This tag was created by Curtis Fletcher. The last update was by Linda Huynh.
Program Goal - Research and Evaluation Methods For Impact Assessment and Decisionmaking
Content Analysis of 5 Academic Libraries’ Instagram Posts
In LIM 504 Research Methods in Library and Information, I analyzed five academic libraries’ Instagram posts and applied research and evaluation methods to gain insight, access impact, and suggest appropriate recommendations to expand the research. The content analysis artifact raised two research questions: “What type of Instagram content category receives the most engagement?” and “Does the academic libraries' selection of visual format affect Instagram engagement?” I examined five academic libraries of my choosing and only viewed posts from October 2022. Using Google Spreadsheets, I created columns with the following categories: Institution¸ Category, Content, Target Audience, Format, Likes, and Comments. I inputted values based on the information I observed from each post. In my analysis, I learned that, overall, institutions receive low comment engagement when Instagram posts feature photos and graphics. However, highlighted library services and general audience content receive the most Like engagement. If I could further this research, I would suggest expanding to other academic schools and grouping them by category such as CSUs, UCs, private schools, and city colleges. This research experience was a great exercise in posing research questions, showcasing investigative methods in collecting data, and performing research analysis.
Qualtrics Focus Group Survey
The Qualtrics Focus Group Survey artifact was an assignment I created in LIM 504 Research Methods in Library and Information, and it demonstrated my knowledge of designing a focus group survey. According to Morgan (1996), conducting focus groups is still considered an emerging data-collecting method. Therefore, there is no formal way on how to properly design and administer it. However, this artifact demonstrates how I would conduct a focus group. The survey includes a topic/research statement and ten focus group questions accompanied by explanations of why I incorporated those questions and their relevance to the research question. The topic/research statement stated, “Does Los Angeles County’s public library staff feel their institution is successful in providing relevant supportive languages to their patrons?” In question 5, the survey asks, “Does your department have a multilingual staff who use their non-English skills to communicate with patrons?” This question aimed to understand if the participant’s library practices representational hiring. Following the questions, I share a potential plan for who and how I would share the survey with and my anticipated survey results.
Conclusion
Both artifacts (results analysis and focus group survey) demonstrate how I designed, applied, and interpreted different research and evaluation methods. Working at a community non-profit, I have many experiences implementing surveys to retrieve qualitative and quantitative community data. However, the two artifacts were a worthwhile exercise for me and strengthened my research strategies. My questions are refined and strongly tied to the research topic goals. Probing the Instagram posts, translating them into data, and demonstrating my analysis was a fun process, and I learned so much about the topic. In addition, I learned the first step of research design is to have a clear target audience and research goals because that will help guide me in developing the questions. The researcher should be able to explain why a question is incorporated. I plan to take these lessons as I enter the LIS profession.
References
Morgan, D. L., (1996). Focus groups. Annual Review of Sociology, 22(1), 129-152.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2083427?origin=JSTOR-pd
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