Week 8 - Research and Policy

Working in the public library system makes you keenly aware of how things like funding and policy shape your workplace and career.  The demand to quantify and prove your job worth through research and measurable outcomes has grown stronger in many fields, particularly ones that rely on government funding (ahem, libraries).  Which brings us to research.

Research is a wonderful means of expanding knowledge and strengthening/proving theories, However, when it comes to informing policy and budgets, the reliance on research can be inconsistent.  For example, the city of Toronto allocates a massive chunk of our budget to Toronto Police, despite decreased crime, internal corruption and a lack of accountability for how the funds are spent.  Whereas TPL must do survey weeks, record and manage data about library service use, while being handed a budget that does very little beyond maintaining the status quo and undervaluing the work we do.

I suppose my point here is that the research and data available is telling us that we don't need a stronger police presence, but it doesn't seem to play a part in the decisions being made by our government.  I could even go as far back as the early days of the Harper government's commitment to oil extraction, while ignoring the many scientific studies warning us that climate change is real and urgently needs our attention.  What good is good research if it's being ignored?

So that's what I've been thinking about in the research world lately.  Why yes, I am jaded.  Thank you for noticing.