Participant Recruitment in the New Hybrid Era of Library Research: Bringing Together the Onsite and Online Worlds
Conference
Hammill, Sarah Jane, Sorondo, Barbara M, Jimenez, Christopher. Participant Recruitment in the New Hybrid Era of Library Research: Bringing Together the Onsite and Online Worlds
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Hammill, Sarah Jane, Sorondo, Barbara M, Jimenez, Christopher. Participant Recruitment in the New Hybrid Era of Library Research: Bringing Together the Onsite and Online Worlds
.
In March 2020, our university libraries transitioned from a primarily in-person to an almost exclusively online work mode, like many libraries worldwide. As we settle into a hybrid work mode, we have an increased online presence compared to before the coronavirus pandemic. This transition to greater remote work has necessitated updates to not only library services but also research, including data collection, participant recruitment, and more. We are uniquely positioned to compare the research process across work modes due to our initial administration of an original study prior to the pandemic and its replication five years later, mid-pandemic. In 2016, when we worked almost exclusively in person, we distributed an online survey to all library employees at a large, urban research university that assessed affect, personality, and job satisfaction. Despite the survey’s online format, recruitment was most successful when conducted in offices, conference rooms, elevators, and around the water cooler. In 2021, when we worked almost exclusively online, we redistributed the same online survey, including a new measure on burnout, to the same library employees, but altered our recruitment process in light of the change in work mode compared to the previous iteration. Due to the similarity in the study methodology and data collection materials, we were able to compare recruitment in each mode, whether predominantly in person (2016) or online (2021). The response rate during both periods was similar, with a 48% response rate in the initial study and a 42% response rate in the follow-up study. In this lightning talk, we will discuss how we engaged in participant recruitment in each work mode and share the lessons we learned. Attendees will learn tips and tricks to enhance recruitment in their libraries in the new hybrid era, bringing together the onsite and online worlds.
