Briony Birdi
Briony Birdi has been a lecturer in Librarianship in the Department of Information Studies since 2003. Briony began her research career at UCE in Birmingham in 1999 after qualifying as a librarian on the MA Librarianship programme here at the University of Sheffield in 1997, before working as a marketing manager for Dillons and Waterstone's booksellers from 1997 to 1999. Since 1999 Briony has initiated, managed and led 16 research or evaluation projects.
What are your current research interests?
My current research interests are in the often interrelated fields of social exclusion, reading and public librarianship. This year I completed a project on the role of empathy in community librarianship. Not only did this research bridge the philosophical interpretations of community librarianship and the more practice-centred staff-profiling studies of librarianship, it also developed its theoretical foundation via an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on library and information management as well as Social Psychology, Politics, Social Policy and Social Sciences, Cultural Studies, Management and Organisational Theory.
I am currently investigating the reading of, and engagement with, minority genre fiction in public libraries, with a particular focus on materials written by Black British and British Asian authors.
In the future, I intend to continue developing my research profile in the areas mentioned above. For example, research is planned into the nature of the public library service for second and third generation minority ethnic communities.
What do you see as being the main challenges in the area of public libraries?
Public librarianship research is a fascinating and challenging area to be involved in, largely because the researcher is required to have a knowledge of, and interest in, such a wide range of areas: local and national politics, the education system, reading for pleasure and literacy, intercultural relations, societal concerns and censorship, to name just a few. The public library is at the heart of society, in theory freely accessible to all, so research in this area is necessarily wide-ranging and far-reaching.
Conducting cross-disciplinary work with, for example, social psychologists and psychologists potentially enhances research in this area and widens the field of potential funders, and this is an area I am currently exploring with colleagues.
You currently hold a number of positions away from academic research. What do these entail?
The majority of my teaching is for the MA in Librarianship programme, and as an academic within a vocational field I have a role not only to disseminate the findings of my research within the academic world, but also to the practitioner communities. Without the support and cooperation of our colleagues in the profession, research would be either weak or non-existent, so it is important to feed back on a regular basis our findings and recommendations, thereby maintaining our credibility as contributors to the field.
I am involved in a number of professional committees, working with the best practitioners at home and overseas and reaping considerable benefits to my teaching and research. Examples include my involvement in the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Literacy and Reading Section as a Standing Committee member and Information Officer, my role as Chair of the Public Library Journal editorial board, my membership of the CILIP (Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals) Diversity Group committee and our local SINTO Social Exclusion group, and my role as an advisor to organisations such as the British Council and the National Literacy Trust.
I regard my contribution to these committees and initiatives in terms of my research expertise and, importantly, in my role as a neutral observer and 'critical friend'. In return, I have developed good working relationships with many colleagues across the profession and across the UK, who provide research ideas and assistance with data collection and research dissemination, and also act in a critical capacity on steering groups, advisory boards, etc.
You are involved in research at the Libraries and Information Society Research Group. What is the Group's current research focus? What are the Group's aims and objectives?
Areas of particular interest include the development of information strategies and policies; organisational structures for library and information services (in particular the convergence of IT, libraries and learning resources); the changing roles of library and information professionals and competency requirements; and the development of leaders in the library and information profession.
Much of our library research work is undertaken through the Centre for the Public Library and Information in Society (CPLIS), which I currently direct. The Centre provides a focus for our work in the public library sector. In addition to staff research, we also include many Masters and MPhil/PhD students in our group, each making a valuable contribution to the development of the discipline.
In all of our research our intention is not only to contribute to the academic field, but also to have a long-term impact on the library and information professions we are investigating. This is one of the most fascinating areas of research, and one in which it is possible to play a valuable role.
For further information, please contact Briony Birdi at:
tel: 0114 222 2653
email : b.birdi@sheffield.ac.uk
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