Designing a connected learning toolkit for public library staff serving youth through the design-based implementation research method

Design-based Implementation Research (DBIR) is an iterative approach to developing practical theory and tools to solve problems of practice and to support innovation in improving teaching and learning, which is rarely used in informal settings such as libraries. This study presents findings from a multi-year researcher-practitioner collaboration in which the authors employed DBIR to iteratively design and implement a professional development resource, the ConnectedLib Toolkit, for use in public libraries across the United States (U.S.). In this study, the authors explain what established DBIR challenges and benefits in K-12 formal educational contexts manifest in the development and implementation of a professional development resource for youth-serving library staff working in diverse public libraries across the U.S. This study also disentangles how these challenges and benefits manifest in this setting. These insights will be useful to researchers and library practitioners who are considering partnerships to address problems of practice in library systems.