SCHOOL of LIBRARY SCIENCE University of Arizona LIS 506: Research Methods I Spring, 1996: Seavey

Charles A. Seavey, Professor
MWF 1:00-1:50pm, Psych 407
Office: rm 12, phone: 621-3957
cas@convx1.ccit.arizona.edu
Office hours:

COURSE INFORMATION

We must discover the laws on which our profession rests, and not invent them.
Anonymous, n.d..
Research is fundamentally a state of mind involving continual reexamination of the doctrines and axioms upon which current thought and action are based. It is, therefore, critical of existing practices.
Theobald Smith, 1929

GOALS and COURSE OBJECTIVES:

To provide students with an understanding of the purpose and nature of the research process, and how that process is applied in the area of library and information studies. A variety of methodologies are investigated and appropriate works of research in each method are considered. Basic statistical methods as they apply to library research are explained. The students should gain the skill necessary for evaluation of a variety of library research. As always, the most important aspect of the course is the development of critical thinking skills.

EVALUATION

All material will be graded on a numerical basis. The following standards apply in assigning final grades:
  1. Participation: 5%
  2. Review papers taken together: 35%
  3. Statistics Assignments: 20%
  4. Semester Project: 40%
A = >92
B = 83-92
C = 73-82
D = 63-72
E = <63

Numerical scores are not rounded up when computing grades.

The course will consist of lectures and discussion of common readings. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the students ability to analyze and critique published research in the field. Participation in class discussion sessions is essential.

REVIEWS: Two review papers are assigned.

The first review paper will be a report evaluating a monograph length work of history in our field. Guidelines and a suggested bibliography are attached.
The second review paper will evaluate two years worth of publication in a research journal in our field. Guidelines are attached. Have your journal selected by Monday, January 22.

STATISTICS EXERCISES: Students will solve two sets of statistical problems, outside of class. One set will invlove the use of calculators, the other a spreadsheet program, or statistical package of your choice. Guidelines attached.

SEMESTER PROJECT:The semester project will be an analysis of library service in an entire state. Data will be provided. Guidelines attached.

TEXT AND ASSIGNED READINGS: The text for this course is: Sprinthall, Richard. Basic Statstical Analysis 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 1994.

The articles in the readings package are the bare minimum you should expect to read for this course. There is a wealth of published material on virtually all aspects of research methodology. See what you can find and read it.

LATE WORK WILL SERIOUSLY AFFECT YOUR GRADE

Tentative Schedule of Events and Reading Assignments

Week 1: F 1/12: Introduction: the course, some definitions, research; History of Inquiry.

READINGS:

Hoover, Kenneth R. "Thinking Scientifically" chapter 1 of his The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking. St Martin's Press, 1980.

Leedy, Paul. "What is Research" chapter 1 of his Practical Research, 4th edition, MacMillian, 1989.

Babbie, Earl "Human Inquiry and Science" chapter 1 of his The Practice of Social Research 4th ed. Wadsworth Publishing, 1986, pp. 4-25.

Week 2: WEEK OF JANUARY 15-19: NO CLASSES: MLK DAY (Remember the Dreamer!) and the ALISE/ALA meetings. I’d get ahead on readings if I were you.

Week 3: M 1/22-F 1/26: Inquiry II; Research and Publication in Library and Information Studies, Paradigms, Hegemony and such.

READINGS

Shera, Jesse "Darwin, Bacon, and Research in Librarianship" Library Trends 13:141-149 (1964). pp. 141-141.

Lynch, Mary Jo "Research and Librarianship: An Uneasy Connection" Library Trends 32/4(1984) pp 367-383.

Johnson, Richard D. "Current Trends in Library Journal Editing" Library Trends 36 (Spring, 1988) 659-672.

Apple, Michael W. "On Analyzing Hegemony" Chapter one of his Ideology and Curriculum 2nd ed. Routledge, 1990.

Burke, Peter "Social Change" chapter 3 of his Sociology and History, George Allen & Unwin, 1980. pp. 80-105.

Harris, Michael H. "State, Class, and Cultural Reproduction: Toward a Theory of Library Service in the United States" Advances in Librarianship vol 14. Academic Press, 1986, pp 211-252.

Bergen, Dan. "Editorial" Library and Information Science Research 9:71-75 (1987).

Budd, John M. “An Epistomological Foundation for Library and Information Science” Library Quarterly 65/3, July, 1995, pp. 295-318.

Week 4: M 1/29-F 2/2: Finish Theoretical Background, Start with Design and Data Fundamentals.

READINGS

Campbell, Donald T. and Julian C. Stanley Experimental and Quasi Experimental Designs for Research Houghton Mifflin Co., 1963, or chapter 5 of N.L. Gage (ed.) Handbook of Research on Teaching Rand McNally, 1963. The version included here is from the Houghton Mifflin edition, pages 1-24.

Mark H. Maier "Demography" chapter 2 of his The Data Game: Controversy in Social Science Statistics M.E. Sharpe, 1991, pages 9-28.

Susan Faludi "Man Shortages and Barren Wombs: The Myths of the Backlash" chapter 2 of her Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women Crown Publishers, 1991, pages 3-45.

Gottschalk, Louis "What Are 'History' and 'Historical Sources'?" chapter 3 of his Understanding History Alfred Knopf, 1969. pp. 41-61.

Week 5: M 2/5- F 2/9: More on Data and Evidence.

Week 6-9, M 2/12-F 3/17: Statistics.

DUE DATES

Friday, February 23, First stats exercise.
Friday, March 7th: Second stats exercise.

BRING to class: readings package, calculator, and wits. We’ll do reading assignements out of the text as we go along, depending on the speed of the class.

Blalock, Hubert M. "Introduction to Inductive Statistics" chapter 8 of his Social Statistics 2nd ed. McGraw Hill, 1979, pp. 105-113.

Chottiner, Sherman. "Statistics: Toward a Kinder, Gentler Subject" Journal of Irreproducible Results, 35/6, Nov.-Dec, 1990, 13-15.

Additional Readings. These readings don't necessarily have anything to do with the immediate topic. However the survey is a widely used method of collecting data in our field and you should know something about it.
Moran, Barbara "Survey Research for Librarians" Southeastern Librarian 35 (fall, 1985), 78-81.

Bookstein, Abraham "Questionnaire Research in a Library Setting" Journal of Academic Librarianship 11 (march, 1985) 24-28.

Week 10: M 3/11-F 3/15: SPRING BREAK! I’m in Ganado doing research, you are catching up.

Week 11.33: M 3/18: Evaluation Session I: Library Journals.

DUE Evaluation papers

Come to class prepared to discuss your journal and your evaluation of the research contained therein.

Week 11.66-12.66, W 3/20-W 3/27: Historical Method and Thought.
READINGS: Bloch, Marc "Historical Observation" chapter 2 of his The Historian's Craft Vintage Books, 1953, pp. 48-78.

Beringer, Richard E. “Quantitative History” chapter 4 of his Historical Analysis: Contemporary Approaches to Clio’s Craft Robert E. Krieger Publishing, 1986. pages 193-201.

Kammen, Michael "Historical Knowledge and Understanding" chapter 1 of his Selvages and Biases; The Fabric of History in American Culture Cornell University Press, 1987, pp 3-63.

Week 12.99, F 3/19: An Archive: Meet in Special Collections, Main Library.

Week 13, M 4/1- F 4/5: Current Research: Faculty and Doctoral Students.

Week 14, M 4/8-F 4/12: Potpurri: Bibliometrics, Funding, and Evaluation Session II.
F 4/12: Evaluation Session II: Library History

Come to class prepared to discuss the monograph you read and evaluated as a work of research.
O'Connor, Daniel O. and Henry Voos "Empirical Laws, Theory Construction, and Bibliometrics" Library Trends 30 (Summer, 1981) pp. 53-64.

Smith, Linda C. "Citation Analysis" Library Trends 30 (summer, 1981) 83-106.

Obviously these don't have anything to do with funding issues. These are fairly common methodologies in library research.

Week 15-16, M 4/15-F 4/26: Final Project Presentations.

M, 4/29, W, 5/1: Catch up, and the End. Usually on the last day of classes I’ll take questions on whatever relevant issues you want to bring up. For really good answers, try and get the questions to me in writing on Monday so I can deal with them on Wednesday. If you don’t ask me questions, 1who knows what I might do. Think about it.

SEMESTER PROJECTS ARE DUE:

The Final Exam is Scheduled for Monday, May 6th at 11:00 a.m. The Final Versions of Your Projects Are Due At That Time.



IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

  1. Late papers will be graded down. No exceptions.
  2. I expect papers to be typewritten in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English.
  3. Papers not meeting these standards will be redone until they do so, losing points along
  4. the way. Suggestions on how to write for this course are attached.
  5. IF you are writing with a word processor/computer combination I would prefer you didn't use justification unless your software/hardware combination supports true proportional spacing. I would prefer a ragged right margin to funny spacing in the lines.

THE FOLLOWING POLICY APPLIES TO WORK DONE FOR THIS CLASS:

Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a student's submitted work, examinations, reports or projects must be that student's own work. Actions constituting a violation of the Code shall include those outlined below. Students shall be guilty of violating the Code and be subject to proceedings under it if they:
  1. Represent the work of others as their own.
  2. Use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
  3. Give unauthorized assistance to other students.
  4. Modify, without faculty approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the pupose of obtaining additional credit.
  5. Fail to meet other conditions of academic integrity as required by a faculty member for a specific course.
This is excerpted from the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity, as printed in the University Handbook for Appointed Personnel. There are also excerpts from the Code in the GLS student organization handbook. If you are not sure what any of this means, find out . I interpret this strictly. Unless specific permission is granted for group, or team projects, I expect that your work will reflect only you own efforts.

HOW TO WRITE FOR THIS COURSE

"Say a thing in one sentence as straight as it can be made, and then drop it."
William James

I expect that papers for a graduate level course will be written as if for publication. Not only must the basic facts of the subject be mastered, and all the relevant sources explored, but the text must be written clearly:

1. Who, what, where, when, and exactly how much must always be obvious.
Know what you wish to say, and say only that; define new terms or new uses of old ones.

2. Avoid ambiguity.
You can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor."

3. Link sentences and paragraphs logically and intelligibly. The reader shouldn't have to rearrange your ideas to make sense out of them.

4. Sentences should not be so long that the reader loses his or her way.
Otherwise you are likely to lose the readers attention, as so often happened with the prose of 19th century essayists such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, who was not only a doctor, professor, and novelist, but also the father of the famous Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (an intriguing character who combined the ideals of New England humanism with the prejudices of the upper-class, wealthy society in which he moved)...and before you know it you will have wandered very far afield.

For practice, read lots of Jesse Shera. Or Winston Churchill.

5. Avoid irrelevant or tangential topics. Stick to the point.

(see number 4)

6. No obstacle should come between you and your reader.
When revising, imagine the reader over your shoulder and apply the rules listed above before typing your final draft.

Review of a Work of History, Guidelines and Bibliography


In class we have talked a great deal about the historical method and what constitutes "good" history. A fair amount of publication in libraryland is historical in nature. Is it research as we are defining it in this class? Read one of the books listed below, and evaluate it as a work of research. I really don't care about the story involved, although you should feel free to evaluate the topic in view of the question: "so what?" which should be asked of all research.

A written report on your evaluation is due in class on Friday, April 10. Be prepared to discuss your evaluation in class.

The list below is pulled from Donald G. Davis and John Mark Tucker's excellent bibliography American Library History; a Comprehensive Guide to the Literature. ABC-Clio, 1989. The arrangement is chronological within subject area. I've removed all the stuff that does not have at least pretensions of being research material, and arbitrarily excluded stuff published before 1950 because historiography has changed so much since then. If you want to read something else, feel free, but let me know in advance.

Monographs dealing with the History of Libraries

Public Libraries in General
Lester, R.M. Carnegie Grants for Library Buildings, 1890-1917. Carnegie Corporation, 1943.

Ditzion, Sydney. Arsenals of a Democratic Culture... A.L.A. 1947.

Shera, Jesse H. Foundations of the Public Library: The Origins of The Public Library, Movement in New England, 1629-1855, U. of Chicago Press, 1949, reprinted by Scarecrow, 1974 or so.

Thompson, C.S. Evolution of the American Public Library, 1653-1876. Scarecrow Press, 1952.

King, M. Books and People: Five Decades of New York's Oldest Library Macmillan, 1954.

Schockley, A.A. A History of Public Library Services to Negroes in the South, 1900-1955 Delaware State College, 1955.

Monroe, Margaret E. The Library Adult Education: Biography of an Idea Scarecrow Press, 1963.

Carrier, E.J. Fiction in Public Libraries, 1876-1900 Scarecrow Press, 1965.

Lee, R.E. Continuing Education for Adults through the American Public Library, 1833-1964 A.L.A. 1966.

Bobinski, George. Carnegie Libraries: Their History and Impact on American Public Library Development ALA, 1969.

Davies, D.W. Public Libraries as Culture and Social Centers: The Origin of the Concept. Scarecrow Press, 1974.

DuMont, Roesmary R. Reform and Reaction: The Big City Public Library in American Life. Greenwood Press, 1977.

Garrison, Dee. Apostles of Culture: The Public Librarian and American Society Free Press, 1979.

Birge, L.E. Serving Adult Learners: A Public LIbrary Tradition ALA, 1981.

Carrier, E.J. Fiction in Public Libraries, 1900-1950 Libraries Unlimited, 1985.

Wiegand, Wayne. "An Active Instrument for Propaganda" The American Public Library During World War I. Greenwood, 1989.

Specific Studies by State or City


Blanford, L.A. A History of The Kern County Library Kern County Historical Society, 1967.

Conmy, P.T. The organic Structure of the Oakland Public Library: Its History and Development Oakland P.L. 1969.

Held, R. The Rise of the Public Library in California ALA, 1973.

Shibley, F.W. Washington Public Library-1899. Public Library of D.C., 1953.

Odom, E.P. History of the Public Library of Moultrie, Georgia, 1906-1965. Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, 1966.

Boyd, F. A history of the Public LIbrary Service in Terre Haute and Vigo County, Indiana, 1823-1966. Fairbanks-Vigo County P.L., 1966.

Constantine, J.R. The Role of Libraries in the Cultural History of Indiana. Indiana Library Studies, 1970.

McDonough, I.R. History of the Public Library in Vigo County, 1816-1975. Vigo County P.L. 1977.

Kalish, P.A. The Enoch Pratt Free Library: A Social History Scarecrow Press, 1969.

Siebens, C.R. A Historical Sketch of the Libraries of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Patriot Press, 1952.

Whitehill, Walter Muir. Boston Public Library: A Centennial History, 1854-1954 Harvard University Press, 1956.

Woodford, F.B. Parnassus on Main Street: A History of the Detroit PublicLibrary Wayne State University Press, 1965.

Dain, Phyllis. The New York Public Library: A History of its Founding and Early Years NYPL, 1972.

Cramer, C.H. Open Shelves and Open Minds: A History of the Cleveland Public Library Western Reserve University Press, 1972

Academic Libraries in General, 1950-


Brough, K.J. Scholar's Workshop: Evolving Concepts of Library Service U. of Illinois Press, 1953.

Erickson, E.W. College and University Library Surveys, 1938-1952. ALA, 1961.

Harding, T.S. College Literary Societies: Their Contributions to Higher Education in the United States, 1815-1876 Pagent-Poseidon, 1971.

Holley, Edward G. The Land Grant Movement and the Development of Academic Libraries... Texas A&M University Libraries, 1977.

Smith, J.C. Black Academic LIbraries and Research Collections: An Historical Survey Greenwood Press, 1977.

Hamlin, Arthur T. The University Library in the United States. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981.

Shifflett, O. Lee. Origins of American Academic Librarianship Ablex, 1981.

Radford, R.A. The Carneigie Corporation and the Development of American College Libraries, 1928-1941 ALA, 1984.

Academic Libraries by State or Institution, 1950-


Peterson, K.G. The University of California Library at Berkeley, 1900-1945 U.C. Press, 1970.

Jackson, W. The Development of Library Resources at Northwestern University 1920-1949. Illinos GLS Occasional Paper no.26, 1957.

Bentinck-Smith, W. Building a Great Library: The Coolidge Years at Harvard. Harvard University Press, 1976.

Norton, A. A History of the United States Military Academy Library. Avery, 1986.

Wilson, Louis Round. The Library of the First State University : A Reveiw of its Past and a Look at its Future. UNC Library, 1960.

Young, B.I. The Library of the Women' College, Duke University, 1930-1972. Regulator Press, 1978.

Biographies of Individual Librarians or Library related Folk.


Bannon, J.F. Herbert Eugene Bolton: The Historian and the Man. U. of Arizona Press, 1978.

Nagar, M.L. First American Library Pioneer in India. South Asia Publications, 1983.

Wall, J.F. Andrew Carnegie. Oxford U.P. 1970.

Byrnes, R.F. Awakening American Education to the World: The Role of Archcibald Carey Coolidge, 1866-1982. Harvard University Press, 1982.

Powell, Lawrence Clark. The Example of Miss Edith M. Coulter. California Library Association, 1969.

Hesseltine, W. B. The Story of Lyman Copeland Draper. SHSW, 1954.

Holley, Edward G. Charles Evans, American Bibliographer U. of Illinois Press, 1963.

Healey, J.S. John E. Fogarty, Political Leadership for Library Development. Scarecrow, 1974.

Howe, H. The Gentle Americans, 864-1960: Biography of a Breed. Harper and Row, 1965.

Borome, J.A. Charles Coffin Jewett (1816-68). ALA, 1951.

Tolles, F. B. James Logan and the Culture of Provincial America. Little Brown, 1957.

Wolf, E. James Logan, 1674-1751.... Library Company of Philadelphia, 1971.

Casey, Marion. Charles McCarthy, Librarianship and Reform. ALA, 1981.

Baumann, C.H. Angus Snead Macdonald. Scarecrow, 1972.

Sullivan, Peggy. Carl Milam and the American Library Association. Scarecrow, 1976.

Sayers, F.C. Anne Carroll Moore: A Biography. Atheneum, 1972.

Williamson, William L. William Frederick Poole and the Modern Library Movement. Columbia G.P., 1963.

Grotzinger, Laurel. The Power and the Dignity: Librarianship and Katherine Lucinda Sharp. Scarecrow, 1966.

Silverthorne, E. Ashabel Smith of Texas: Pioneer, Patriot, Statesman , 1805-1886. Texas A&M U.P. 1982.

Tyack, D.B. George Ticknor and the Boston Brahmins. Harvard U.P. 1967.

Boaz, M. Ferven and Full of Gifts: The Life of Althea Warren. Scarecrow, 1961.

Winckler, Paul A. The Greatest of Greatness: The Life and Work of Charles C. Williamson (1877-1965). Scarecrow, 1992.

Tauber, Mortimer. Louis Round Wilson: Librarian and Administrator. Columbia U.P. 1967.

McMurry, L.O. Recorder of Black Experience: A Biography of Monroe Nathan Work. LSU Press, 1985.

See Also:

Wiegand, Wayne; The Politics of an Emerging Profession: The American Library Association, 1876-1917. Greenwood, 1986.

Guidelines for the Journal Review

Libraryland, like most fields, has a plethora of journals. Many of them are "research" oriented in that they employ some form of refereeing in accepting articles.

Pick a journal in an area that interests you. Check Ulrich's or the other periodical guide whose title I can't think of right at the moment and determine, if the journal itself doesn't provide the information, whether or not it is refereed. Look at 8 issues of said journal, preferably the most recent 8, and evaluate, as research the articles therein.

Treat this as a research project of your own. Think about how research reports are presented. What can you say about the articles? How can you describe them? How many layers of information can you elicit from the data at hand?

The next couple of pages may be of help in thinking about evaluating research reports-- or maybe not.

Criteria for Evaluating Research Reports

The following is presented as a guideline only. It will not be appropriate to use for all research pieces, nor are these the only possible criteria that should be addressed. Each piece will require additional thought on the part of the evaluator.

I. Report of Prior Research:
Is the literature cited relevant?
Is the literature cited significant?
Is the literature cited sufficiently identified so that you could retrieve it?

II. Purpose and Justification:
Is it sufficient, logical, and convincing?
Is there a general problem area identified?
Is a specific problem evident?
Are definitions given and are they clearly operationalized?
Are assumptions stated?
Hypotheses: Are they stated- implied, clear, precise? Are they directional? Is lack of an hypothesis accounted for?

III. Sampling (if appropriate):
Is the population clearly described, implied?
Is the sample clearly described?
Is it representative, random, adequate in size?
Are limitations on generalizability presented?

IV. Instrumentation:
Adequately described?
Reliable?
Valid for the purpose?

V. Procedures:
Are they clearly described?
Are extraneous variables controlled?
Is procedural bias controlled?

VI. Data Analysis:
Are statistical methods appropriate?
Are limitations pointed out?

VII. Results
Clearly presented?
Written description consistent with data?
Are there a minimum of inferences?
Are they debatable?

VIII. Interpretation:
Is it consistent with the results?
Relevant to the purpose?
Does it place the study in a broader perspective?
What does it signal?

The following is one way of dissecting variables used in a work of research. It helps the researcher organize her or his thinking. It helps the evaluator in judging the appropriateness of the variables chosen.

Variable Outline

Variable Name:

Definition:

Conceptual:

What is the variable measuring, or supposed to be measuring?

Operational:

Precise definition of what numbers are to be used.
Unit of Analysis:
Geographic area, population group, ethnic category.. whatever.
Source of Data:
Hypothetical Range:
numerical range, ie: -1 to +1, or 0 to infinity, or...
Level of Data:
Ratio, interval, nominal, ordinal, dichotomous?
Evidence of Validity:
Evidence of Reliability:
Related Variables:

Cousins

Suitors

Literature:
has the variable been used before- if so where. This is related to the discussion of validity and reliability, above.
Guidelines for the Statistical Exercises


I. The first stats exercise is essentially descriptive in nature. I'll provide you with some data and some relatively simple questions involving descriptive statistics. You answer the questions, and everything is fine.

RULE 1: Do your own work. This is not a committee, or team assignment.

RULE 2: You may use a calculator, abacus, ouija board, whatever, but no computers.

RULE 3: Lay out all your work and all your calculations in a reasonably neat fashion so I can figure out what went wrong if you come up with the wrong answer. I tend to give a lot of partial credit for these things, but I have to see what mistakes you made in order to figure out how much you know, or don't know, about what is going on.

II. The second stats exercise is more complex. Questions, and data, will be provided. Answers will be returned to the professor only on disk (3.5 or 5.25-- either one) in spreadsheet or stat program data sheets. In theory I can translate your MacIntosh spreadsheets, but if you can do it on a DOS based machine I'd prefer that. I'll be using Excel, which as near as I can tell can read almost any other spreadsheet's stuff.

Library Service in......

This is the major project for the semester. You will have to use a computer and a spreadsheet program, although you may use a stats program if you have one--just let me know what your are doing before hand.

You will be provided with a copy of a statistical report from a state library. It is full of data. What can you tell me about library service in your state based on the available data? As good researchers you should have some specific questions to ask of the data before you start. Remember there are many layers to data.... get as much out of the material as possible. Essentially you are producing a research report based on already collected data. You may collect as much additional data about your state as you would like to. The U.S. Census Bureau has a huge amount of data on a wide range of socioeconomic variables for any number of geographic units. Check out the Census Bureau and cruise their data system for a while. Feel free to dip in there and see what you can find.

As an alternative to the state statistical reports, I will have a set of public library data from the National Center for Education Statistics available in the SLS computer lab. If you want to use that, feel free. It is in a DBIII+ (I think) format, but can be translated into a spreadsheet. Think of it as a challenge.

During the last four class sessions you should be prepared to discuss your project. Tell us what you have found out about library service in your state. You may use overheads, slides, the state librarian, whatever, to get the point across.