Statement of Competency L
Understand the nature of research, research methods and research findings; retrieve, evaluate and synthesize scholarly and professional literature for informed decision-making by specific client groups.
The ability to successfully apply research methods is a skill set like any other in the information professional’s tool belt. Proper research techniques can be taken for granted when attempting to embark on a project. Many students find themselves at the graduate level without ever learning how to properly retrieve, evaluate and synthesize information. A crucial skill that needs to be taught on the onset is the ability to distinguish authoritative resources from those containing misinformation. The need to identify legitimate information is especially important in the age of the proliferation of internet resources including wikis and blogs; as well as the ability for just about anyone to construct a webpage. When utilizing journal articles, filtering queries to return only peer reviewed submissions is a good way to verify validity of print resources. Students also need to distinguish between primary and secondary sources of information. Introducing students to archives and special collection libraries is a wonderful way to learn about primary sources.
Powell (1997) describes several types of basic research methods for librarians including survey, experimental, qualitative, and historical (p. xi). Conversely, action research uses real-life situations for problem solving. This adaptive type of research can be used to develop skills and approaches to problem solving in a specific setting (p. 45). Surveys are a popular type of data gathering that requires uses to fill out a questionnaire; the data is then analyzed. A type of true experimental research called field experiments can be done real-life situations with controls (Powell, p. 135). Experimental research tests causal relationships and is one of the more difficult methods to set up and evaluate. Qualitative research includes interviews and observations of test subjects in a way to determine why subjects react in certain ways (p. 47). A common type of qualitative research is content analysis. This method infers meaning of words found in interviews and observations once they have been categorized (Westbrook, 1994, p.245). Historical research seeks to reconstruct past events to gather and analyze data to predict future events and test hypothesis (Powell, p. 48). Each method has pros and cons and should be applied to specific needs. Library directors will find methods such as surveys a way to gather information to improve services to patrons and the community as a whole. Other methods can be utilized to detect why patronage is declining or increasing. An understanding of these research methods can also help a librarian to improve service to visiting researchers.
Nature of Research, Research Methods and Research Findings
After deciding on a topic and the best way to approach it, a user must begin gathering data from relevant information resources. There are two major types of information sources: primary and secondary. A primary resource includes anything that is an original document such as a speech or diary, works such as music and art, or artifacts such as architectural structures. Secondary resources consist of works which discuss the primary resources such as journal articles and educational textbooks. A distinction should be made that journal articles that reveal new findings on a topic are considered primary resources.
The evidence from LIBR 210 (Reference and Information Services) titled Pathfinder and Pathfinder Analysis distinguishes primary and secondary sources for a specific client group. The target audiences of researchers are film students at the University of Southern California (USC) and scholars studying history and theory of horror film. A variety of secondary sources were vetted to include only the most authoritative and scholarly documents. An explanation of why sources were either excluded or included is outlined in the Pathfinder Analysis. Primary sources including the Warner Bros. Archives at USC are recommended as a resource for research.
Retrieval, Evaluations and Synthesis of Literature
The scholarly research paper calls for the ability to retrieve relevant information resources, evaluate the resources on legitimacy and synthesis all information into a new perspective on the topic. The end result should be targeted towards a specific group. For instance, a graduate level research paper on moving image archiving targets those who are students or professionals in the field and should, therefore, reflect a certain level of expected comprehension level on the part of the audience.
Submitted for evidence are two essays I completed as a graduate student that effectively reflect standards for scholarly research towards a specific client group. The first piece of evidence, Moving Image Archiving Research Paper, from LIBR 256 (Archives and Manuscripts) analyzes the factors that hampered film preservation on the onset. The paper brings together current theories of appraisal, collection policies and cultural significance of moving image archiving. History behind film preservation was researched to propose why traditional archivists have ignored this piece of society’s collective memory. I was able to interview Todd Wiener, archivist at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. From this interview I experienced first hand the strategies and obstacles film archivists of today face and incorporate them into my critique.
The second evidence from LIBR 259 (Preservation Management), Digital Preservation Essay, is a critique of the non-archivists attempt to use digital preservation for moving image media. Concerns of archivists, standardization initiatives and the new digital repositories are analyzed. Primary resources such as interviews with system creators were utilized as this is a newer research topic. I questioned these quotes from Sun Microsystems Digital Content Archive founders and compared them with archivists’ thoughts about the subject - especially “future proofing”. Very new technology calls for innovative methods of research. I strove to compare the digital storage capabilities of Sun with the best practices of the field. The paper also delves into authenticity and ethics of digital preservation.
References
Powell, R. R. (1997). Basic research methods for librarians (3rd ed.). Greenwich, Conn.: Ablex Pub. Corp.
Westbrook, L. (1994). Qualitativeresearchmethods: a review of major stages, data analysis techniques, and quality controls. Library & Information Science Research, 16, 241-54. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.