The Australian Library Journal

Research in school librarianship 1991-2000: Australia in an international setting

Laurel A Clyde

Manuscript received October 2003

This is a refereed article

Introduction

Philip Calvert (1990, p20) has said that '...research and its outward manifestation as scholarly literature is a vital ingredient of a healthy profession'. It could also be said that publication of research reports in professional and research journals and proceedings is important if research findings are to be incorporated into professional practice. There are a number of trends and developments that have resulted in an increasing focus on research and research publishing in the field of school librarianship (see, for example, Haycock, 2003; Oberg, 2002), two of which will be mentioned here. First, at a time when funding for school libraries has declined in places like California (Bell, 2002) and Canada (CBC News, 2002), the question of whether or not school libraries 'make a difference' becomes very important, and research may provide the necessary evidence. A second trend is an emphasis on evidence-based practice (Todd, 2002). Evidence can be collected through, among other things, an action research approach in the school and from the professional and research literature.

The first report of an international longitudinal study of 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' from 1991 onwards (Clyde, 2002), has revealed a relatively high level of Australian involvement (relative to total population) in research publishing in this field today. This article will provide an overview of the international research project as a whole; briefly discuss the evidence of international trends in research publishing in school librarianship (which have been reported in more detail elsewhere; see Clyde, 2001; Clyde, 2002); and look specifically at research related to Australia. The article will conclude with some discussion of trends (positive and negative) in the light of the findings of the research study, of analyses of the data related to Australia, and of other information that is available.

The research project

The 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project commenced in 1995/1996 with a retrospective search to locate published reports of research in the field of school librarianship over a period of five years, 1991-1995, for an International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) publication, Sustaining the vision: a collection of articles and papers on research in school librarianship, in honor of Jean E Lowrie (Clyde, 1996). Published research articles and conference papers were the basis of the work, rather than research theses or unpublished reports. In part, this reflects the reality that the main indexing and abstracting services in library and information science and education provide better coverage of published articles and papers, and these published documents are easier to obtain than theses or reports. It also reflects a belief that the publication of findings is an important part of any research project.

A definition of a 'research article or paper' was established through another project carried out by a research team in Iceland (Pálsdóttir, et al 1997). Based on this work, seven criteria were developed; all of these had to be met before a publication could be considered to be a research article or paper. Research quality was not taken into account, mostly because of the lack of widely-accepted guidelines for research evaluation in our field. (However, research quality in school librarianship later became the focus of a related project; see Clyde, 2003). The boundaries of the research field of 'school librarianship' were established for the 1995/1996 IASL project (Clyde, 1996). The aim was to include all relevant articles and papers that were published in English, regardless of the country of publication.

Research articles and conference papers in the field of school librarianship, published in English, were identified through a number of strategies. Online searches were undertaken of ERIC, LISA, Library Literature, Social Science Citation Index, British Education Index and other international and national online databases, though the services through which these databases are accessed has changed over the years. Internet searches using public search engines also proved useful. Whenever a potentially relevant article was found in an issue of a journal, all issues of the journal back to 1991 were scanned. Once established as a source of relevant articles, the new issues of a journal continued to be scanned annually; indeed this process continues to the present. Published conference proceedings were treated in the same way. Published bibliographies (for example, Coleman, 2000; Satija, 1994), and bibliographies or reference lists at the end of relevant articles and papers, have also provided leads to likely articles and papers. Again, if a potentially relevant article was identified in one issue of a journal, then all issues of the journal from 1991 were scanned. Information recorded about each article or conference paper included bibliographic citation, country in or about which the research was undertaken, research method/s used, and the topic of the research. Additional notes were made where necessary, for example to indicate whether the research had been reported previously in another form, or the relationship of the report to a particular project, or any other relevant factors.

The bibliographic database that was created for the 1995-1996 IASL project has since been maintained and updated as the basis for the larger and ongoing 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project. The strategies that were used to build the database to 1996 continue to be employed. A major analysis of the publications 1991-2000 (see Clyde, 2002) provided insights into research trends in this field through the last decade of the twentieth century. It is this analysis of research publications in the field of school librarianship from 1991 to the end of 2000 that forms the basis of the work described in this article.

The aims established for this particular section of the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project were:

1. To identify the places where research in school librarianship (in the form of research articles and conference papers) is reported.
2. To identify any changes over the decade in the type of publication in which the results of research in the field of school librarianship are reported.
3. To identify trends in the quantity of research reported in research articles and published conference papers in the field of school librarianship.
4. To identify the countries in which research is being undertaken and published or about which research is being undertaken and published, in the field of school librarianship.
5. To identify the research methodologies that are being used by researchers in the field of school librarianship and to investigate any changes over time.
6. To identify the topics that are being studied by researchers in the field of school librarianship and to investigate any changes over time.

Some will be covered in more detail than others. In addition, this article looks at aspects of the Australian contribution to research in school librarianship internationally. These Australian analyses were suggested both by the results of the international analyses, and by comments from researchers at the 2001 IASL conference in Auckland, New Zealand, where the initial results of the international study were presented.

A theoretical and methodological basis for the international longitudinal analysis of published research in the field of school librarianship was provided by the Finnish researchers Järvelin and Vakkari (1990; 1993). Through two studies, they have established widely-accepted (Yontar & Yalvaç, 2000, p41) techniques for studying research output in library and information science (in the form of journal articles), in such a way that the research output can be compared over time and across national boundaries. Järvelin and Vakkari used their own methodology to study international research in library and information science generally, through articles in thirty-seven core journals (Järvelin & Vakkari, 1990). They subsequently updated this work through a longitudindal comparative study (Järvelin & Vakkari, 1993). Researchers who have used their methodology as the basis for national studies include Cano and Rey (1993) in Spain; Pálsdóttir et al. (1994; 1997) and Gubrandsdóttir et al (2001) in Iceland; Rochester (1995) in Australia; Layzell Ward (1997) in the United Kingdom; and Yontar (1995) in Turkey. Rochester and Vakkari (1998) compared these and other country studies that used the Järvelin and Vakkari methodology, to investigate national differences and trends. The 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project was the first to use the Järvelin and Vakkari methodology in a specific area of library and information science, namely school librarianship.

Reporting research in school librarianship 1991-2000

Under this heading, the findings related to the first four aims of the longitudinal study of research in the field of school librarianship will be covered together: trends related to the quantity of published research in school librarianship; the countries about which research is undertaken; the places where research in the field of school librarianship (in the form of research articles and papers) is reported; and any changes over time. Throughout, the Australian contribution will be discussed in relation to all of these aims.

Quantity of research publishing

A total of 484 research articles and papers (published in English) were found for the decade (see Table 1). Of those, 389 were research articles and 95 were research-based conference papers. The quantity of research articles and papers being published increased through the decade: 170 were published in the first five-year period 1991 to 1995 and 314 in the period from 1996 to 2000 (an increase of more than 100 per cent on the first five years). It should be noted that the project investigated research publishing; this may or may not reflect the amount of research undertaken. In fact, there are indications that more opportunities for research publishing emerged through the decade - for example, research forums with published proceedings, and regular research columns in professional journals. This trend will be referred to again below.

Table 1: Research articles and papers in school librarianship, 1991-2000

Table 2 : Australian and international research publishing in school librarianship 1991-2000*

* In this table, the Australian totals include 27 research articles and papers with an international focus but by authors of Australian studies and with an Australian component (however small).

Table 2 shows the contribution of Australia. It includes articles and papers that report on research related to Australia (eighty-three in total) plus twenty-seven articles and papers by the authors in the Australian group, that report on international research projects (almost always with reference to Australia). The international projects fit into two categories: those that investigated particular phenomenon in more than one country; and those that investigate an international phenomenon (such as the internet). As can be seen, Australian work accounts for around one fifth (20.66 per cent) of all research articles and papers published in English through the decade. This contribution includes a contribution to twenty-seven (or 69.2 per cent) of the total of thirty-nine research articles and papers with an international focus (see Table 3). If the research with an international focus is omitted from Australia's total, then the contribution is eighty-three articles and papers, or 17.1 per cent of the total for the decade.

Geographical characteristics of the research

Table 3 gives an indication of the countries about which most research has been published. The 'country of origin' was recorded in this way for the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project because of the unsatisfactory nature of other possible classifications. For example, Hawkins (2001) in his study of electronic journals classified articles by 'country of origin' of the author (from the address or affiliation given on the article, or failing that, using other strategies to find this information). However, apart from the difficulty of establishing the affiliations of large numbers of authors, this was considered an unsatisfactory approach for the present longitudinal study because authors' affiliations change; some authors write while temporarily affiliated with an institution in another country; and some work in more than one country. There were also problems associated with using classifications such as country of citizenship, country of birth, or IASL's 'country of residence' classification (defined as the main country in which a member currently works). The Järvelin and Vakkari classifications were little help for this aspect of the project. It was decided (after a number of trials) to use the country about which the article or paper was written as the basis of the classification, since this could be readily established from the text of the article or paper, and it would at least give an indication of those places about which the research record was richest.

Table 3: Research articles and papers 1991-2000, by country studied

Note: Percentages have been given only for the ten countries that were the focus of the most research. After these ten countries, the numbers of articles or papers are very small and percentages become almost meaningless.

The only country about which more was published than Australia was the United States of America, with more than fourteen times Australia's population. Other countries which might have been expected to make a large contribution include the United Kingdom, Canada, India, South Africa, and Nigeria, all of which have a tradition of research publishing in English and a number of library schools that offer research degrees - and all of which have a larger population than Australia. While Table 3 shows that Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa follow Australia, the total number of research articles and papers related to Canada was forty-two (just under half that of Australia), and the other countries scored lower. Although the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nigeria were in the 'top ten' (see Table 3), no research articles or papers were found related to school librarianship in India, despite the number of Indian library and information science journals (such as the Herald of Library Science) that were scanned for the decade. While it may seem surprising that only 6.2 per cent of the research articles and papers came from the United Kingdom, an explanation may lie in the way in which British research in library and information science has largely been funded: organisations such as the British Library's Research and Development Department and later Re:source have expected research reports in the form of monographs rather than research articles and papers (Clyde, 2002, p61). There is, however, evidence (from the entries in the database after 2000) that this situation is changing.

Publications where the research is reported

The two types of research publication that were the basis of the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project, research articles and research-based conference papers, are indicated in Tables 1 and 2 above, and will be discussed further here. Not only did research publishing in the field of school librarianship increase through the decade 1991 to 2000, but publishing of both research articles and research papers also increased. The Australian contribution was significant in both areas.

The research articles were published in fifty-five different journals through the decade. However, nineteen of those journals published only one research article related to school librarianship in the ten-year period, while a further eight journals published only two relevant articles. This means that a considerable number of the research articles in school librarianship are scattered across a relatively large number of journals, some of which are not very well known outside the country or region where they are published and some of which are hard to find except in major research collections. It can therefore be difficult for people to get an overview of the published research in school librarianship at the international level.

Table 4: The 'Top Fifteen' journals in which research articles in school librarianship were published (international) n=389

* Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Master Journal List, http://www.isinet.com/ (April 2002).
** Commenced publication in 1996
*** Since 2001, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, JASIST.
**** Name of journal changed from Emergency Librarian to Teacher Librarian in 1998.

On the other hand, as Table 4 shows, just two journals have been the major focus for research publishing in school librarianship through the decade: IASL's School Libraries Worldwide (established in 1996); and the American Association of School Librarians' journal School Library Media Research (formerly School Library Media Quarterly). Together, these two journals published 32.9 per cent of all the research articles through the decade. However, neither journal is currently listed in the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) Master Journal List, a list widely used by universities (despite problems that have been identified with it; see, for example, Moed, 2002) as an indicator of the significance or importance of a journal. Anecdotal evidence (collected at the 2003 IASL conference) suggests that this may discourage some authors from offering research articles to these journals, and thus contribute to the 'scatter' of the research literature of school librarianship.

In terms of published research articles related to Australia, the same pattern of dominance by two journals emerges. Almost half (48.4 per cent) of the research articles were published in Access and Scan. However, in contrast to the international setting as a whole, neither of these two journals is predominantly a research journal, though both publish some research articles aimed at the practitioners. Ross Todd edits a regular 'Research column' for Scan, while James Henri edits the regular 'Research window' for Access. The only other country where professional journals in the field of school librarianship provide for regular ongoing research publishing in this way is the United States, where, for example, Knowledge Quest publishes research articles (usually less than two full pages each) aimed at practitioners. It is probable that without the regular research columns in Access and Scan (with their experienced editors) Australian researchers in the field of school librarianship would have fewer opportunities for publishing their work and there would be less editorial activity aimed at encouraging research publication in this field in Australia.

Six of the fifteen journals in which the research with an Australian focus was published, were or are Australian (Access, Scan, Orana, Australian Library Review, Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services, and Australian Library Journal). These six journals together published 45 of the 64 articles (70.3 per cent). While this has a positive effect of making the results of Australian research available to practitioners in Australia, it means that the results of Australian research are much less well-known overseas. In addition, these journals are not necessarily the first place where researchers (Australian or international) would go when carrying out a research review. Only three of the fifteen journals were on the ISI Master Journal List at the time of writing (see Table 5) and these three together published only five of the 64 articles (7.8 per cent).

Table 5: Journals in which research articles related to Australia were published n=64

* Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Master Journal List, http://www.isinet.com/ (April 2002).
** Since 2001, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, JASIST.
*** Name of journal changed from Emergency Librarian to Teacher Librarian in 1998.

Trends that were evident in the publication of research articles are also apparent in the research-based conference papers. First of all, the total number of papers published internationally increased through the decade, from seventeen for the first lustrum 1991-1995, to seventy-nine in the years 1996-2000. To a large extent, this increase can be accounted for by the establishment of the international research forums held in conjunction with each annual conference of IASL since 1997. If the sixty-five papers presented at the IASL research forums to 2000 are removed from the total number of papers for 1996 to 2000, then the remaining number of fourteen papers is actually a little lower than the seventeen published from 1991 to 1995. Across the decade, the remaining research papers were found in the published proceedings of four annual conferences (see Table 6). Two of the four sets of published proceedings are Australian - those of the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) and those of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Given this, it is not surprising to find that nineteen of the ninety-six research papers published through the decade (19.8 per cent) related to Australia, a proportion very close to that for research articles (19.28 per cent). As was the case with the articles, it is probable that Australian professional publishing has something to do with this. Whereas the proceedings of the major Australian conferences are published in book form, this has not been the case with, for instance, the conferences of AASL, the Association for Teacher Librarianship in Canada (ATLC), or the School Library Association (SLA) in the United Kingdom.

Table 6: Published conference papers in English in the field of school librarianship 1991-2000

The researchers

Studying the researchers has always been one of the aims of the ongoing longitudinal study, but it is only now (as this article is being written) that work is beginning on this aspect of the project. While still in the very early stages, this work does shed some light on research in school librarianship in Australia. Consequently, some data related to the Australian researchers will be discussed briefly here, though it is not possible to make international comparisons at this stage.

Table 7: Authors of articles/papers related to Australia, 1991-2000 - number of articles/papers per author*

* includes articles/papers on which the person was co-author

Table 7 shows that some sixty-five per cent of the articles and papers related to Australia were written by an author who published just one research article through the decade - while the mean number of articles/papers produced by each author (alone or as co-author) was 2.23, the mode was one. Many of these authors of just one research article/paper were publishing a report of a project that was part of a degree program at an Australian university, and given the nature of the journals that usually published these reports (the professional journals Access and Scan), the articles were likely to be aimed at school library practitioners.

At the other end of the scale, the six authors who published more than five research articles or papers through the decade in the field of school librarianship, between them made fifty-three contributions to published articles/papers. The most prolific author contributed to eighteen articles/papers as first, second or third author. This means that while most research articles or papers are published by people who will publish only one research article or paper over an extended period, the number of core researchers (who have made substantial contributions to the Australian research literature over the decade) is very small. Interestingly, it is the people who make the largest contribution to the Australian research literature who are also the most likely to be involved in international projects, so their influence is greater than the Australian figures alone might suggest. Further details will be provided in a forthcoming article based on this aspect of the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project.

Table 8: Authors of articles/papers related to Australia 1991-2000 - number of authors per article/paper

Table 8 shows that most of the one hundred published articles or papers related to school librarianship through the decade had just one author (sixty-eight per cent). No article or paper had more than four authors (and only one had four authors). Given that multiple authorships have been used as an indication of the availability of large-scale research grants in a particular field (Pálsdóttir et al 1997), these figures suggest that research in the field of school librarianship in Australia is largely carried out by individuals or very small groups, with access to a small funding base. A scan of the database for this project confirms that large-scale national research in the field of school librarianship is very rare.

Research methods used in school librarianship

The fifth aim that guided the longitudinal study of research in school librarianship from 1991 to 2000 was 'to identify the research methodologies that are being used by researchers in the field of school librarianship and to investigate any changes over time'. In order to do this, the classification of research strategies developed by Järvelin and Vakkari (1990) was used. This provides the basis for Table 9, which shows the primary methodologies used for research in school librarianship over the decade (some projects used a number of methods; they are classified by the primary or main method used) and compares methodologies used in research related to Australian school librarianship with the research in the international setting. Järvelin and Vakkari also provide a classification for data collection methods; although this was used to analyse the research in school librarianship, lack of space precludes reporting on this aspect here.

Throughout the decade, the research method most commonly used as the main method for projects was the survey (39.1 per cent of the articles and papers, though it declined in popularity from 45.9 per cent in 1991-1995 to 35.3 per cent in 1996-2000) (Clyde, 2002, p62). There is nothing inherently wrong with survey research; indeed it is sometimes the best method for dealing with a particular research problem. On the other hand, over-reliance on one research approach is unhealthy for the profession for two main reasons: one methodology cannot be used to explore all aspects of any research problem; and some problems may never be addressed simply because the survey method could not be used to address them. As the use of the survey method declined, the use of qualitative methods increased. In 1991 only five per cent of the published research was based on qualitative methods; by 1995 this had increased to 33.3 per cent and it remained high through the rest of the decade (Clyde, 2002, p62). Under the broad heading of 'qualitative methods' were, for example, data collection methods such as focus groups, observation, unstructured interviews, and analysis of the written work of school students. Other research methods used through the decade included case studies and action research, experimental research, content analysis, and literature reviews, though none was nearly as popular as surveys and qualitative methods. On the other hand, several methods in the Järvelin and Vakkari classification were not used at all (as the primary method in a research report) through the ten years.

Table 9: Research methods used in school librarianship research 1991-2000(Classification of Järvelin and Vakkari)

Note: Järvelin and Vakkari's research strategies classification as presented in Rochester & Vakkari, 1998.

Table 9 shows that the methods used in the published research related to Australia, generally reflect those used internationally. For example, we see that the survey method was used as the primary method in 38.5 per cent of the research related to Australia and 39.1 per cent of the research internationally; qualitative methods feature as the primary method in 16.9 per cent of the published research related to Australia and 19.6 per cent of the published research internationally. The methodology where the greatest difference is apparent is 'case/action research', used as the primary method in 18.1 per cent of the published research related to Australia but in only 9.1 per cent internationally. No other difference was statistically significant.

Research topics in school librarianship

The sixth aim that guided the longitudinal study of research in school librarianship from 1991 to 2000 was to 'identify the topics that are being studied by researchers in the field of school librarianship and to investigate any changes over time'. In order to do this, the classification of research topics developed by Járvelin and Vakkari (1990) was used. This provides the basis for Table 10, which shows the broad topics that were the focus for research in school librarianship through the decade, and compares the topics studied in the research related to Australian school librarianship with research in the international setting.

The research topics classification developed by Järvelin and Vakkari is based on an hierarchical structure of categories and sub-categories that cover the broad field of library and information science. Järvelin and Vakkari used the full classification in their own studies (1990; 1993), as have others, including Cano and Rey (1993), who used it, with adaptations for the local setting, in their Spanish study. However, some researchers have used only the main topics of the Järvelin and Vakkari classification, either because of the small number of research publications being analysed (for example, Pálsdóttir et al., 1997) or for brevity in reporting (for example, Yontar & Yalvaç, 2000). Although the research articles and papers in school librarianship internationally were analysed initially for the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project using the full classification, the results are reported here using the main topics, for the sake of brevity and because of the comparatively small number (83) of articles and papers in the Australian group.

It is clear from Table 10 that Järvelin and Vakkari's research topics classification is not a particularly 'good fit' for the published research in school librarianship in the period under study. Six topics were added to the classification to accommodate important areas of research in school librarianship internationally, while nine per cent of all research articles and papers are classified under 'Other aspects of LIS'. It is tempting to say that school libraries are significantly different from other kinds of libraries; however, it may be just that the research priorities in school librarianship are different.

In their international study of research in library and information science in general, Järvelin and Vakkari (1990) found that the most popular areas of research were information storage and retrieval (29.2 per cent) and library and information service activities (27.2 per cent). In the international longitudinal study of 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' (Clyde, 2002), the most popular area of research was information skills and information literacy (23.6 per cent over the decade). This was one of the topics added to the classification in the school librarianship study. Järvelin and Vakkari include 'user education' in their broad category of 'library and information service activities', and while some of the school librarianship research could be classified there, the information skills/literacy research that is being undertaken in the field of school librarianship goes well beyond library (and information) user education. It also goes beyond the 'information seeking behaviour' that is part of the broad 'information seeking' category. Internationally, the emphasis on information skills and information literacy research within school librarianship, increased through the decade too from fifteen per cent of the total in 1991 to 24.1 per cent in 2000 and reaching a high of 27.9 per cent in 1998 (Clyde, 2002, p66).

Table 10: Research topics in school librarianship 1991-2000. (Classification of Järvelin and Vakkari)

Table 10 shows some similarities in the topics investigated in research related to school librarianship in Australia and the international picture. There is the same emphasis on research dealing with information skills and information literacy; in fact, this is even more marked in relation to Australia, where 32.5 per cent of the published research through the decade focused on this topic. There is also evidence of proportionally more Australian than international research on 'library and information service activities', the category that includes user education and library orientation. Proportionally more Australian research than international was devoted to information technology in school libraries, though the difference is nowhere near as great as the difference that emerged for information skills/literacy studies. On the other hand, there were two topics about which there were comparatively fewer Australian studies. Only 4.8 per cent of Australian published research looked at 'the profession' as against 10.1 per cent when all published research is taken into consideration. Many of the articles or papers classified here dealt with 'the role of the teacher librarian', something that does not seem to have preoccupied those doing research in Australia to the same extent that it has in some other countries. Finally, one of the added categories, 'National surveys', had no representative from Australia though overall 3.5 per cent of published articles and papers were classified here. The category of 'National surveys' was created to cover national surveys of school libraries, usually undertaken for planning purposes, that stand out from other studies because of their wide-ranging approach and their methodology. In the decade 1991 to 2000, such studies were undertaken in a number of developing countries in particular, to establish a base line against which progress might be measured.

Discussion and conclusions

The classifications developed by Järvelin and Vakkari (1990) proved useful as a tool for analysing research trends and research methodologies employed in school librarianship over time and across national boundaries in the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project as a whole. The classifications were less helpful for the analysis of research topics, though they did serve to highlight the different topics that concern researchers in school librarianship as against research in library and information science as a whole. The application of these widely-accepted classifications to research in school librarianship provided a means for considering research in school librarianship in a wider context. The classifications (including the amended topics classification) also proved useful as a basis for comparing published research related to school librarianship in Australia with that in the rest of the world.

The international longitudinal study of research in school librarianship (Clyde, 2002) shows that the amount of published research (in the form of journal articles and conference papers) increased by more than one hundred percent over the decade 1991 to 2000, an increase that was reflected in the research related to Australian school librarianship. However, it would be wrong to conclude that this represents a proportional increase in the amount of research actually carried out through the period. A parallel analysis (in progress as this article is being written) of the authors of the published research suggests that there are now both more authors publishing the results of school librarianship research and the more prolific of those authors are publishing more. Again, though, it would be wrong to conclude that this represents a proportional increase in the amount of research being undertaken by each author. What we are seeing here is evidence of an increase in research publishing; further analyses would be needed to confirm that these results represent more research actually being undertaken. There were certainly more opportunities for publishing the results of research in the field of school librarianship in 2000 than in 1991, in Australia and internationally. The decade saw the founding of IASL's research journal School Libraries Worldwide in 1996; the establishment in 1997 of the international research forums as a part of IASL's annual conferences; the re-branding of AASL's School Library Media Quarterly as an electronic journal called School Library Media Research; and the creation of regular research columns in professional journals such as Scan and Knowledge Quest. The publishing opportunities for school librarianship research increased still further in Australia in 2003, with the establishment, by the School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV), of a new journal called Synergy. Among other things, Synergy will 'contain both local and overseas reports on current research in the field of school librarianship' (La Marca, 2003, p2).

It is clear that the amount of published research related to school librarianship in Australia is much larger than one might expect based on Australia's population. For example, Australia, with a total population of less than 20 million in 2003, in comparison with more than 290 million in the United States, is nevertheless the subject of eighty-three research articles and papers through the decade, as against 201 for the United States - in other words, the Australian coverage is approximately 41 per cent of that of the United States for a population of around seven per cent of that of the United States. Canada, with a population of more than 32 million in 2003, ranks below Australia in terms of school librarianship research reporting, as does the United Kingdom (with almost double the population of Canada). This supports Alan Bundy's (2003, p6) assertion that '...in the provision of school libraries and recognition of the pedagogical and resource role of teacher librarians Australia punches above its weight.' This is despite what Bundy describes as 'manifest needs and short-sighted policy, funding and staffing constraints of recent years' that have affected school libraries in Australia.

The analyses of published research articles and papers related to school librarianship in Australia indicate that the research methodologies employed closely reflect international trends. As in overseas countries, there has been a trend towards the use of qualitative methodologies that provide an in-depth picture of the phenomena under study, though as elsewhere, empirical methods, including surveys and experimental research, remain popular. In terms of research topics, the Australian scene differs a little from the worldwide setting in that research related to school librarianship in Australia is more often focused on information literacy and information skills, and is generally characterised by a focus on the users of school libraries, though a wide range of topics has been addressed through the decade.

Impressive though Australia's contribution is, in comparison with other and larger countries, the analyses reported above (under the heading 'The researchers' and elsewhere) suggest that there are nevertheless problems. First, the majority of the research articles and papers related to school librarianship in Australia are written by people who wrote (or co-authored) only one article or paper through the decade. While carrying out a single research project to publication may give the people involved a good idea of the research process, and help them to evaluate the results of other research, it does not create a strong base of researchers who address topics in school librarianship on an ongoing basis. Secondly, a very small group of researchers formed the core of 'active researchers' through the decade. Only six published more than five research articles or papers related to school librarianship in Australia from 1991 to 2000. Of those six, three have now left Australia for university positions in other countries, and of the remaining three, at least two are known to have been approached by institutions overseas. Thirdly, while much of the research related to Australia is published in Australian professional journals to which Australian practitioners have access, comparatively little appears in international journals or conference proceedings and very little in journals that are on the ISI Master Journal List. While the latter is not necessarily a guarantee of quality (Clyde, 2003), the ISI listing does mean that the journals listed are generally respected and widely circulated internationally. Australian research would have a greater impact at the international level if published in these journals.

This article has reported on one aspect of the wider longitudinal study of 'Research and researchers in school librarianship', and compared the findings of the international research with the findings related to research in school librarianship in one country, Australia. It has provided a view of trends in research in the field of school librarianship through a decade, with a focus on where the research is published, the topics that are researched, and the methods used by researchers, both internationally and related to Australia. The use of hitherto unpublished data about the researchers sheds further light on the Australian research scene. The next stage of the project is to investigate the characteristics of the researchers themselves, their perceptions of the factors that either promote or inhibit the conduct of research in school librarianship, and their ideas about research quality. Meanwhile a related small-scale project on research quality will continue in parallel with the other work, and draw on the database established for the 'Research and researchers in school librarianship' project (Clyde, 2003). This database will be maintained and developed as the basis for a fifteen-year longitudinal study in 2005/2006 and perhaps other studies.

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Biographical information

Dr L Anne Clyde is a Professor in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Iceland 101 Reykjavík, Iceland Fax: +354 552 6806, e-mail: anne@hi.is, http://www.hi.is/~anne/