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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the nature of the qualitative research paradigm, with a particular emphasis on the marginalization of qualitative approaches within the current discourse of evidence‐based librarianship. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents examples of qualitative research in the field of library and information studies, reviews the discourse of EBL as it relates to qualitative research, and also draws on debates in the health sciences on the role of qualitative research in evidence‐based practice. Findings EBL levels of evidence must evolve to include qualitative research, as these methods best suit many of the research questions addressed in LIS contexts. Originality/value There is currently little acknowledgement of the value of qualitative research for EBL; this paper dispels this notion, and calls for EBL to embrace these methods.
Lisa M. Given (Sat,) studied this question.