I Just Want Tenure: Mapping Librarian Dissatisfaction with Library Science Scholarship

Abstract

This research is formulated on a single large significant assumption – that there exists among readers of LIS literature some degree of dissatisfaction associated with the quality of library literature. It was designed as an exploratory study to determine the shape of dissatisfaction in order to lay the groundwork for further work examining the scholarly conversation, discrepancy between the themes of dissatisfaction and evidence in the literature, and possible causes and solutions for the dissatisfaction. Four rough themes emerged, characterized by a series of subthemes. These are: perspective, depth and relevance; writing quality and presentation; methodology; and innovation and creativity. Additionally, some minor themes emerged, which attempted to explain major themes or represented conversations within the data. I have provided select examples in this poster. The poster was presented in March 2015 at the ACRL conference in Portland, Oregon.