In June 1994 the YALSA Board, acting on the recommendation of the Research Committee, approved the "Research and Statistics Policy Statement" prepared by the ALA Committee on Research and Statistics (CORS). In order to achieve ALA's goals of collecting and distributing statistics about libraries and of conducting and disseminating research related to librarianship, the statement says ALA will define and identify priority research areas. In endorsing the statement, the Board of Directors committed YALSA to a similar definition and identification of research needs.

The YALSA Long Range Plan specifies a number of goals, each with related objectives and strategies. Focused directions for research may be found in those strategies that use the words "identify," "evaluate," "investigate," "study," and "explore." These are the verbs that call for action research. The YALSA statement of "Program Goals in Priority Order" contained within the Long Range Plan specifically identifies research in youth related fields as Priority VIII in a list of ten priorities. Research activities also are implicit in other goals that call for understanding of young adult information needs and interests and for evaluation of programs.

Action research is inquiry that focuses on using knowledge to resolve or clarify professional problems. Action research tests or applies theories and premises, developed in a variety of disciplines, in the context of specific professional situations. The date-gathering realm for action research is often a real, working professional environment. While such environments may sometimes preclude the controls available in laboratories, action research often makes up in ecological validity what may be lost in experimental situations.

The questions that comprise the research agenda for young adult librarians are broad and perennial. The answers are often localized and temporal, specific to the context of particular information services and their clientele. Answers to the questions are vital for enlightened providers of ongoing services, but the answers that serve different sites or clientele may differ. The value of pursuing research in professional young adult library services is not to arrive at final truths but to maintain dialogue based on facts and evidence rather than engagement in ideological arguments or policy polemics.

YALSA RESEARCH AGENDA
The following are some perennial questions. The list does not comprise an exhaustive list of what we need to know; it is intended to keep at the forefront of our attention some fundamental concerns.

ACCESS
How have intellectual freedom issues and ethics impacted young adult services over time?
How do physical environments respond to developmental needs of young adults?
How is young adult access to information affected/influenced by factors such as socioeconomic status, cultural background, etc...
What factors affect/influence young adult access to information? Ex: Socioeconomic status, geographic location, cultural background.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Who are today's young adults? What are their characteristics?
What are reading/listening/viewing behaviors of young adults?
What are the demographics of young adult service providers? Ex: schools, public libraries, salaries, geographic location, cultural background.
What are current education/training/selection and career paths of young adult librarians?

EVALUATION
What programs, materials, services, strategies, and partnerships are successful in attracting young adults to libraries?
How can benefits of young adult services be documented/demonstrated?
What are appropriate methods of evaluating the effectiveness of young adult librarianship?

INFORMATION SEEKING
What impels a young adult to seek information?
What are the information seeking needs and behaviors of today's young adult? What are consequent behaviors and strategies?
How have the information seeking needs and behaviors of young adults evolved?

INTER-DISCIPLINARY
How can research in other areas inform us? Ex: popular culture, human development, journalism, educational psychology, reading and literacy, communication, history, services marketing, and consumer behavior.

TECHNOLOGY
How is technology impacting young adult services?
How does the Internet affect young adult research and information seeking behaviors?
How is the Internet affecting the communication behaviors and sense of identity of young adults? How does this translate to technology?

HISTORY
How has all of the above changed over time?

Action research is inquiry that focuses on using knowledge to resolve or clarify professional problems. Action research tests or applies theories and premises, developed in a variety of disciplines, in the context of specific professional situations. The data-gathering realm for action research is often a real, working professional environment. While such environments may sometimes preclude the controls available in laboratories, action research often makes up in ecological validity what may be lost in experimental situations.

Agenda prepared by YALSA Research Committee. For background information, see ALA Committee on Research and Statistics (CORS) and Long Range Plan.