Supporting the conduct of research by library and information practitioners in the course of their daily work has the potential to inform decision making, aid continuous improvement, assist in strategy and planning, and raise the profile of both the LIS service and the profession. In addition, practitioners benefit from improved critical and analytical thinking, the development of new knowledge and skills, career advancement, and professional recognition from their peers. Early career LIS practitioners however may find it difficult to become acquainted with research, and to embrace practitioner researcher approach to their practice, while also mastering the day-to-day aspects of their job. 

This session presents finding from a national survey of 291 Australian LIS practitioners that investigated beliefs and attitudes towards research, research experience and support needs, as well as current involvement in research. More specifically it will document and explore the experiences of 61 early career practitioners, those who have entered the LIS workforce within the past five years. The survey was undertaken as part of a larger project funded by the Australian Research Council, and supported by the Australian Library and Information Association, and National and State Libraries Australia. The Libraries and Information Science Research Australia (LISRA) Project aimed to encourage and enable research culture and practice within Australia’s LIS profession. 

Findings revealed that Australian early career LIS practitioners were amongst the most qualified of those practitioners who participated in the survey. In addition, to their entry LIS qualification, 20% of the early career practitioners had or were completing a research qualification, with half working on master by research and half on PHDs. The early career LIS practitioners were also significantly more likely to be employed part time or in a causal position and were more likely to be employed in non-management positions despite a mean age of 40. They were also significantly less likely to receive access to workshops for research training compared to 43% for other survey participants, with most only receiving training after working for at least 6 years. This is despite workshops being the most commonly available employer-provided support for research within LIS workplaces. 

Early career LIS practitioners were also not given equitable access to opportunities to conduct research, with 42% having never conducted research on their employment, compared to 22% of the other survey participants. However, this is the cohort that is most interested in conducting research in the future (42% vs, 22% in other participants). The early career LIS practitioners also considered research to be more relevant to their role and were more likely to apply research to their role on a weekly basis. Findings also showed that early career practitioners are more aware of research, more inclined to believe in research, actively seek more managerial support and encouragement, and want to advance their research education. If early career LIS practitioners are provided with appropriate research support within workplaces, this important group of practitioners have significant future potential to enable strategic advancements in research and research informed practice within Australia’s LIS sector.