Eligibility Requirements:
If students have taken ILS 299, OR they have more than 10 years full-time experience in a library (documentation may be requested*) they can request to be allowed to do an original research project or to undertake a hybrid research/internship project (60 hours on-site and 25 page original research paper). For those students who have never worked in a library or have not taken ILS 299, they must opt for the practicum option.
**To be eligible for the research option or hybrid, if students have not taken ILS 299, a student must have 10 years work experience or by permission of the coordinator. For this option students may need to submit a resume documenting work experience, and/or a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or acceptable peer in the ILS field who can attest to your abilities, knowledge and skills as it pertains to libraries.
Description: Research option
The advanced research option provides an opportunity for the student to do an independent study on a topic of interest in the field of library and information science. This is not a traditional research paper, but rather an original research project which involves the creation of a data collection instrument, actual data collection from a decided upon audience and a research level paper on a topic of the students' choice. The paper should be at the level of a publishable article in a field journal.
A study proposal will be developed by the student and presented for approval to the faculty sponsor and the Coordinator of the Library and Information Technology degree programs.
Successful completion of the course is based on a minimum of 120 hours of student effort and satisfactory evaluation of the research project by the faculty sponsor as evidenced by supporting journals, periodic reports, an annotated bibliography, and a final oral and/or written presentation for which the student will earn 6 credits.
For the Research Portion ONLY: Textbook
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Coulomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Course Requirements:
If the prerequisite for the research option has been met, and the student is thinking about the research option, the following should be helpful in guiding the student to make that decision.
First of all, the research option is not a simple research paper on a topic, it is original research. It is similar in nature to the Master's Thesis and should not be considered an "easier" option than the practicum. Most students undertaking this option have found that it was much more work, and much more difficult and time-consuming than doing the practicum. This option requires you to do original research, to develop an instrument, collect data, analyze, do basic descriptive statistical evaluation of that data and present the results in a 40-50 page paper. This is in additional to assignments that are due at 4 stages of the semester.
The approved research proposal will consist of four phases:
- planning,
- implementation,
- evaluation, and
- presentation.
The student will keep a journal of learning activities, submit periodic progress reports, speak with the faculty sponser on a bi-weekly basis, develop an annotated bibliography of resources consulted, and present the findings in both a pwerpoint presentation and a research level article appropriate for the topic.
Any students opting for this, MUST, contact Jodi Williams via phone to discuss this option. Regularly scheduled phone appointments will be conducted over the course of the term. Please email: jodi.williams@maine.edu to set up a phone appointment to discuss this option.
*Information updated 8/11/11 |
