Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature.
Statement of Competence
Designing and evaluating research literature are valuable skills to have when working as an information professional in a public library setting. Although these skills are not used often, the ability to conduct one’s own research and evaluate that of others is a desirable talent when trying to measure the success of services offered by the library. I will use a public library’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) to illustrate the relevance of designing a research project, evaluation and synthesis of research literature, and the value of qualitative and quantitative research methods in a public library setting.
The Summer Reading Program is the largest event of the year for most public libraries. After two to three months of one-time-only events, specialty programming, guest speakers and performers, making library cards for brand new patrons, and handing out prizes, library staff uses data collected in order to judge how many people attended and how the community received the program as a whole. For the most part, this means many reports written by many staff members, eventually compiled into one large system-wide report to sum up the results of the entire program. These reports could easily be considered research projects.
The design of the SRP research project is usually designed by system supervisors or branch managers. The design of this project often requires in-depth research on the part of the supervisor. They have observed the SRP for many years and now understand what it takes to make a program successful. They do not bother to ask their employees what color shoes the guest speaker wore to deliver their speech, because it is not relevant to the wellbeing of the library. Instead, they design the questionnaire to include information such as the number of attendees for their program, the cost to the library for materials or time of a guest performer, amount of staff hours necessary to run the event, and whether the attendees seemed to enjoy themselves, among other factors. At times patrons themselves are also presented with surveys to gauge their reaction to SRP special events. Library supervisors design these research projects and depend on the data collected by their employees because the results of this research colors future programs and events presented by the library.
Similar to designing the research project to determine the popularity of programs and events offered during SRP, evaluation and synthesis of research literature is important to the public library employee interested in the success of future programming. After the research is completed, the reports are only valuable if someone analyzes them and uses their findings in future event design. Completing an evaluation of the research literature includes studying all forms of data collected and tailoring the planning of future events accordingly. If only two people attended a special summertime-themed storytime at an abnormal time, but the two attendees claimed to have had fun, a library employee evaluating this research might conclude that the theme was successful but the time of the event was not because people were not informed of the time change. Conversely, if forty people came to the library on the date and time of the performance of a hyped magician only to find his only trick was pulling scarves out of his sleeves over and over again, the large number of attendees would have left disappointed. The person evaluating these points in the research literature would note that the community is excited about magicians but the library needs to research a more talented one before next year. Writing a synthesis is another way research literature can be analyzed, although syntheses are a less popular method in modern information science. A synthesis is an essay in which the writer takes a unique view about the topic and then backs up that view with multiple sources. Evaluating the research literature compiled about SRP could be synthesised by an employee taking the position that the months-long event was overall successful but leaves room for improvement. Then the writer could use sources such as the research literature compiled by their supervisor or department and compare it to research literature from other systems’ SRPs in order to support their points.
Quantitative research is data based on indisputable numbers. Qualitative research involves the quality of the item or service being reviewed, and therefore provides insight that cannot be measured in numbers. Quantitative research at the SRP would include counting the number of attendees, percentage of attendees who participated in activities, cost of the event to the library and whether the cost was justified by number of participants, and other quantifiable data. Quantitative research would be judging whether the attendees had a good time, if they came specifically for the event or just happened upon it while already at the library, and whether they would attend that type of event again. This type of data can easily be collected by an open-ended survey given out at the time of the event or afterward. In surveys, quantitative data is usually collected by yes/no questions or those that need to be answered with a number (like participant’s age), while qualitative data is collected by open-ended questions.
The ability to design, evaluate, and synthesize a research project is a coveted skill when working as a public services information professional. Whether one’s role in a project such as the Summer Reading Project is that of director, program manager, data collector, or any of the other valuable positions that come together to form a cohesive team, the research project that results from such a program will include both qualitative and quantitative data. It will also require the ability to record results and analyze them in a way that will benefit the future of library programming.
Evidence
Module 1 Synthesis
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Description
This assignment entitled “Module 1 Synthesis” was completed as a personal reflection on a multi-part assignment for INFO 250: Design and Implementation of Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals in the Fall 2016 semester. In Module 1 students were asked to complete several small projects that were largely self-guided, based on where they were beginning in their knowledge of teaching techniques and learning styles. One of the small projects was taking notes on both textbooks, another was to create a reading plan with 30 or more articles and journals we wanted to read in addition to the textbooks, and a third was to create a reading map to aid us in navigating that reading plan. After the completion of Module 1 we wrote this synthesis to sum up what we learned and measure our progress at the end of the module as opposed to the beginning. The paper meets the qualifications for a synthesis because it takes the unique view of myself judging how much I learned over the semester and supports this view with multiple professional educational sources that I consulted over the course of the module. I cite different sources in each section to differentiate the information I gained on each subject, and to make it clear which sources are related to that particular section. The last two pages of the synthesis are a complete list of the sources alphabetically. This synthesis essay properly displays how much I grew over the course of INFO 250’s Module 1 in the four sections of Educational Theory, Curriculum and Assessment, Collaboration and Co-Teaching, and Process Skills. It also describes my journey through the module as a whole in the introductory section.
Argument
I chose this assignment as evidence of my mastery of Competency L because it demonstrates my ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature. As mentioned above, the assignment meets the criteria of a synthesis essay by supporting its main viewpoint with the citation of scholarly sources. It demonstrated my ability to evaluate research literature by mentioning each professional journal and educational video in turn, explaining why it helped me complete the module and what that particular source helped me learn during my research of the four overlying topics.
This synthesis also supports research literature that I completed myself over the course of INFO 250’s Module 1. In each section, I begin by noting what I announced as my goal for that section at the beginning of Module 1. Then, each source is explained through the lens of how it helped me learn about that topic. For example, in the section entitled “Collaboration and Co-Teaching” the first paragraph states that “in my reading plan, I expressed an interest in learning about Constructivist teaching, Behaviorist teaching, and the role of a teacher librarian” when they collaborate with a classroom teacher. The subsequent paragraphs of this section analyze two sources that focus on these subjects and explain how each one helped me complete my research. Explaining how research literature aided me in my research demonstrates my ability to evaluate them because I deemed them appropriate to use as sources in my synthesis essay. The synthesis essay itself demonstrates my ability to synthesize research literature because it meets the technical qualifications of a synthesis essay and uses those sources as support for my commentary about how much I learned on the subjects at hand.
Research Methods Critique: “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ)-Themed Literature for Teens: Are School Libraries Providing Adequate Collections?”
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Description
My second piece of evidence for Competency L was completed in the Summer 2016 semester for the class INFO 285: Research Methods in Library and Information Science. The aim of the assignment was for students to choose a peer-reviewed article on a subject they were interested in and then analyze the structure of the study, research question presented, and other aspects of the study on which the article reports in order to determine whether it was a complete piece of research data. The article I chose was entitled “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ)-Themed Literature for Teens: Are School Libraries Providing Adequate Collections?” The study detailed a process in which a team of researchers studied searches in 125 school OPAC systems (Online Public Access Catalogue) and compared them with student body sizes in order to determine whether the size of the LGBTQ literature collection was adequate for the number of students at the school. I state in the abstract that I found some places where the study could have been improved but overall found it comprehensive and complete.
Argument
One reason this assignment shows my mastery of Competency L is its demonstration of my understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods. This is especially evident in the sections “Data Collection” and “Study Results” where I analyze the way the research team gathered their data and then the conclusions they came to. The main type of data collected for this study was quantitative. The researchers first searched the OPAC databases for existing keywords having to do with LGBTQ culture and recorded all results on a spreadsheet. Then, they referred to a list of popular LGBTQ literature and searched for those specific titles in the OPAC systems, recording those results as well. Between these two charts of raw, quantitative data the team of researchers determined a list of statistical results such as the fact that only 22% of the schools studied housed more than 50 of the LGBTQ books they searched for.
After analyzing the way the research team collected their data and the results they reported, I found myself unsatisfied with the fact that they limited themselves to amounts and percentages. I mention in the Abstract that I found a small bit of room for improvement, and this room was found in the way they collected their data. In addition to the quantitative research of how many OPACs include books that relate to the keyword searches and how many LGBTQ-positive novels are available in schools, I noted that the research would have benefitted from adding “a human element” (p. 8). This idea expands by noting that the authors “effectively collected, organized, and analyzed their quantitative data, but could have performed more qualitative research to expand on their points” (p. 8). Throughout this paper I refer to the researchers’ opportunity to visit the schools in person and speak to students about their opinions on the size of their school library’s LGBTQ literature collection. I mention focus groups and surveys as a means of doing this, mentioning that limiting the study result to numbers gives the whole study a clinical feel. Because of this differentiation that spans several sections of my Research Methods Critique, I feel that this assignment adequately demonstrates my understanding of the difference and separate importance of qualitative and quantitative research methods. Furthermore, it demonstrates the applicability of both types of research to the environment of middle- and high school libraries.
Research Project Proposal: How Does Teen Technology Use Effect Teen Library Use?
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Description
This assignment was also completed in INFO 285: Research Methods in Library and Information Science during the Summer 2016 semester. It was the final assignment we completed for this class after learning about the various aspects of research methods and studying multiple professional studies presented in the form of research papers. For this assignment, students were asked to complete a proposal for a research project we would like to complete. The sections in my proposal include an Executive Summary where I explain the subjects I will test and type of data I will collect, Introduction where I explain why I wish to perform the experiment, a Literature Review in which I prove there is little to no current literature on the exact subject I would like to report on, Research Design and Methods and Research Plan which detail exactly how I would carry out the study, Analysis in which I explain how I will analyze the data I collect, and Summary which functions as a conclusion to the proposal. In the paper I propose to research whether the way teenagers use the library is colored by the way they use technology. If it is, I want to research what that effect is and whether it is positive or negative. I explain that I will collect qualitative data in focus groups and quantitative data in the form of short-answer surveys. The conclusion of the proposal’s Executive Summary conveys my belief that this research will be valuable to the field of young adult librarianship because it would be one of the first of its kind, and would aid all information professionals who work with young people to better understand their technological desires when it comes to what their library offers.
Argument
I chose this proposal as my final piece of evidence for Competency L because it meets every qualification of the competency. Not only does it articulate my understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, it applies this understanding to my proposed research in the form of specific plans to collect each type. The Literature Review section demonstrates my ability to evaluate research literature by analyzing several existing studies and recognizing that my proposed study would add to those that have already been performed as it is related, but combines the aim of several of them. Most of all, it effectively demonstrates my ability to design a research project by functioning as a complete proposal for one. The paper takes the reader through the process I would follow with the study, beginning with the reason I want to conduct the research and ending with a week-by-week breakdown of how it would be carried out. I provide a research question that my study aims to answer, supplementary questions that support the main objective, a specific method of data collection including how I would find young adults to include in my focus groups and surveys, and detail the type of facility and advertising that would be required in order to carry out my research. The final summary of the proposal ends with the passionate statement that this study would reveal ways youth services librarians could excite their teenage patrons about coming to the library by providing them with services that are unavailable anywhere else. For these reasons, I believe my Research Project Proposal adequately demonstrates my understanding and mastery of all aspects of Competency L.
Conclusion
While the opportunities may be few and far between in public librarianship, I plan on using my mastery of Competency L in my future career as a public services librarian. As illustrated in my Statement of Competence, there will be opportunities to perform research studies, collect data, and report on the results in a way that will benefit my coworkers and library in creating future sources and services. On the whole, I believe that having a grasp on the concepts of creating, evaluating, and synthesizing research literature is a valuable trait in any information professional.
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