magazinelogo

Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Online: 2576-0548 ISSN Print: 2576-0556 CODEN: JHASAY
Frequency: monthly Email: jhass@hillpublisher.com
Total View: 4722751 Downloads: 1458257 Citations: 301 (From Dimensions)
ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2024.06.012

Qualitative Research over Quantitative Research? Ethnography for Library Science in China

Jiayong Chen, Kuanghua Chen*

Department of Library and Information Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

*Corresponding author: Kuanghua Chen

Published: June 28,2024

Abstract

Different roles interact in libraries, where numerous activities, events, and stories unfold every day. To enhance library resources and services, in addition to digital humanities and digital libraries, sophisticated and socially insightful empirical research methods are necessary in library science to uncover the social reality beneath surface appearances. Quantitative research and qualitative research have different assumptions regarding epistemology, methods, and outcomes. Qualitative research focuses on the construction process of social facts. It is a method used in anthropology to gather and analyze data, seeking informative samples that offer depth and breadth. Ethnography is the traditional method of anthropology used to explore social and cultural phenomena. Chinese scholars noticed the social aspect of libraries. An increasing number of unobservable phenomena, unimaginable issues, and difficult research questions can be uncovered through qualitative research methods such as ethnography to address pertinent matters in the field of library science.

Keywords

Library Science, Ethnography, Anthropology, Qualitative Research

References

Bryman, A. (2003). Quantity and quality in social research (Vol. 18). Routledge.

Burgess, R. G. (Ed.). (2003). Field research: A sourcebook and field manual (Vol. 4). Routledge.

Foster, N. F., & Gibbons, S. L. (Eds.). (2007). Studying students: The undergraduate research project at the University of Rochester. Assoc of Cllge & Rsrch Libr.

Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical sensitivity. University of California.

Goffman, E. (2016). The presentation of self in everyday life. In Social theory re-wired (pp. 482-493). Routledge.

Gui, L. M. (2015). Understanding Users: Study on the Application of Ethnographic Methods in Library and Information Science. Library and Information Service, 59(6), 16.

Gui, L. M. (2017). Study on the Needs of Library Users with the Ethnographic Method: A Project on Investigating the Process of Completing Course Paper of Shanghai University Freshmen. Library Journal, 36(7), 52-59.

Habermas, J. (2015). Knowledge and human interests. John Wiley & Sons.

Hammersley, M., & Atkinson, P. (2019). Ethnography: Principles in practice. Routledge.

Hsiang, J. (2016). Digital humanities: between past, present, and future. Taipei: National Taiwan University Publishing Center.

Hu, Y. (1996). Qualitative research: theories, methods and examples of local women's studies. Taipei: Chuliu.

Huang, C. Y. (1998). On Chicago School of Thought. Library, (2), 9-12.

Khoo, M., Rozaklis, L., & Hall, C. (2012). A survey of the use of ethnographic methods in the study of libraries and library users. Library & information science research, 34(2), 82-91.

Kuper, A., & Kuper, J. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada.

Li, L. H. (2008). The Research Method of Library Science: Its Difficulties and Outlet. Library and information service, (8), 66.

McLaughlin, E. (1991). Oppositional poverty: The quantitative/qualitative divide and other dichotomies. The Sociological Review, 39(2), 292-308.

Merton, R. K. (1972). Insiders and outsiders: A chapter in the sociology of knowledge. American journal of sociology, 78(1), 9-47.

Miller, W. L., & Crabtree, B. F. (1992). Primary care research: A multimethod typology and qualitative road map.

Nardi, B. A., O'Day, V., & O'Day, V. L. (1999). Information ecologies: Using technology with heart. MIT Press.

Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. SAGE Publications, inc.

Qiu, W. F. (2008). Positivistic Researches Should be Promoted in Library Science in China. Journal of Library Science in China, (1), 16-21.

Seadle, M. (1998). The raw and the cooked among librarians. Library Hi Tech, 16(3-1), 7-11.

Wang, Z. Q. (2017). Research on Library Users' Information Behavior Based on the Ethnographic Method. Journal of Academic Library and Information Science, 35(1), 41-44.

Wang, Z. Z. (2003). Subject nature of Library Science. Researches In Library Science, (1), 5-10.

Ye, Y. (2017). A Brief Review on the Research Trend of Library Science in China since 2000. Library Journal, 36(7), 4-9.

Zeng, L., Zhang, J., Yang, Z. Y. (2000). Digital Libraries: Where to go? Analysis of the definitions, architectures, and projects of digital libraries. Journal of the China Society for Scientific and Technical Information, 19(1), 64-73.

How to cite this paper

Qualitative Research over Quantitative Research? Ethnography for Library Science in China

How to cite this paper: Jiayong Chen, Kuanghua Chen. (2024) Qualitative Research over Quantitative Research? Ethnography for Library Science in China. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science8(6), 1381-1385.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2024.06.012