While quantitative research provides librarians with calculations and metrics of effectiveness, qualitative research, in its exploration of assumptions, value, and opinion, makes possible a deeper understanding of the subtleties of user interaction with library services and collections. This volume explains the basic tenets of qualitative research in an easily understandable fashion, and details action research projects that academic librarians can undertake with their patrons. Part 1 provides a theoretical and practical overview of the process of qualitative and action research.

Part 2 includes reports of a number of research projects on fairly common problems found in libraries. The final section of the book includes examples of qualitative research and assessment focused on such topics of the day as information literacy.

This book is appropriate for academic librarians, academic libraries, schools of information science and librarianship, library educators, and researchers.