Student Learning Outcome #2
I had the privilege of attending Dr. Julia Hersberger’s LIS 600: Introduction to Library Information Studies Course, with the goal of achieving a couple of student learning outcomes. The second outcome was:
To fully understand the kind of research I needed to conduct, I chose to read through relevant chapters from Research Methods in Information by Alison Jane Pickard and Susan Childs; Basic Research Methods for Librarians by Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Ronald R. Powell; Practical Research Methods for Librarians and Information Professionals by Susan E. Beck and Kate Manuel; and Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science by Barbara M. Wildemuth to prepare myself for the task ahead of me.
Through my readings, I was able to remove some of the fuzziness from the picture in my head of an action research project. I found that I could conduct various forms of surveys, create classification systems for textual responses, and more (Wildemuth, 2016). Tips on reviewing literature, how to evaluate the literature, and what kind of critical analysis to implement helped me locate several of my research literature sources (Pickard, 2013). I was able to read in-depth about survey research methods as well as how to collect the data that was gathered from the survey (Connaway and Powell, 2010). Finally, I was able to have some insight into why some research projects fail and why it’s okay when they do (Beck and Manuel, 2008).
- SLO #2: The student identifies, evaluates, conducts, and applies current research and thought in library and information studies and in other fields.
To fully understand the kind of research I needed to conduct, I chose to read through relevant chapters from Research Methods in Information by Alison Jane Pickard and Susan Childs; Basic Research Methods for Librarians by Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Ronald R. Powell; Practical Research Methods for Librarians and Information Professionals by Susan E. Beck and Kate Manuel; and Applications of Social Research Methods to Questions in Information and Library Science by Barbara M. Wildemuth to prepare myself for the task ahead of me.
Through my readings, I was able to remove some of the fuzziness from the picture in my head of an action research project. I found that I could conduct various forms of surveys, create classification systems for textual responses, and more (Wildemuth, 2016). Tips on reviewing literature, how to evaluate the literature, and what kind of critical analysis to implement helped me locate several of my research literature sources (Pickard, 2013). I was able to read in-depth about survey research methods as well as how to collect the data that was gathered from the survey (Connaway and Powell, 2010). Finally, I was able to have some insight into why some research projects fail and why it’s okay when they do (Beck and Manuel, 2008).
Institutional Review Board Certification
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I was able to familiarize myself with the basic principles of research after becoming certified by the UNCG Institutional Review Board (IRB). The certification required several hours to complete, but educated me about the history and ethical principles of conducting research, the kinds of research there are, and how to assess whether research participants are at risk before they begin. My IRB certification demonstrates how I was able to identify current research and thought and apply it to the library
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and information studies field. It was my first introduction to institutional research and will impact my future practice for years to come. It will influence my future research endeavors as an academic librarian by reminding me of ethical research practices and thoughts in the frame of the LIS field.
My action research project was focused on three questions concerning mobile fitness devices in academic libraries. My three research questions were:
My action research project was focused on three questions concerning mobile fitness devices in academic libraries. My three research questions were:
- In what ways are patrons interested in utilizing mobile fitness trackers that could be incorporated into the UNCG Jackson Library collection?
- What role does the ALA Code of Ethics play within information management aggregated by mobile fitness trackers?
- How can mobile fitness trackers promote academic library programming?
Research Interview
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I conducted an interview with a collections librarian (interview questions listed in the Scribd document below), distributed a survey with the help of the UNCG Office of Institutional Research, and gathered literature relevant to my topic in order to attempt to get a complete picture of the research topic. The interview questions is an example of my ability to conduct and apply current research and thought in the library and information field by asking relevant questions to a collection development librarian. It helps me in the future by serving as a point of reflection and provides me with past work to build upon, allowing me to develop better interview questions for future research.
My research assumed an interest in mobile fitness trackers as a material and my survey was distributed to 3,750 UNCG undergraduate students to determine just what exactly the interest was. After receiving some 269 survey responses, I was able to analyze the results to better |
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understand whether implementing trackers in the UNCG Jackson Library was something worth looking into.
When I began to report on the results, several study limitations were quickly realized. The survey questions could have been worded better for results of better clarity; Qualtrics+ failed to report anything for the last survey question concerning age; and applying the results to relate to health programming could be a leap. I was still able to apply the research methods I’d learned to create a study that showed how interested students were to incorporate mobile fitness trackers into the library’s collection.
By reviewing literature about health information programming, mobile fitness tracker trends, and the atmosphere of the academic library, I was able to understand how the world of academic libraries operates. I could find no literature directly related to my topic, so I created a cache of literature in a Zotero file that focused more on health programming and how it could inspire the implementation of mobile fitness trackers in academic library collections. While this effectively turned my third research question on its head, I was successful in analyzing the opportunities that the UNCG Jackson Library has to get involved with health information outreach and/or programming.
When I began to report on the results, several study limitations were quickly realized. The survey questions could have been worded better for results of better clarity; Qualtrics+ failed to report anything for the last survey question concerning age; and applying the results to relate to health programming could be a leap. I was still able to apply the research methods I’d learned to create a study that showed how interested students were to incorporate mobile fitness trackers into the library’s collection.
By reviewing literature about health information programming, mobile fitness tracker trends, and the atmosphere of the academic library, I was able to understand how the world of academic libraries operates. I could find no literature directly related to my topic, so I created a cache of literature in a Zotero file that focused more on health programming and how it could inspire the implementation of mobile fitness trackers in academic library collections. While this effectively turned my third research question on its head, I was successful in analyzing the opportunities that the UNCG Jackson Library has to get involved with health information outreach and/or programming.
Can Your Library Help You Get Fit? Research Poster
The results of my research determined that there would be little to no feasibility to implementing a mobile fitness tracker collection in the library, but that students would use them if they were available for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, my research led me down a rabbit hole of sorts that deserves a different research study, as I learned that academic libraries don't focus on health information literacies or programming. Though the survey didn't reveal anything other than what was already expected, I argue that this would be a different case if the library played a larger role in the health of their stakeholders. Even though my research had some limitations, I decided to gain further professional development experience by presenting a poster on the material, as seen below.
Image of the research poster entitled "Can Your Library Help You Get Fit?" presented at the 2018 UNCG Graduate Research Expo.
I presented this research at the UNCG Graduate Research Expo in 2018 to gain more insight into the scholarly communication process. The poster serves as an example of my entire fulfillment of the second SLO as I identified, evaluated, conducted, and applied research in the library and information studies field. It serves as an example of this ability to future employers, while also providing me with knowledge for the future of poster presentation of research that will definitely be a part of my future career.
While there were a lot of holes in the process, I learned a lot from my first formal research project. I was also able to accept and come to terms with the idea that research is creating new knowledge – it’s not a finely honed process because it can’t be. Research is something that takes more than one project to understand and a lifetime to perfect.
While there were a lot of holes in the process, I learned a lot from my first formal research project. I was also able to accept and come to terms with the idea that research is creating new knowledge – it’s not a finely honed process because it can’t be. Research is something that takes more than one project to understand and a lifetime to perfect.