Image: flickr/jillclardyCharlie Lythgoe
Assistant Information Specialist, NHS Blood & Transplant / librarian for a firm of engineering consultants
What was the title and topic area of your dissertation?
From stories to strategy: an exploration of how academic libraries are using scenario planning to prepare for an uncertain future
What were your methods?
I used the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford as a case study. I interviewed library managers who had participated in scenario planning workshops, and also analysed related texts including presentations, minutes, reports and strategic plans.
The Bodleian Libraries is unique in many respects and I wanted to produce findings that could be applied to a wider range of libraries. For this reason, I supplemented the case study research with textual analysis and discussion of the scenarios produced by the Association of Research Libraries in America and by the Libraries of the Future group in the UK.
What did you find?
There is very little quality primary research into scenario planning libraries, with most research being very procedural. I sought to understand not just how libraries carry out scenario planning projects, but what they do with the results. While the literature suggested that scenarios are ideal communication tools, my interviewees disagreed. Rather than being used for communication, the primary reason for scenario planning was to produce inputs for strategic planning.
Whether writing about libraries or other sectors, few authors consider how to evaluate scenario planning projects. I therefore explored how the value of scenario planning projects can be measured, without needing to wait patiently to see if the scenarios unfold. I found that scenario planning can bring benefits not just to the organization, but to the individuals that participate. I was interested in the demographic of the scenario planning teams, and discussed whether a broader range of staff should participate.
What were the challenges?
Despite completing a research methods module during the taught part of my MSc, the dissertation represented a huge learning curve, not least because it is over twice as long as anything I wrote for my undergraduate degree. I found it less daunting by thinking about each chapter as a separate entity, which I only brought together in the final stages.
Managing the dissertation research required me to be very organized and capable of managing lots of information. Fortunately, as a librarian, those skills come naturally to me! I made sure I had folders on my laptop, which corresponded to my chapters. Using reference management software and being diligent about adding every reference straight away made the bibliography simple to create.
I studied for the MSc on a part-time basis so only had one contact day a week over two years. This meant I was used to managing my own time and studying at home. Despite this experience, I still found the dissertation module quite a lonely process. While I knew my friends were all writing their own dissertations, everyone was writing on a different topic at a different pace. While we could share experiences on Twitter, I did miss the support that I got from seeing my friends every week.
What did you enjoy?
I knew I wanted to produce something that would be useful in “real life” as well as fulfilling the requirements of the MSc. I decided that if I was going to spend nearly a year working on something, I wanted it to be of interest to more than just me and my supervisor. For this reason, I tried to focus on how scenario planning can be used in practice, rather than in theory, and to make suggestions for good practice.
I was initially apprehensive at the idea of carrying out interviews, particularly since the interviewees were in more senior roles than me. I found the interviewing a surprisingly rewarding process, and it was encouraging to hear how interested the interviewees were in my research.
Any further comments
I decided on my topic after having written an essay on scenario planning in my first year, and finding it an interesting concept. I focused on academic libraries since I was working in that sector for all of the taught part of the course. Having reached the end of my dissertation module, new opportunities have come along and I now work some of the week in the NHS and the rest in an engineering firm. While elements of the research are still relevant to my current roles, much of it is not. So, if you’re choosing a dissertation topic, don’t feel you have to stick to what you know or to the sector you work in. There are stacks of exciting things happening in LIS at the moment, which I think could spark ideas for some innovative dissertations. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
Find Charlie on Twitter at: @maniccharlie
