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Hana Metzger's e-Portfolio

Competency L: Research

Section 1
Demonstrate understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the ability to design a research project, and the ability to evaluate and synthesize research literature.

Section 1A: Competency Description and Scope
During their careers, librarians and other information professionals may encounter situations in which desired research is scarce or nonexistent. In these cases, it is useful for information professionals to know how to complete their own research projects. This includes understanding how to design a research project, knowing which type(s) of research to perform, and how to evaluate and synthesize information.

Formulating an Idea
Connaway and Powell (2010) note that the first step in a research project is to have a question about something that has not yet been researched or requires further study (p. 21). The chosen subject must be one that requires analysis and the synthesizing of ideas, not just a comparison of data (Connaway & Powell, 2010, p. 43). It is also helpful to study a problem that involves a meaningful relationship, such as cause and effect. Finally, two additional and related factors to consider are scope and contribution to the field. Potential researchers must ask themselves if the scope of a research project is manageable in the timeline they have available (Connaway & Powell, p. 44). At the same time, researchers must ask themselves if their research will contribute to the information professions' shared body of knowledge (Connaway & Powell, p. 44). If not, then the idea may need adjustment.

Librarians may encounter a research problem simply by going about their daily lives. However, there are resources available for librarians looking for LIS subjects that merit further research. The Association of College and Research Librarians (ACRL) keeps a research agenda for library instruction that poses questions that anyone is invited to research (Instruction Section, n.d.). Similarly, the Library Publishing Coalition (2020) has published a Library Publishing Research Agenda that identifies six general areas needing research along with summaries, potential research questions, and further resources.

Research Proposal and Literature Review
Before beginning research, information professionals must plan their research properly. Some steps to take after formulating an idea include conducting a literature review, considering and articulating the "conceptual framework," creating a plan or research proposal, and thinking through potential ethical dilemmas and conflicts (Franklin, 2012, p. 57).

The research plan, or proposal, is a structured plan that can, in the long run, save researchers time by forcing them to think through certain questions early on in the research process (Connaway & Powell, 2010, p. 289). A few of the standard sections in a research proposal are an introduction and statement of the problem, a literature review, the research design, budget and personnel planning, and a consideration of the study's limitations (Connaway & Powell, 2010, pp. 290–300).

Conducting a literature review is more than simply listing past research papers on a given subject. Ideally, it will show readers both what research has already been done and why more research is needed. Levy and Ellis (2006) identify four main characteristics of literature reviews: to "methodologically analyze and synthesize quality literature," to provide a foundation to a chosen topic, to provide a foundation for the selected research methodology, and to "demonstrate that the proposed research contributes something new to the overall body of knowledge or advances the research field’s knowledge-base" (p. 182).

Research Methodologies: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Research methodologies are often divided into two broad categories, quantitative and qualitative. Wilson (2011) writes that, "quantitative research works with numbers and qualitative research works with people or text. Quantitative methods attempt to answer “how many?” and qualitative methods attempt to answer “why is this happening?” (p. 37). Quantitative research is measurable or countable, and it can depend on the scientific method or a variation of it, whereas qualitative research cannot be counted (Franklin, 2012, pp. 169-170). Connaway and Powell (2010) note that quantitative research is most "appropriate when the phenomena under study are complex, are social in nature, and do not lend themselves to quantification" (p. 77).

One popular quantitative research method is the survey. Some of the benefits of surveys are that they are relatively inexpensive, can reach people who are geographically dispersed, and are often easy to conduct (Haycock & Romaniuk, 2018, p. 246). Types of surveys include questionnaires, interviews, and observations; and they can be conducted in-person, online, or by phone (Franklin, 2012, p. 171). Surveys can be useful in discovering facts or behaviors for public librarians, such as if a person reads e-books or how many minutes a week a person reads on average. They are less useful at discovering thoughts, feelings, and motivations (Franklin, 2012, p.172).

Interviews and focus groups are two types of popular qualitative research methods. These can provide a more in-depth, open-ended research format than surveys, as participants can express more complex thoughts and emotions (Franklin, 2012, p. 183). Interviews can be standardized, in which all research subjects are asked the same questions, or informal, in which the questions may be improvised or specific to individuals (Franklin, 2012, pp. 185-186). Some of the drawbacks to interviews and focus groups are that they can be expensive and often require greater interpretation by researchers. 

Another popular qualitative research method is the research of documents and other social texts. This can include research of historical documents, policy documents, or online texts that are treated as self-contained entities (Franklin, 2012, p. 170). According to Connaway and Powell (2010), historical research is valuable for library and information science professionals because it can help us "to gain historical understanding of the long-term development of library collections, inform budgetary decision making, provide a basis for decisions concerning services, and inform an investigation of changing information culture" (p. 246).

Evaluation and Interpretation
This is the moment when researchers synthesize their findings into an argument. Franklin (2012) suggests this is the time for a researcher to slow down, review the completed research, and draw inferences (p. 245). This is also an excellent time to return to one's research objectives and compare them to the final results of the study (Moore, 2006, p. 76). Researchers should compare the results were in line with expectations, and how these results fit into the existing body of knowledge. This is also an opportunity for researchers to suggest further areas of study (Moore, 2006, p. 77).

Section 1B: Importance to the Profession
Library and information science research enables the profession to improve its methods and become better as a whole. Connaway and Powell (2010) note that research allows librarians to test assumptions and beliefs that have perhaps never been tested before, writing that "the profession needs to advance beyond its heavy dependence on descriptive data and establish principles and theories on which libraries and information systems and services can be based" (p. 6). Research is required to establish information science as a science, with standards of knowledge and tested theories to back it up.

Connaway & Powell (2010) also note other professional advantages for librarians who perform research. First, librarians can improve their own skills at reading research reports (Connaway & Powell, 2010, pp. 8-9). Being better at reading research reports will make librarians better able to use the research for professional development. Second, librarians who perform research will improve their ability to help others with research. Both academic scholars and members of the public rely on librarians for help with research. Going through the research process themselves will give librarians a more intimate knowledge of the process.

Section 2
Here I will provide three evidentiary items for Competency L.

Section 2A: Preparation
To prepare for this competency, I wrote research papers and literature reviews in several classes. In INFO 200: Information Communities with Dr. Michael Stephens, I spent a semester researching a particular information community, mushroom hunters in the United States. I wrote a literature review of existing research and then wrote a paper synthesizing theories of information communities with research about the information behaviors of mushroom hunters. This class taught me some of the fundamentals of the research process, including how to conduct a literature review, how to gather sources, and how to organize my paper.

In INFO 285: Applied Research Methods: Historical Research with Dr. Donald Westbrook, I built upon the knowledge that I had gained in INFO 200 with an entirely new project. For this class, I researched the ways that medieval monasteries in Western Europe conceived of libraries. After conducting an initial round of research, I submitted a research proposal. I then spent the rest of the semester reading about my topic and using online archives and databases to conduct my research and write a paper.

Section 2B: Evidence

Evidentiary Object 1: INFO 285 Research Proposal
I submitted a research proposal that discussed my intended research project for the semester. Although this research proposal is more casual than a formal research proposal, it nevertheless demonstrates my understanding of the flow of a traditional research proposal.

This assignment stretches tendrils out to many different potential areas of research: female scribes at monasteries, the original union catalogs (and, in general, the beginning of library catalogs), and linguistic and subject diversity within monasteries, to name a few. This shows my ability to read through research and begin to form ideas for further research. This assignment demonstrates my ability to aim for the correct scope and scale of a research project, neither too ambitious for the amount of time available to work on it, nor so microscopic that nothing is added to the scholarly discourse.

Evidentiary Object 2: INFO 285 Literature Review
I conducted a literature review of on monastic libraries in medieval Western Europe for INFO 285: Applied Research Methods with Dr. Donald Westbrook. In this assignment, I analyze both current and established scholarly articles on my research topic, demonstrating my understanding of which types of literature should be included in a paper. It also demonstrates my ability to find appropriate and relevant research papers, a fundamental skill of any researcher.

This assignment also shows my understanding that a literature review must coherently summarize the work already done in a field while showing the need for additional research. I not only list or summarize existing research; I analyze it. For example, I discuss research done into the architectural design of rooms such as the medieval monastic library and scriptorium and also point out which areas of this research are based upon limited data and would benefit from further research.

Evidentiary Object 3: INFO 285 Research Paper
I researched and wrote about the development of the medieval monastic library and drew connections to the library as we understand it today. My paper shows my understanding of and competency at research methods for library and information science, especially historical research.

The research paper demonstrates my understanding of the format of a research paper, beginning with a formal title page followed by an introduction, a literature review, sources and methods, a discussion of my findings, and a list of references. If I had conducted qualitative research, I would also have included the results of my tests or surveys. As it is, this paper demonstrates my ability to conduct historical research. For example, I used online archives to compare manuscripts from monasteries across Europe, suggesting the ways that information traveled. First-hand sources have a great deal to offer librarians interested in studying their own history, and this paper demonstrates the value of looking back in time in order to look forward.

Section 3: Conclusion
Going forward, I plan to use my research skills to continue to learn more about libraries and information. I also hope to use my learned research skills to help others with their own research. Having spent hours combing through online databases and archives, I have caught a glimpse of the vast wealth of resources available to researchers who know where to look.

To continue my education in research, I will continue to read and spend time in archives, both online and—preferably—offline. I am hoping to attend conferences in the coming years to continue to learn more about the history of libraries and information science.


References
Instruction Section. (n.d.). Research agenda for library instruction and information literacy. ACRL. https://acrl.ala.org/IS/instruction-tools-resources-2/professional-development/research-agenda-for-library-instruction-and-information-literacy/

Connaway, L. S., & Powell, R. R. (2010). Basic research methods for librarians (5th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Franklin, M. I. (2012). Understanding research: Coping with the quantitative-qualitative divide. Taylor & Francis. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sjsu/detail.action?docID=1046923

Levy, Y., & Ellis, T. J. (2006). A systems approach to conduct an effective literature review in support of information systems research. Informing Science Journal, 9, 181-212. https://doi.org/10.28945/479 

Library Publishing Coalition. (n.d.). Library Publishing Research Agenda. https://librarypublishing.org/resources/library-publishing-research-agenda/

Moore, N. (2006). How to do research: The practical guide to designing and managing research projects. Facet Publishing.

Wilson, V. (2011). A new path: Research methods. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 6(2), 85-87. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/27172/20139

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