1986
“Too much…research…is of marginal interest … an interesting hobby rather than a rigorous pursuit of new insights.”
UGC & National Advisory Board
on Higher Education, 1986
plus c’est la même chose
plus c’est la même chose
“Often poorly funded, poorly conducted, poorly recognised”
Oppenheim, 2010
“Often poorly funded, poorly conducted, poorly recognised”
Oppenheim, 2010
The Golden Years?The Golden Years?
OSTI & BLR&DD (~£30M, 1965-1990)
Aslib -- LondonCRUS -- SheffieldLMU -- LoughboroughPCRC -- LeicesterCCR -- Bath
et al.
OSTI & BLR&DD (~£30M, 1965-1990)
Aslib -- LondonCRUS -- SheffieldLMU -- LoughboroughPCRC -- LeicesterCCR -- Bath
et al.
What Ails Thee?What Ails Thee?
• Theoretical bricolage• Lack of meta-analysis• Weak experimental design• Redundancy & lack of cumulation
• Culture wars
• Theoretical bricolage• Lack of meta-analysis• Weak experimental design• Redundancy & lack of cumulation
• Culture wars
False Antinomies?False Antinomies?
Humanistic ScientificValues-based Evidential Qualitative Quantitative
Relativism RealismConstructivism Objectivism
Emic Etic
Humanistic ScientificValues-based Evidential Qualitative Quantitative
Relativism RealismConstructivism Objectivism
Emic Etic
“Critical chill”?“Critical chill”?
Latour, Bruno 315 Foucault, Michel 322 Bourdieu, Pierre 188 Barthes, Roland 67 Derrida, Jacques 73 Lyotard, Jean- Francois 37 Levi-Strauss, Claude 34 Baudrillard, Jean 29 Ricoeur, Paul 44 Deleuze, Gilles 35 Merleau-Ponty, Maurice 19 Guattari, Felix 18 Kristeva, Julia 8 Althusser, Louis 7 Bataille, Georges 4 Lacan, Jacques 2
Total cites = 1,202 (~1% of articles)
Latour, Bruno 315 Foucault, Michel 322 Bourdieu, Pierre 188 Barthes, Roland 67 Derrida, Jacques 73 Lyotard, Jean- Francois 37 Levi-Strauss, Claude 34 Baudrillard, Jean 29 Ricoeur, Paul 44 Deleuze, Gilles 35 Merleau-Ponty, Maurice 19 Guattari, Felix 18 Kristeva, Julia 8 Althusser, Louis 7 Bataille, Georges 4 Lacan, Jacques 2
Total cites = 1,202 (~1% of articles)
Cookie Cutter ResearchCookie Cutter Research
• Information Needs of ___
• Authorship Trends in ___
• A Citation Profile of ___
• __ Library Use Study
• Information Needs of ___
• Authorship Trends in ___
• A Citation Profile of ___
• __ Library Use Study
Cogito ergo … HummCogito ergo … Humm
“…it is time for the information behavior community to question its academic relevance and credibility….”
Fisher & Julien ARIST, 2009
“…it is time for the information behavior community to question its academic relevance and credibility….”
Fisher & Julien ARIST, 2009
Critique of “Confessional Methods” in LIS
Critique of “Confessional Methods” in LIS
• Critical incident technique• Focus groups• Micro-moment
time-line interviews
Davenport (2010)
• Critical incident technique• Focus groups• Micro-moment
time-line interviews
Davenport (2010)
Old Wine, New Bottle?
Old Wine, New Bottle?
“Evidence-based librarianship seeks to integrate the ‘science’ back into library science”Eldredge (2000)
“Evidence-based librarianship seeks to integrate the ‘science’ back into library science”Eldredge (2000)
“Saving the Theory”“Saving the Theory”
“…when social scientists are right, they too often confirm the obvious. When they don’t confirm the obvious, they’re too often wrong.”
John Lewis Gaddis (2002)
“…when social scientists are right, they too often confirm the obvious. When they don’t confirm the obvious, they’re too often wrong.”
John Lewis Gaddis (2002)
The Economic Value of Elephants (Bilgnaut, de Wit & Barnes, 2008)
The Economic Value of Elephants (Bilgnaut, de Wit & Barnes, 2008)
• Charismatic species
• Keystone species
• Economic value generators
• Charismatic species
• Keystone species
• Economic value generators
ROI ReduxROI Redux
• The BL generates value 4.4 times the level of its public funding
• Don King’s research: 1970s
onwards
• U. of Colorado study 2011
• The BL generates value 4.4 times the level of its public funding
• Don King’s research: 1970s
onwards
• U. of Colorado study 2011
Contingent Valuation of LibrariesContingent Valuation of Libraries
• Valuation of non-market resources
• Stated vs revealed preference model
• Willingness to pay for non-use• Survey-based technique
• Valuation of non-market resources
• Stated vs revealed preference model
• Willingness to pay for non-use• Survey-based technique
Déjà Vu All Over Again
Déjà Vu All Over Again
Martyn, J. & Cronin, B. (1983). Assessing the impact and benefits of information and library research. Journal of Documentation, 39, 171-191.
Craghill, D. & Wilson, T.D. (1987). The impact of information research. London: British Library.
Martyn, J. & Cronin, B. (1983). Assessing the impact and benefits of information and library research. Journal of Documentation, 39, 171-191.
Craghill, D. & Wilson, T.D. (1987). The impact of information research. London: British Library.
Who Cites the IS literature?
Cronin & Meho (2008)
Who Cites the IS literature?
Cronin & Meho (2008)
0
2 , 0 0 0
4 , 0 0 0
6 , 0 0 0
8 , 0 0 0
1 0 , 0 0 0
1 2 , 0 0 0
1 4 , 0 0 0
1 6 , 0 0 0
1 8 , 0 0 0
2 0 , 0 0 0
1 9 7 7 - 1 9 8 6 1 9 8 7 - 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 - 2 0 0 6
T i m e P e r i o d
No. of Citing Papers
I S
N o n - I S
Citations to the IS Literature
Cronin & Meho (2008)
Citations to the IS Literature
Cronin & Meho (2008)
C h a n g e s i n E x p o r t s b y F i e l d
0
1 , 0 0 0
2 , 0 0 0
3 , 0 0 0
4 , 0 0 0
5 , 0 0 0
6 , 0 0 0
7 , 0 0 0
COMPUTER
SCIENCE
BUSINESS ANDMANAGEMENT
HEALTH/MEDICAL
SCIENCES
EDUCATION
LITERATURE
ENGINEERING
HISTORY
PSYCHOLOGY
LAW
ARTS &
HUMANITIES
No. of Citations
1 9 7 7 - 1 9 8 6
1 9 8 7 - 1 9 9 6
1 9 9 7 - 2 0 0 6
Main Disciplines Citing Information Studies, 1956-2008(Larivière, 2010)
Main Disciplines Citing Information Studies, 1956-2008(Larivière, 2010)
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Information Science & Library Science
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001Publication Year
Management
Computers
General & Internal MedicineHealth Policy & Services
Education
Average No. of Authors per IS Paper, 1966-2008(Larivière, 2010)
Average No. of Authors per IS Paper, 1966-2008(Larivière, 2010)
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Publication Year
Hyperauthorship: Growth of Massively Multi-authored
Papers ( ISI)
Hyperauthorship: Growth of Massively Multi-authored
Papers ( ISI)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
year
papers
> 50 > 100 > 200 > 500
Epistemic Drift? Sugimoto (2011)
Epistemic Drift? Sugimoto (2011)
Tipping Point? Sugimoto (2011)
Tipping Point? Sugimoto (2011)
i-Schools Projecti-Schools Project
Relationship between information, technology, and people.
Ontologically-challenged? Scope creep?
Relationship between information, technology, and people.
Ontologically-challenged? Scope creep?
Connectedness MattersConnectedness Matters
Invisible colleges
Networks of trusted assessors
Communities of practice
In-groups / Gate-keeping elites
Invisible colleges
Networks of trusted assessors
Communities of practice
In-groups / Gate-keeping elites
Gina Czarnecki
The ZeitgeistThe Zeitgeist
• Social media
• Wisdom of the crowds
• Folksonomies
• Open access
• Open peer review
• Creative Commons
• Social media
• Wisdom of the crowds
• Folksonomies
• Open access
• Open peer review
• Creative Commons
Many Digital FootprintsMany Digital Footprints
Usage bibliometrics
Socio-scientometrics
Bio-bibliometrics
altmetricshttp://altmetrics.org/manifesto
Usage bibliometrics
Socio-scientometrics
Bio-bibliometrics
altmetricshttp://altmetrics.org/manifesto
A Common Pool ResourceA Common Pool Resource
OpenWetWareShare your science
the sharing of information, know-how, and wisdom …in biology & biological engineering.http://openwetware.org/
OpenWetWareShare your science
the sharing of information, know-how, and wisdom …in biology & biological engineering.http://openwetware.org/
From LIRG to LIS 2.0 ?From LIRG to LIS 2.0 ?
• Communication• Collaboration• Participation• Publication
• Communication• Collaboration• Participation• Publication
The (Tom) Allen CurveThe (Tom) Allen Curve
The Importance of Place(Cronin & Shaw)
The Importance of Place(Cronin & Shaw)
Establishing a Stronger PresenceEstablishing a Stronger Presence
Major Player Middling Player
Minor Player
Scholarly Communication
X
Digital Curation
X
IR / Search X
Usage Metrics
X
HCI / CSCW X
Information Architecture
X
Strategic Investment/Positioning Matrix
Strategic Investment/Positioning Matrix
High OpportunityHigh Capability
Invest
High OpportunityLow Capability
? Develop
Low OpportunityHigh Capability
? Maintain
Low OpportunityLow Capability
X Exit
DREaM on!DREaM on!
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