In his inimitable way, David Lodge paints a picture of the classic qualitative researcher that is both true to form and light-hearted. This, we trust, sets the tone for this volume – formative and informative, but not self-important or without a sense of the absurd. One of the great disappointments in our lives as researchers is the unbearable pomposity of so many other researchers, who can be immodest, opinionated, jargon-driven, narrowly focused and utterly without any awareness of the fun that can be derived from research. For some reason this applies more to those in the qualitative mould than their counterparts in quantitative research. Consider, for example, the ethnographer who specializes in participant observ - ation of information seekers – surely he must see some wonderful vignettes of absurdity in information organizations, but how often are we regaled with these tales? Research is a serious business, but we need to keep it in perspective and to realize that, for most of our colleagues, it is not of ultimate significance. Rather, we have a mission to show information professionals that research is something that is inherent in our work, that it can be done in a spirit of simplicity and modesty, and that it can make a significant difference to how well we provide that service that is the essence of the information professions.