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DataBank: Qualitative Methods

Ethnographic Research

This Practical Guide to Ethnographic Research in Academic Libraries is based on the ERIAL Project (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) and provides details on ethnographic methodologies. ERIAL was "built on an ethnographic methodology, which employs close observation of students' research habits. Unlike quantitative studies, which count the frequency of social phenomena, this study is qualitative, depicting how students search for information, what obstacles they encounter, and how they seek help. It also compares the expectations of students, librarians and faculty for the student research process. The analysis is interpretive, yielding rich descriptions of students' experiences and different groups' understandings of each others' roles."