Applying interpretive phenomenological analysis to library and information science research on blended librarianship: A case study

doi:10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101055

Library & Information Science Research

Volume 42, Issue 4, October 2020, 101055

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2020.101055 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) has a low uptake in African LIS studies.
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A step-by- step IPA process is outlined using a blended librarianship study from Zimbabwe.
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IPA produces interpretations that account for and integrate diverse sociohistorical experiences.
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Ideography, hermeneutics, and phenomenology are needed to effectively apply IPA methods.
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The blended librarianship study is compared with IPA and blended librarian research.

Abstract

Although interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) has value in library and information science (LIS), it has low uptake in Africa. The methodological and theoretical approaches to using IPA in LIS and other disciplines are outlined, including a critical analysis of applying double hermeneutics and horizontalization to construct a hermeneutic interpretation. A blended librarianship thesis conducted in Zimbabwe is compared with LIS-based IPA studies and blended librarianship research to reflect the value of IPA methods. The illustration narrates how IPA was implemented within the context of phenomenology to analyse the complexity of academic librarians' views, taking into consideration social and historical environments. The weaknesses of the study are discussed, including the use of quality criteria of credibility, dependability, and transferability. The guided analysis of the study encourages the use of IPA in LIS as it can solve research problems and generate new theories to inform practice, services, philosophy, theory, and institutions.

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Israel Mbekezeli Dabengwa is an Assistant Librarian at the National University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Medicine Library, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He holds a MPhil in library and information studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His current professional and research interests are in medical librarianship, curriculum development/instructional design, blended or embedded librarianship, and health information literacy. His work has appeared in the Journal of Academic Librarianship.

Jaya Raju is Professor and Head of the Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship (Humanities Faculty) at the University of Cape Town. She holds a PhD in information studies from the former University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa. Jaya Raju is currently Co-Chair of IFLA's Building Strong LIS Education (BSLISE), an active global network of LIS educators and researchers. She has researched and written extensively in the area of LIS education and workplace competency requirements. Her work has appeared in the South African Journal of Science, Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication, Portal: Libraries and the Academy and South African Journal of Higher Education.

Thomas Matingwina is the head of the Library and Information Science department, at the National University of Science and Technology. He is also a lecturer in the Faculty of Communication and Information Science. He holds a PhD in library and information studies from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. His research has practical implications for information professionals and scholarly communication. His work has been published in Innovation: Journal of Appropriate Librarianship and Information Work in Southern Africa, Libri: International Journal of Libraries and Information Studies and the Zimbabwe Journal of Science and Technology.

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