This blog's purpose is to host a scholarly and professional dialog about Library and Information Studies research. This will hopefully be an effective approach to sharing LI810 Research and Inquiry in Library and Information Science experiences in identifying topics and problems, writing research proposals, conducting research, and sharing and implementing results.
Mirah Dow, BSE, MLS PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Management
Master of Library Science Degree Program
Emporia State University
Emporia, KS USA
Emporia State University
students in computer lab
4 comments:
Hello everyone, I am Kimberly Harp and I am in my 2nd semester at SLIM. I work as Project Director at a non-profit research foundation in Wichita, KS where I am currently involved in managing a new Lupus databank. I work with questionnaire development, database issues, and communication with physicians and their patients. I have also managed Phase IV clinical trials in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies where we researched the continued safety and efficacy of after-market biologic therapies. Our primary focus is outcomes research for individuals with Arthritis and Arthritis-related diseases. We have hundreds of U.S. rheumatologists involved with our research, along with thousands of research participants across the US and in foreign countries such as Portugal, Germany, and Puerto Rico. We publish many abstracts and manuscripts and also present our research results at annual rheumatology meetings in the U.S. and in Europe. For more information about our research efforts, please visit:
http://www.arthritis-research.org/slec.htm
Although I already possess a background in medical research, the LI810 course served as an introduction to Library and Information Management research. I discovered there are many similarities with research processes across these fields such as preparing questionnaires and conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research. There are research participants and IRB’s to consider, as well as funding resources. Research results can be abstracts and articles which are submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Conducting research is a process with sequential steps, regardless if it is in medical or library research. Understanding basic research principles enabled me to develop questions that were related to the library field, rather than the medical field, for my project. What I found to be most helpful was to first develop a passion in a research topic and then apply the principles from the LI810 course to carry out the research project.
My research proposal for LI810 encompassed the “Impacts of Modern Technology on Rural Kansas Library Directors and Administrators” and I focused on budget constraints, staff and patron concerns, and technology sustainability. I was interested to determine if technological advances were causing problems for rural libraries so that a solution could be found to address the issues. Initially, making the transition from medical research to library research seemed somewhat daunting. However, once I had grasped the theories and models from the LI801 course, I began applying the new-found knowledge to my research approach. Correlating new information with past information worked effectively, and things started making sense as I worked on my project.
Although I have not moved forward with that particular research project, the information I learned in LI810 has been invaluable in providing a foundation for further research efforts. Currently, I am collaborating with a fellow LI810 student, Tamara Sheppard, on a different research project involving Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and information needs for smaller practice physicians. We are planning to conduct the research as an independent study project this year, and we intend to have research results with an abstract available for publication by the end of 2008.
A poster on EMS and information needs will be presented at the upcoming Kansas Library Conference in Wichita. I also have a poster at the conference and it covers the topic of Project Management and Six Sigma skills for information professionals.
I believe the LI810 course offers students abundant opportunities to explore issues related to library and information professionals. Research projects can be initiated and then further developed by student(s) or other researchers which may ultimately benefit Library Science for years to come.
I hope you can find your passion in an area of library and information management research. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me direct at: kharp1@emporia.edu
Happy Researching!
Hi, my name is Tamara Sheppard. Currently, I am toiling away at obtaining my MLS through SLIM and I am happy to report that I am less than three semesters away from graduation. While working towards my master’s, I am presently employed at a medical office in Shawnee Mission, Kansas in which I perform various duties for their billing department. And, interestingly enough, this is where my academic and professional worlds have collided into the research project that I am now at this point in time enmeshed.
Even before LI810, I had been observing the physicians at my practice struggle with the concept of the electronic medical record (EMR) and all the issues that revolve around this new technology, and had begun applying everything that I was learning in the various theory courses through SLIM to my everyday realities. And, I had to stop and consider whether I was actually witnessing an information need in action, so to speak. Enter Prof. Dow and her course in research and inquiry in information science, and it was here that I was able to focus my observation, to formulate questions that could address the phenomena, and basically just reframe my supposition into a scalable, practical research project. (In all honesty, this project would have remained just an assignment in another class had it not been for Prof. Dow’s continuing enthusiasm and subtle urging.)
Also, I met and spoke with another student in the class- Kim Harp- who had extensive experience and knowledge regarding surveys, the very methodology that I was considering utilizing to gather data for my research objective. Hence, a quick collaboration was born and we are now in the process of constructing and refining our survey instrument for a mass dispersal during the summer, and an analysis and write up of results set for the end of the year. Kim, whose energy and stamina for this project could even be said to surpass mine, has brought an astute insight to this project that will be absolutely essential for our purposes of approaching our target audience of physicians and eliciting their perspectives on this confounding and, often elusive, concept.
While I have published before,
-for those curious few, you will find my first foray into academic publishing at http://0-www.emeraldinsight.com.www.whitelib.emporia.edu/Insight/viewPDF.jsp?Filename=html/Output/Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/0721071104.pdf
citation listed below-
this research project has been an entirely new experience for me littered equally with moments of great expectation for all that could unfold and heavy trepidation for all that lays ahead. So, for those wishing to undertake this robustly convoluted path with me, I would suggest-
First, believe in what you have to say and, no matter what, keep speaking about it. The first time I hazarded to risk mentioning what I was thinking about to another instructor in an entirely unrelated course, the response, though not outwardly discouraging, was the equivalent of a blank stare. So, if you’re passionate about it, keep talking about it. Someone will hear you. In my case, someone did.
Secondly, hook up with one of your peers. They are in the same position as you and they are just as keen about proving themselves, too. And, it’s a great way to share the roller coaster ride of effort and emotion that often permeates the research process.
Lastly, read all that you can on your given subject throughout your investigation. Read anything and everything at all that even mentions your topic in passing. The amount of information and understanding you will accumulate about your topic in this simple act will fuel your ability to speak about it and to subsequently translate your thoughts into action.
I hope that this diatribe has not drawn on too interminably long and please excuse any blogging faux pas as I am indubitably a first-time blogger. Should anyone wish to contact me, do not hesitate to email me at tsheppar@emporia.edu
Sheppard, T. (2006). Intellectual gambling: Betting on the future public library. New Library World, 107 (11/12), p. 512-522.
Hi everyone,
My name is Jeff Bond and I am a SLIM alumnus. I graduated in summer 2006. Currently, I am the Science Librarian at Texas Christian University here in Fort Worth. I perform a variety of duties here, including reference, collection development, bibliographic instruction, and outreach.
I took LI 810 back in the fall semester of 2005. My project focused on mathematics and library classifications. I developed a plan to interview mathematics professors at nearby universities to give me their perceptions on mathematics classifications. The project in 810 led to my thesis, which I completed in spring and summer of 2006.
People often ask if it was worth the time and effort to do a thesis. It definitely was a lot of work but if given the opportunity, I would definitely do it again. I learned a lot—not just about classification, but also much about doing research.
What I really hope you will do is to find a way to develop your research proposal into an actual piece of research. It might take a variety of forms. Independent studies, theses, journal articles, and conference presentations are just a few things that come to mind. This class can really be a “launching point” for your research if you choose it to be. Please choose it to be. :)
I would love to hear from you. My email is j.bond@tcu.edu.
Jeff
Hi everyone,
My name is Brian Moss. I took LI810 with Dr. Dow in the fall of 2007. I found it to be one of the most useful classes I've taken at SLIM so far -- not only because it taught me a lot of the terminology and methods employed in LIS research (including how to put together a research proposal), but also because it taught me how to gain a deeper understanding of other people's research.
My research proposal for LI810 centered on a document analysis of the history of segregated library services in the United States. My proposal was someone "fudged" to the extent that it was a proposal for research that I was already doing for LI839 (History of Libraries). I ultimately wrote a paper on that topic as well, which I keep meaning to clean up and submit for publication.
For anyone who's curious, you can check out both my paper and my proposal here:
http://seglib.pbwiki.com/
If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at bmoss@emporia.edu. Meanwhile, enjoy your class!
Yours,
Brian
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