Exploring the Bounds of Cultural Competence and Intelligence in LIS Research Practices
Michele A. L. Villagran · Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference · 2025
Culturally Competent Research in Library and Information Science (CCRLIS) is a project to develop evidence-based interventions to improve cultural competence in Library and Information Science (LIS) research, particularly in terms of applying cultural competence and cultural intelligence to research team development and the research process. Two key questions guide the research: How do researchers incorporate or consider cultural competence and cultural intelligence in research team development and throughout the research process? Which criteria do researchers recommend for developing culturally competent research? While the transformation of practice around cultural competence and cultural intelligence has advanced in recent years, the procedures for conducting culturally competent research within LIS remain underdeveloped—a problem that not only inhibits future knowledge development but also affects practice by embedding unidentified bias within research and projects. Existing scholarship specific to cultural competence research primarily comes from healthcare, social work, and psychology (Meleis, 1996; Jacobson et al., 2005). Culturally competent research seeks to recognize and validate diverse cultural perspectives. It prioritizes community engagement, respect for cultural protocols, and the incorporation of local epistemologies into research methods. Decolonizing pedagogies emphasize critical reflection on positionality—acknowledging the researcher’s power and privilege in the knowledge-production process. Culturally competent research similarly requires self-awareness and reflexivity, particularly in how researchers engage with communities that have been historically marginalized. CCRLIS seeks to bridge this gap by equipping researchers with tools and strategies to conduct culturally competent research that respects and accounts for the cultural diversity of study populations.