Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methods that have been used in the collection and analysis
of data to answer the primary and secondary research questions of the study. It
explains the research design, sampling techniques and data collection methods used;
and describes how data collected from the research has been analyzed. Both qualitative
and quantitative research methods have been used in carrying out this research.
However, the overall approach will be qualitative because qualitative methods focus on
the experiences of people involved, and attempt to understand the reasons behind
certain behavior description (Taole, 2008). The evaluation has been carried out using
questionnaires. The literature review and interviews are used to collect qualitative data
while questionnaires are used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data; thus the
two will complement each other. 3.2 Literature search An extensive literature review and
of the literature concerning CARLI, has been presented in chapter 2. The principal
sources of this information include: the official web pages of universities and
electronic and print; and reports and minutes of the involved organizations. However,
some of the review of library collaborations in Africa and Uganda is derived from my
design According to Yin (1994: 19) as stated in Taole 2008, a research design is a plan
that guides the investigator in the process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting
observations. It is a logical model of proof that allows the researcher to draw inferences
concerning causal relations among the variables under investigation (Taole, 2008). The
research design covers sampling techniques as well as the data collection methods that
are used in this research. Th 27 CARLI; types of information resources shared among
role and responsibility of CARLI; membership types and scale of institutions; structure of
both public and private academic, community and research institutions; expectation of
CARLI and its membership in the consortium; source of funding to CARLI; relationship
CARLI in carrying out its activities; and membership and CARLI staff perception of
funding compared to other factors as a source of CARLIs success. The list was
modified to include emerging issues from the survey feedback which were investigated
further during the interview process. 3.4 Target groups 3.4.1 Introduction The main
focus of this study was CARLI staff and Directors of CARLI member institutions that
carry out the day-to-day CARLI activities. The chosen criteria used in selecting the
broader category of respondents was aimed at critically identifying such factors that
have kept CARLI vibrant, trusted by its membership and achieving all its successes,
and what has been the contribution of its membership to CARLI. The following
measures were used in choosing the respondents for the survey and interview. 1. The
the libraries 4. CARLI staff 3.4.2 Library/ institutional type There are five library types
which were considered in this research, including public university libraries, private
university libraries, community college libraries, private college libraries, and research
libraries. According to Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) (Sept. 2009), there are
forprofit colleges and universities, and 35 independent for-profit institutions. This gives a
total of 189 institutions of higher learning in the State of Illinois. Generally the enrollment
is far greater than the enrollment in independent private colleges. Public institutions are
expected to participate in CARLI more than private institutions; and the size of each
institution determines the type of service from which it will benefit. For example public
university libraries offer a wide range of subjects and have big enrollment and therefore
they subscribe to more CARLI services compared to a small private college. 3.4.3
categories: 107 are governing, 30 are associate, and 16 are basic in the fall of 2009.
CARLI member libraries serve over 98% of Illinois higher education students, faculty
and staff. The research targeted all 3 membership categories because there are
different policies and procedures, and benefits that each member category is entitled to.
respondents to the survey because according to the CARLI Service Evaluation Survey
Final Report (May, 2007), directors or other administrators are more likely to be aware
of CARLI services than those in other library positions. The survey was e-mailed directly
to the directors who filled it out and returned it back to the researcher. 3.4.5 CARLI staff
CARLI has six service units with 28 fulltime staff. The Executive director and the three
directors of the six service units were interviewed to provide in-depth details of the
functions and activities carried out in a consortium. The service units chosen for
interviews were: business and finance, electronic resources, and user services. I am
grateful to my respondents for they were able to provide the required data for this
interests of the participating libraries, and the geographical distance between the
institutions, each has unique expectations and benefits from CARLI. Tapping into such
diversity helped the 29 researcher to take care of all the divergent views of the member
libraries. The researcher interviewed four CARLI executive members, and received
questionnaire feedback from 67 (44%) of the 153 directors of member libraries including
triangulation to collect data because it allows the use of more than one method or
source to collect data in a study of a social phenomenon so that findings may be cross-
checked (Taole, 2008). The methods which have been applied in this study are
literature review, questionnaires and interviews. 3.6.1 Document analysis The research
process started with and was guided by an extensive literature review and analysis on
library collaboration in Africa and Uganda in particular, CARLI, CUUL and other
stakeholders in this study. The process of collecting and analyzing the literature started
question which included websites, reports and minutes of meetings, newsletters, and
brochures. The CARLI website, newsletter, previous studies and reports provided a
basis for understanding the history of CARLI, its establishment and the overall
performance of the consortium. The availability of vital information about CARLI on their
website facilitated the smooth progress of this research. The available CARLI literature
was used in the development of the questionnaire that was used to collect the data for
this study. 3.6.2 Questionnaires Using the available documentation on CARLI, CARLI
staff, and guidance from my thesis advisor, in September 2009, eleven questions were
developed on which the respondents were asked to provide feedback. Out of the 11
allowed a wide coverage of topics, and saved time for the respondents since each
questionnaire was estimated to take less than 10 minutes of their time; while the open-
ended questions helped to gather more divergent views that were missed in the 9 multi-
losing interest, and low response rate, the questions were short, clear and
unambiguous. A brief explanation of the aims and objectives of the research, including
the researchers biography, was provided and preceded the questions. In November,
2009, after the approval of the research instruments by the Institutional Review Board
tested to clarify any anomalies that may cause misrepresentation among the
respondents. Pre-testing was done with CARLI staff and friends. This helped to identify
misunderstood, and to determine the flow of the questions. On January 20th, 2010 the
questionnaire as well as the survey consent form was sent out to the CARLI member
library directors by e-mail. Subsequent reminders were sent on February 9th and 16th
CARLI office in Champaign, a formal interview was conducted between the researcher
and CARLI staff. A formal interview guide was designed with guidance from my thesis
advisor, which was presented and accepted by the IRB office on November 25, 2009.
(See Appendices C and D) Although the interview followed a formal guide, the
respondents were given the opportunity to express their views independently and were
probed further through questions that arose from the discussion. For their protection
and privacy, an interview consent form was signed that outlined the usage of the data
collected. The interviews were audio recorded and notes were taken to enable further
analysis and interpretation without losing details. 3.7 Issues relating to data quality As
mentioned by Taole (2008), reliability and validity are two main criteria for determining
data quality where validity presumes reliability, that is, if a measure is not reliable, it
cannot be valid. 31 3.7.1 Reliability In order to maintain reliability in the study, the
researcher administered the same type of questionnaire to all the subjects, that is, all
CARLI members who participated in this research were given the same type of
questions with the same type of wording thus carrying the same meaning to all. The
assumption here is that all the respondents will have the same interpretation of the
questions; however, the researcher made sure that all the questions were constructed
in the English language so as to be easily read and understood by all subjects. 3.7.2
measures what it was intended to measure and covers all research issues both in terms
of content and detail. The research instruments have been designed to obtain both
validity and reliability, using the following steps: The researcher made an extensive
analysis of the literature and research that has been published by and on both CARLI,
African and Ugandan libraries in relation to consortia, and CUUL in order to get more
details of how much emphasis was required to address the issues in this research The
use of both interviews and questionnaires along with the already existing CARLI reports
and research by and about consortia in both developed and developing countries
provided greater confidence in the findings by combining the strength of different data
collection methods and sources. The research instruments were pre-tested using a
sample of respondents to ensure that they cover the research questions in terms of
content and details (Taole, 2008) The questionnaire and interview were concise and
clear to increase the response rate, and to avoid ambiguity and waste of respondents
time. Awareness about the research and its goals were made to the respondents
through the following: consecutive planning meetings with CARLI staff; a brief
October 30th , 2009; and CARLI newsletter. In addition the consent form contained a
brief note on the aims of the research, and rights and privacy of the respondents. This
positively 32 influenced both the relevance and usefulness of the information collected.
(See Appendix A) Neither personal nor institutional data was collected concerning the
expression and allowed sharing both positive and negative experiences in their work
with CARLI. A selected sample of CARLI staff was interviewed to gain more
information, which may not have been obtained from the questionnaire and literature
alone. Interviewees helped probe further and gave more specific answers and were
asked to elaborate on issues not otherwise discussed. 3.8 Data analysis and
interpretation Data analysis involves a process of thorough examination and
interpretation; a process of resolving data into its constituent components, to reveal its
characteristic elements and structure. By analyzing and interpreting data, I made sense
of the information collected. This study collected both qualitative and quantitative data,
and therefore, data was analyzed according to its type. My data collection and analysis
was done sequentially with preliminary data analyzed from reports and committee
minutes which helped in informing future data collection. The interview and
reading and re-reading; and listening and re-listening to highlight and label important,
descriptive and informative issues that emerged for sorting and categorization. In the
data I looked at issues that have led to the success of CARLI, issues that relate to
Ugandas setting and how challenges have been handled. The ultimate goal was to
identify factors that have led to the success of CARLI and how such factors can be
applied to Ugandas setting. 3.9 Protection of the subjects In keeping with the university
regulations, I submitted and received approval from UIUC, IRB office to carry out this