Résumés
Abstract
Objective – This article discusses the use of a visual timeline activity in qualitative research investigating a process. This was part of a larger project exploring the experience of former library staff and their searches for academic librarian positions. It will also discuss the impact a visual method had in shaping the quality of the data.
Methods – In 2023, the author conducted in-depth virtual interviews with 22 former library staff working in U.S.-based academic libraries about their experiences applying for academic librarian positions. A timeline worksheet was incorporated into the interviews, in which participants were asked to chronologically plot out their searches, as well as discuss significance of their selections. Both transcripts and timelines were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, with the derived codes applied to both. Timelines were analyzed for visual connection to themes.
Results – Participants used the timelines as a way to explain steps taken during their job searches, eventually leading to the start of their new jobs. Completing the activity helped participants recall moments from their searches during the interview. They also used the visual format to express the emotions they felt and their sense of passing time. Issues that arose while conducting the activity included some participants’ fears of “doing [the activity] wrong,” as well as limitations of the digital tool used to lead the interviews.
Conclusion – Qualitative research in library science can benefit from the use of visual methods like timelines, especially for research on procedural aspects of working in academic librarianship. While practical matters such as extra time and material needs may hamper a researcher’s desire to use them, visual data can supplement oral interview transcripts.
Parties annexes
Bibliography
- Adriansen, H. K. (2012). Timeline interviews: A tool for conducting life history research. Qualitative Studies, 3(1), 40–55. https://doi.org/10.7146/qs.v3i1.6272
- Bagnoli, A. (2009). Beyond the standard interview: The use of graphic elicitation and arts-based methods. Qualitative Research, 9(5), 547–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794109343625
- Barton, K. C. (2015). Elicitation Techniques: Getting People to Talk About Ideas They Don’t Usually Talk About. Theory & Research in Social Education, 43(2), 179–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2015.1034392
- Burns, D., & Fargo, H. (2019, August 7). “All I did was get this golden ticket”: Negative emotions, cruel optimisms, and the library job search. In the Library with the Lead Pipe. https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2019/golden-ticket/
- Chen, A. T. (2018). Timeline drawing and the online scrapbook: Two visual elicitation techniques for a richer exploration of illness journeys. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917753207
- Cohen, R. A., Cooke, P. D., Holt, M., Lounsberry, M., Roga, E., Farrell, K. S., & Squires, J. (2025). Autistic librarians in the academic library hiring process. College & Research Libraries, 86(5), 705. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.86.5.705
- Cornell Data Services. (n.d.). Introduction to intellectual property rights in data management. Cornell University. https://data.research.cornell.edu/data-management/sharing/intellectual-property/
- Cox, A., & Benson, M. (2017). Visual methods and quality in information behaviour research: The cases of photovoice and mental mapping. Information Research, 22(2), 749. https://www.informationr.net/ir/22-2/paper749.html
- Droog, A., Weaver, K. D., & Brady, F. (2023, March 9–10). The seen and the unseen: Grappling with the benefits and drawbacks of visual methods in LIS research [Conference session]. Empirical Librarians Conference, Richmond, VA, United States. https://osf.io/nv6pb
- Duffus, O. (2019). The art and science of securing a job in an academic library: Landing your first, or next, position. College & Research Libraries News, 80(3), 145–148. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.80.3.145
- Eckard, M., Rosener, A., & Scripps-Hoekstra, L. (2014). Factors that increase the probability of a successful academic library job search. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40(2), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2014.02.001
- Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied Thematic Analysis. SAGE Publications.
- Hartel, J. (2014). An arts-informed study of information using the draw-and-write technique. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65(7), 1349–1367. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23121
- Hicks, A. (2018). Developing the methodological toolbox for information literacy research: Grounded theory and visual research methods. Library & Information Science Research, 40(3–4), 194–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2018.09.001
- Holt, R., & Strock, A. L. (2005). The entry-level gap: Breaking in to the profession is harder than ever--If you’re fresh out of library school. Library Journal, 130(8), 36–38.
- Iglesias, A., Mahama, L., & Gard, C. (2024). Pursuing academic librarianship: Pathways to librarian positions. Practical Academic Librarianship: The International Journal of the SLA Academic Division, 14(1), 23–85. https://pal-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/pal/article/view/7182
- Iglesias, A., Mahama, L., Gard, C., & Schirmer, T. (2023). Pursuing academic librarianship: Factors affecting job attainment. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102751
- Kolar, K., Ahmad, F., Chan, L., & Erickson, P. G. (2015). Timeline mapping in qualitative interviews: A study of resilience with marginalized groups. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(3), 13–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940691501400302
- Mannay, D. (2010). Making the familiar strange: Can visual research methods render the familiar setting more perceptible? Qualitative Research, 10(1), 91–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794109348684
- Marathe, A. S., & Piper, A. M. (2025). The Accessibility Paradox: How Blind and Low Vision Employees Experience and Negotiate Accessibility in the Technology Industry. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 9(7), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3757666
- Pell, B., Williams, D., Phillips, R., Sanders, J., Edwards, A., Choy, E., & Grant, A. (2020). Using visual timelines in telephone interviews: Reflections and lessons learned from the STAR Family Study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920913675
- Pollak, A. (2017). Visual research in LIS: Complementary and alternative methods. Library & Information Science Research, 39(2), 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2017.04.002
- Press, M. (2020). Get the job: Academic library hiring for the new librarian. Association of College and Research Libraries.
- Qualitative Data Repository. (n.d.). Preparing a data project: Organization and documentation. Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. https://qdr.syr.edu/guidance/managing/preparing-data
- Reed, J. B., Carroll, A. J., & Jahre, B. (2015). A cohort study of entry level librarians and the academic job search. Endnotes: The Journal of the New Members Round Table, 6(1), 1–22.
- Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to Identify Themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X02239569
- Schilperoort, H., Quezada, A., & Lezcano, F. (2021). Words matter: Interpretations and implications of “para” in paraprofessional. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 109(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2021.933
- Scull, C., Milewski, A., & Millen, D. (1999). Envisioning the Web: User Expectations about the Cyber-experience. Proceedings of the ASIS Annual Meeting, 36, 17–24.
- Sheridan, J., Chamberlain, K., & Dupuis, A. (2011). Timelining: Visualizing experience. Qualitative Research, 11(5), 552–569. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794111413235
- Social Science Research Council & Qualitative Data Repository. (n.d.). Addressing copyright. Managing Qualitative Social Science Data: An Interactive Online Course. https://managing-qualitative-data.org/modules/3/c/
- Thygesen, M. K., Pedersen, B. D., Kragstrup, J., Wagner, L., & Mogensen, O. (2011). Utilizing a new graphical elicitation technique to collect emotional narratives describing disease trajectories. The Qualitative Report, 16(2), 596–608. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1076
- Wanberg, C. R., Ali, A. A., & Csillag, B. (2020). Job seeking: The process and experience of looking for a job. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 315–337. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-044939
- Weak, E. (2014, January 16). Getting your foot in the door: Moving from a world of possibility to one of opportunity. Letters to a Young Librarian. https://letterstoayounglibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/01/getting-your-foot-in-door-moving-from.html
- Welsh, M. E., McDonald, C., & Knievel, J. E. (2023). Cooking up something great: A recipe for academic library CV content and structure. College & Research Libraries News, 84(9), 326–330. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.84.9.326
- Zoom accessibility. (2024, April 23). In DLF Wiki. https://wiki.diglib.org/index.php?title=Zoom_Accessibility&oldid=16763