ALA Competency 6: Research
INFO 5080, Group Project Library Research Assignment
The purpose of this assignment was to collect and analyze data about a population of library patrons. The below PDF was turned in as a group on April 19, 2021.This was a project for my class on research, one of our culminating assignments that had us use all of the skills and information we had learned throughout the class. In particular, this assignment had us consider how to plan for and describe the central components of a research study, like populations and samples, what statistical tests to use, and more. In a normal year, we would have gone to a library and observed patrons for the data; this year, we used sample data and constructed a scenario around the data, showing how we would plan for such a study and communicate the results to a library director.
The learning demonstrated in this assignment was directly tied to the core competence of Research, particularly 6A, the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research methods.
INFO 5080, Research Article Evaluation
The purpose of this assignment was to thoroughly analyze a research article for its quality of research. The below PDF was turned in on April 25, 2021.
This was another project for my class on research, another way to have us use all of the skills and information we had learned throughout the class. The assignment had us consider all of the components of a research study -- how much the author considered a framework for the study when doing a literature review and defining the problem and components of the study; what was explained about the parameters for the study, including its variables, hypothesis, population and sample; how the study was conducted through its instrumentation and methods, and its analysis; and were the results, discussion and conclusion not only significant but also validated.
This assignment was directly tied to the core competence of Research, especially the fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research methods (6A) and the assessment of actual and potential value of new research (6C).
INFO 5000, Job Description Assignment
The purpose of this assignment was to analyze a variety of job descriptions and postings related to an area of interest. The below PowerPoint summarizing my findings was turned in on September 22, 2019.
Since I have been working as a Reference and User Experience Intern at Southern Methodist University, I wanted to see what types of similar positions exist within user experience (UX) or user services -- What kinds of skills are required? What would the daily duties look like?
I found that the duties would be similar to what I do at the SMU reference desk at Fondren Library, providing reference information both in-person and virtually. Some listings required knowledge of content management and creation, which I have done for clients outside libraries but could easily do within that world. My one disappointment was that only three of the 15 listings that I analyzed mentioned information literacy, a key aspect of reference and user services (and ALA competence 5D), and something that I have become drawn to as a component of teaching research skills to students.
While the skills necessary for positions in user experience or user services are directly tied to ALA's 5th core competence, Reference and User Services, the project was compiled using the research skills listed in the competencies for Research. In particular, I studied the central research findings and research literature of the field (6B).