via Stacey Knight-Davis, HSLI Past President)
An international team of librarians (consisting of Lorie Kloda, MLIS, PhD (McGill University, Canada); Andrea Miller-Nesbitt, MLIS (McGill University, Canada); and Megan Fitzgibbons, MLIS (University of Western Australia) is conducting a research study exploring the value of journal-club participation for librarians.
As part of this research, the study coordinators are inviting academic librarians who are currently, or have recently, participated in a journal club for an interview of approximately 30 minutes to one hour. The interview will be conducted online using either Skype or VSee software (free to use).
Sometimes referred to as “discussion groups” or “reading groups,” journal clubs can be defined as meetings where participants engage in critical appraisal of research publications. The various purposes of journal clubs include developing a community of practice, learning about research trends and methodologies, and integrating evidence into practice. Journal clubs therefore can be linked to informal learning in the workplace.
To be eligible to participate in the study, one must be an academic librarian, comfortable speaking in English, and have attended two or more journal club meetings in the last 12 months. Any type of journal club, whether specifically for librarians or not, is acceptable. This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of McGill University (Canada).
If you are interested in participating, please contact Megan Fitzgibbons, Librarian at the University of Western Australia, at megan.fitzgibbons@uwa.edu.au for more information.