The William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University is issuing a call for applications for the Institute for Research Design in Librarianship (IRDL Online) 2023. IRDL is a continuing education program for academic and research librarians and archivists designed to create a growing community of confident librarian-researchers. The year-long program begins with a Summer Research Workshop, to provide novice researchers with social science research training, followed by a year of peer and formal mentor support in completing a research project of their design. 

The Summer Research Workshop, traditionally delivered as an in-person experience, has shifted to an online format, from 2022-2024, thanks to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The program will again be offered at no cost to participants, open to librarians and archivists in the United States and Canada in full-time positions; librarians in a full-time residency are eligible to apply.

The 2023 Summer Research Workshop will be offered from June 5-16.

We seek librarians with a passion for research and a desire to improve their research skills. IRDL is designed to bring together all that the literature tells us about the necessary conditions for librarians to conduct valid and reliable research in an institutional setting. The cohort will be chosen from a selective submission process, with an emphasis on enthusiasm for research and diversity from a variety of perspectives, including ethnicity and type and size of library.

Selection criteria:

• Commitment to the year-long process of participating in the IRDL research community and conducting the proposed study within the 2023-2024 academic year;

• Significance of the research problem to the operational success of libraries or to the profession of librarianship;

• Thoughtfulness, thoroughness, and clarity of the research proposal;

• Enthusiasm for research and a desire to learn.

We will be accepting applications from December 1, 2022 to January 27, 2023. Scholars accepted to the Institute will be notified in early March 2023. Application information may be found at https://library.lmu.edu/irdl/apply/overview/.