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“How do you measure a relationship?” Assessment and evaluation challenges of knowledge exchange activities in information work O’Brien, Heather, 1977-; McDavid, Kristina; Yao, Jess

Abstract

Today there is increasing emphasis on knowledge exchange (KE), the movement of knowledge and expertise amongst diverse groups to enhance research uptake, use, and impact in healthcare, government, and community settings. Library and information science (LIS) professionals are central actors in KE though community engagement, scholarly communication, literacy, and cultural heritage initiatives, but (how) is this work formally documented and evaluated? Through interviews with 24 information professionals working in varied settings, we considered how KE activities fit into the current library assessment and evaluation landscape. Using thematic analysis, we identified challenges with placing this work within current assessment practices and evaluation frameworks and showing its value, as well as a desire for alternative, more dynamic assessment and evaluation methods. We discuss these findings with respect to previous research in LIS and KE more broadly to consider professional and organizational implications.

Item Metadata

Title
“How do you measure a relationship?” Assessment and evaluation challenges of knowledge exchange activities in information work
Creator
O’Brien, Heather, 1977-; McDavid, Kristina; Yao, Jess
Publisher
Wiley
Date Issued
2023-10-22
Description
Today there is increasing emphasis on knowledge exchange (KE), the movement of knowledge and expertise amongst diverse groups to enhance research uptake, use, and impact in healthcare, government, and community settings. Library and information science (LIS) professionals are central actors in KE though community engagement, scholarly communication, literacy, and cultural heritage initiatives, but (how) is this work formally documented and evaluated? Through interviews with 24 information professionals working in varied settings, we considered how KE activities fit into the current library assessment and evaluation landscape. Using thematic analysis, we identified challenges with placing this work within current assessment practices and evaluation frameworks and showing its value, as well as a desire for alternative, more dynamic assessment and evaluation methods. We discuss these findings with respect to previous research in LIS and KE more broadly to consider professional and organizational implications.
Subject
Library assessment and evaluation; Knowledge exchange; Community-engagement; Relationship building; Information professionals
Genre
Conference Paper
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-11-24
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0437884
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86671
Affiliation
Library, UBC; Information, School of; Arts, Faculty of
Citation
O’Brien, H.L., McDavid, K., & Yao, J. (2023). “How do you measure a relationship?” Assessment and evaluation challenges of knowledge exchange activities in information work. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), October 27-31, 2023, London, UK.
Publisher DOI
10.1002/pra2.789
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Graduate
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International