Theory & Praxis
“Students have a critical grounding in theoretical perspectives that draw on research in LIS as well as other fields of knowledge, that inform their professional practices including research, organization, management, and access to information.”
IV.A. Students will describe applications of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in library and information science.
LIS 6271 Research Methods in Library and Information Science
Quantitative Article Critique: Challenges to born-digital institutional archiving
Qualitative Article Critique: Digital storytelling and participatory local heritage
I find myself returning to each of these research studies time and time again. Cocciolo examines the digital record-keeping practices of a New York Art Museum (NYAM) as the institution moves towards creating and maintaining its own born-digital archive. This research perfectly captures the pitfalls and frustrations with curating and caring for digital data, battling file migration between storage repositories, corruption of file data, or access fluctuations. Cocciolo also chronicles the human-element; staff reticence regarding change, orphaned mystery folders, and personal methods of file organization all present hurdles when collating mass amounts of institutional information. This article has informed and impacted my personal and professional data organization, file management, interdepartmental projects, as well as instructions and requests for colleagues.
Davidson and Reid chronicle the tremendous community support of and engagement with their Fraserburgh on Film collection. This is incredibly inspiring and personally relevant, as I completed my first master’s degree in Scotland. I found wonderful similarities between the Florida Keys and Scotland, evident in the vibrant and supportive coastal communities, tourist-driven economy, and pride in both vocational and creative industries. This article realistically attributes much of the collection’s success to Davidson’s deep personal ties to Fraserburgh and its community; without this familiar connection, the project’s actualization might not have been as remarkable or participants as forthcoming. I reflect on this often, especially as I strive to bolster community investment in my current branch, the Big Pine Key Library, as well as the Monroe County Public Library system as a whole. I am curious if a similar enterprise could be replicated within the Florida Keys, drawing upon and facilitated by both local residents and longtime visitors.
IV.B. Students will identify opportunities for research and develop plans for research in applied settings in library and information science.
LIS 6271 Research Methods in Library and Information Science
Research Proposal: Rare Books and Special Collections: Does Digitizing Increase Patron Usage of Information Both Digitally and Physically?
This research proposal is a group project with two classmates, concentrating on special libraries as they attract, connect with, and retain new and returning visitors. By establishing relationships with special librarians and collecting professional and visitor data, this research proposal intends to provide actionable insights for special libraries to better serve their staff and visitors. Digital collections are expensive to create, host, and maintain. Reviewing and reflecting on concrete data trends, viewer responses, and engagement metrics will aid special library leadership as they determine how best to allocate funds earmarked for the development of and care for digital collections. Digital collections should not fully supplant physical collections, but ought to serve as complementary and augmentative additions. This research proposal will produce accurate, real-life data meant to encapsulate how the public do (or do not) utilize digital collections; if the results reveal low engagement, the special libraries will then be better informed to reallocate and reappropriate effort and funds towards different projects or collections.