How academic librarians experience evidence-based practice: A grounded theory model

•This Australian study used grounded theory to investigate how academic librarians experience evidence-based practice (EBP).•Thirteen academic librarians employed in various roles participated in semi-structured interviews.•Academic librarians' experience EBP as empowering, intuiting, affirming, connecting, noticing, and impacting•This empirically derived model can assist academic librarians to develop the mindsets and ways needed to facilitate EBP.

This study explored academic librarians' experience of evidence-based practice. A better understanding of evidence-based practice from an empirical basis can help fulfill the aims of evidence-based library and information practice to continuously improve practice and make effective, value-adding decisions about library and information services for their clients and communities. This research uses a constructivist grounded theory approach to investigate the question: How do academic librarians experience evidence-based practice? Thirteen Australian academic librarians participated in semi-structured interviews. The study used the methods of constant comparison to create codes and categories towards constructing a new theoretical model of experiencing evidence-based practice in the academic library context. The model consists of six categories of experiences: empowering, intuiting, affirming, connecting, noticing and impacting. This model can provide a platform for developing support for academic librarians andtheir educators by increasing awareness of various mindsets and actions experienced in the workplace context towards facilitating evidence-based information practice.