Writing case studies

ROBERT K. YIN defines a case study as

There are many definitions of case studies for research, but this quote shows how diverse the case study can be, which is also true of their application in LKS. They can be used to provide detailed information about a single case or can be used across a sector, e.g. public libraries, to describe and compare events or services in a number of settings.

Approaches

In research, Davey (1991) describes a number of approaches to designing case studies which include illustrative (a description of events), exploratory (an investigation of events), cumulative (an ongoing collection of data to make comparisons and draw conclusions) or critical (designed to examine a particular cause and effect). Case studies designed for research purposes are often localized and are developed to learn about a situation by collecting and evaluating data with a view to making recommendations and drawing conclusions. Davey (1991) highlights a number of challenges with the case study as research methodology, as they can be selective in their use of data, less analytical than other forms of research, lacking in rigour, difficult to generalize and difficult to control variables when comparisons are being made.

Uses

Despite these pitfalls, case studies provide an opportunity for LKS staff to become involved in research and to develop their writing skills. Although much of what is written about the case study design and process comes from the research perspective, because they can be descriptive and less analytical they enable staff to present information in a simple and easy-to-read format. Case studies can also be used to view a project retrospectively based on an evaluation of the literature and analysis of the data. This may not be a highly rigorous approach to research per se, but can be useful to identify challenges or mistakes, to highlight lessons learned and make recommendations for future change and service development.