Library Research: Luxury Or Necessity?(Essay‪)‬

The necessity of library and information research is pointed up by referring to some of important categories of research now in progress. Reasons are advanced for the necessity such research in Australia and ways suggested in which students wishing to make a career research and practitioners anxious for research opportunities may be accommodated. The part to be played by library schools and by research units in libraries are also mentioned. A role is seen for the Library Association of Australia in the promotion of research rather than its financing, and moves towards the creation of a central federal funding agency or agencies are suggested as timely. Most of my exhortations refer to the Australian situation, but just as occasionally not only disgruntled library users but also philosophical librarians ask 'Why libraries?', I should like to begin by asking 'Why library research--anywhere?' The word research connotes an intensified search and though there are mining companies about whose activities doubts arise, most searches are undertaken with the hope of finding something and with the intention of making some use of what is found. My next question is then, are there things which libraries need to do something about which can only be discovered by deliberate search? In other words do libraries face problems for which solutions will not inevitably occur in the everyday decision-making of competent practitioners? You won't be too surprised that I am prepared to argue strongly that there are many factors affecting the performance of libraries of which we will remain ignorant unless we deliberately set out to find and study them. Perhaps I can convince you by discussing some of the major areas in which library research is currently being carried out.