Research initiatives and engagement

Evidence-based practice and the research that underpins this are fundamental to the library and information services sector. This is stated in ALIA’s Core Values and Code of Ethics. Research is essential to promote and improve our processes, decision making, and ultimately the services provided to communities.

ALIA is an industry partner on a number of ARC linkage grants, partners with academics and practitioner researchers, and provides research translation platforms, and avenues to support the research community and its activities. Read more about current and recent research projects we’re involved in.

ALIA’s Research Advisory Committee provides governance guidance on priorities and opportunities in the research landscape, and administers the Research Grant Award ($10,000), allocated every two years. Read about the current and recent Research Grant Award Projects below.

The Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association (JALIA) is the journal of the association. It publishes peer-reviewed academic and research-in-progress articles authored by information science researchers and practitioners in the sector from across Australia and the broader region.

Research Grant Award Projects

The research projects below were funded by the ALIA Research Grant Award, which is managed by members of the ALIA Research Advisory Committee. In 2024, the frequency and fund amount was changed from annual to biannual and from $5,000 to $10,000, reflecting the investment of time and resources required for substantial research projects.

Voices of change: Harnessing LIS student insights to transform information literacy education with Gen AI and Universal Design for learning

This ALIA Research Grant funded project is led by Dr Kay Oddone (CSU), Associate Professor Lizzy Tait (UniSA), and Tabitha Merrell (CSU).  This project will examine the concept of information literacy through the perceptions of Library and Information Studies (LIS) students and their experiences of learning about information literacy during their studies. It will also explore the impact of Generative AI (GAI) on information literacy, and consider how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) could be implemented to support LIS students with a complex range of backgrounds and learning needs. The project began in October 2024 and will conclude in October 2026.

Adolescent’s recreational substance use and epistemic wellbeing

Dr Suzana Sukovic has been awarded the 2022 ALIA Research Grant for a project exploring adolescents’ recreational substance use, epistemic wellbeing and information seeking behaviour. The project will support our understanding of factors influencing young people’s wellbeing and information environments, which will benefit the education and health sectors, and it will demonstrate the value of LIS research as it relates to adjacent fields. Suzana founded ALIA LARK (Library Applied Research Kollektive) in 2012, promoting LIS practice-based research across the country and internationally. She has been a peer reviewer and contributor to JALIA (Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association).

Mis/Disinformation in University Library Collections in Australia

Dr Nicole Johnston (AALIA), Associate University Librarian and sessional lecturer at Edith Cowan University, and recent ALIA Board member, received the ALIA Research Grant Award for her project ‘The impact and management of mis/disinformation at University Libraries in Australia’. The grant goes towards Nicole’s project which investigates the current landscape of mis/disinformation at Australian Universities, specifically around teaching and collections. You can read Nicole's article published in the Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association or read the shorter snapshot report of the research.

Nicole presented her research and findings in a Research Review Seminar on 11 October 2023. You can watch the recording here.