Encountering the Idea of the University in the Library: New Meldings of Metaphor, Methodology, and Theory in Qualitative Inquiry

Abstract

The idea of the university is an irrepressible concept. The literature debates its universal themes—such as knowledge, intellectual development, and human and social progress—often with foundational concepts recirculating as new ideas emerge. In this search for a contemporary idea of the university, several things are noticeable. First, while the idea of the university should be relevant to all members of the university community, the literature is dominated by academic voices; second, there is a relationship between the university as idea and institution; and third, there is a rich metaphoricity in how ideas of the university are expressed. The contention in this thesis is that all voices are needed in developing the idea of the university. In this research, I bring a different group in the university community—librarians—into dialogue with the idea of the university and pursue an inquiry into how they imagine the idea through metaphor.

What are librarians’ ideas of the university? In interviews and a survey, I prompt library staff in four Australian universities to voice their ideas of the university through metaphor. Their imaginaries make clear that the library and university are entangled ideas. An iterative approach to metaphor analysis involving a combination of qualitative methodologies shows three patterns of entanglement—the library and university as intertwined ideas, as ideas in tension, and as a set of echoing ideas. Finding meaning in these connections demands engaging with theories that match the complexity in each pattern of entanglement. Idea Portraits are introduced as a tool to investigate these patterns and bring into view new perspectives that would otherwise remain hidden. In doing so, this research widens the debate on evolving ideas of the university. And by taking the debate to the library it lays the groundwork for librarians to consider the direction their practice might take if they engage intentionally with the idea of the university.