East Carolina University
Department of Interdisciplinary Professions
LIBS 6972 Research Methods in Library and Information Studies
Instructor
Dr. John B Harer
E-mail: harerj@ecu.edu
Phone: 252/328-4389
East Carolina University
Ragsdale 126A
Mail Stop 172
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
ADA Accommodation: Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive)
who requires academic accommodations should contact the instructor immediately. East
Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). Students requesting accommodations based on a disability must be registered
with the Department for Disability Support Services located in Slay 138 ((252) 737-1016
(Voice/TTY)). For more information on the department's ADA compliance, click ADA
compliance information.
Office Hours: Monday: 10:00-Noon and Wednesday: 1:00-4:00
Other times by appointment
I usually monitor my email and voice mail throughout the day. Day time email responses
generally happen more frequently, with the exception of times when I must attend
meetings. For nights and weekends, I cannot promise a quick turnaround, but generally
answer emails before the end of the day.
Syllabus and Course Information for LIBS 6972
Prerequisites: All Tier 1 and Tier 2 courses.
Catalog Description: Various available resources and the problems of research in library
and information studies.
http://catalog.ecu.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=3&ent_oid=189&returnto=192
Course Description: Conducting research and contributing to the professional
knowledge of our profession is an essential skill for you as a professional librarian. This
course will introduce you to the various types of research and resources in library and
information studies. LIBS 6972 is an overview of research resources, techniques, and
strategies as applied to the definition, identification, and evaluation of research problems.
The course will cover:
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Introduction to research: Theories on research for libraries
Qualitative methods of research: naturalistic approaches to site selection,
sampling, researcher role and instrumentation
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Quantitative methods of research: statistical measurement, hypothesis selection,
instrumentation, experimental designs
Action research for libraries
Other forms of research: case studies, Delphi technique, content analysis, citation
analysis, historical research
Data gathering and statistics: descriptive statistics, inferential statistics
Course Objectives:
The course objectives are to:
 demonstrate critical analysis of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship in
LIS;
 evaluate research problems, theoretical frameworks and research methodologies.
At the end of the course, students will:
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demonstrate critical analysis of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship in
LIS
demonstrate theoretical and methodological approaches used by LIS scholars
have reviewed the ongoing research and scholarly pursuits of ECU LIS faculty
evaluate research problems, theoretical frameworks and research methodologies
Course Calendar: The course calendar is available within the Blackboard site for this
class. The calendar is subject to change by the instructor with prior announced notice.
Important Semester Dates:
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May 19: Class begins
May 20: Last day to drop/add
May 26: State holiday
July 8: Last day to drop a class without grades (by 5 p.m.)
July 31: Last day of class
August 1: Finals day
Module Assignments Due Dates
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Starter Kit:
Module 1: Theories on research for libraries:
Module 2: Action research for libraries:
Module 3: Other Types of Research:
Module 4: Experimental Research:
Module 5: Data gathering and statistics:
Finals period:
May 22
June 1
June 15
June 22
July 15
July 28
August 1
5 pts
15 pts
20 pts
15 pts
20 pts
20 pts
5 pts
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(I encourage you to complete a draft of your artifact for this course for this course by July
28. I will use the remaining part of the week [July 29-31] to review your draft and return
to you for improvements [if any]).
Instructional Methods: This course is a graduate level course that should requires
outside reading and studying of professional literature resources, student research and
synthesis of findings, graduate level writing and presentation skills. This course is
primarily a self-driven learning experience
Assistance from the instructor is available to you in your learning experience. The
instructor will provide additional support and effort whenever requested by a student and
keep providing it until the student is comfortable in their knowledge/abilities.
LIBS 6972 course materials will be made available via the instructor’s ECU Blackboard
site (https://blackboard.ecu.edu/ ). The LIBS 6972 course is an asynchronous course in
delivery. This means that there are no mandatory dates or times that a student must be
online or communicating with classmates or the instructor.
Course Resources for LIBS 6972
For the Summer, 2014, there is no required textbook. Required readings will be
provided for each module in the Blackboard course menu
Suggested Texts:
Powell, Ron and Connaway, Lynn. (2004). Basic research methods for librarians.
4th edition. Libraries Unlimited: Westport, CT.
APA Style Manual. 5th edition. American Psychological Association.
APA Style Guide to Electronic References (PDF). This is an electronic copy of the
APA Electronic References in PDF format. If you want the link to purchase the electronic
copy, please visit http://books.apa.org/books.cfm?id=4210509&toc=yes .
Resources: I will periodically send out additional research resources for students. I will
be post these resources in the course Blackboard site in the “Links” section. Other useful
resources can be found below:
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Access to the electronic journals available via ECU’s Joyner Library can be found
at: http://jw3mh2cm6n.search.serialssolutions.com/ .
Access to the ECU databases available for students can be found at:
http://media.lib.ecu.edu/erdbs/ .
Conducting research at a distance http://www.ecu.edu/cslib/distance/conducting.cfm
Getting articles from Joyner http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/distance/articles.cfm
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Pirate Source LIS research resources
http://media.lib.ecu.edu/reference/piratesource/index.cfm?subjectid=100
Internet Searching http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/ci/sped/internetsearch.cfm
Writing Resources http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/ci/sped/writingres.cfm
Technology resources http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/ci/sped/techres.cfm
Study Skills http://www.ecu.edu/cs-educ/ci/sped/studyskills.cfm
Evaluating web information and searching online
http://core.ecu.edu/engl/smithcath/7730/7730L5.HTM
LIBS 6972 Assignments (General Information)
All assignment information (i.e. description, criteria, grading rubrics, resources,
etc.) are available in BB in the Course assignments section.
Things that apply to all assignments:
 Submit all assignments in a 12-point font (Arial, Calibri, Comic Sans, Tahoma,
Trebuchet are preferred) of easy reading ability, double-space format unless
otherwise noted. Charts, tables, etc. within an assignment or that accompany
assignment are to be single spaced; references need to use the 12 point font and
are double spaced. Charts, tables, etc. can use smaller fonts when needed.
 Page limits do not include title pages, references, or attachments. Attachments to
any assignment are limited to 2 pages/ slides as appropriate to the assignment.
 Students shall submit assignments directly to Dr. Harer via the Blackboard
assignment link in the assignment menu or by email (harerj@ecu.edu) using
attachments or via fax at 252-328-4368
 Students shall create their assignments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint,
as the assignment indicates. If you are required to use other software to complete
an assignment, please check with Dr. Harer prior to submitting the assignment for
usability and access.
 PowerPoint submissions must be self-explanatory and not simply an outline of
key terms/ideas (i.e. bullet points alone will not suffice.) The presentation must
provide the viewer with all of the pertinent information necessary to understand
the salient points of the message, as you will not be there in person to fill in the
missing information.
 I will send each student feedback on their assignment grades and comments about
your paper in the paper itself. Grades will also be added to your grade book
LIBS 6972 Grading Information (General)
The grading of written assignments will be based on the following criteria: adherence to
assignment requirements, the detailed, concise and logical presentation of information
that addresses the assignment requirements and grading rubric components, use of
resource materials to justify responses, compositional style, and use of appropriate
grammar and style. Written work that shows a lack of understanding of subject matter, is
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unclear or poorly organized, contains few or irrelevant details, does not follow directions,
contains little or unsubstantiated evaluative commentary, or is otherwise poorly written,
prepared (e.g. typos, grammatical errors), or documented will receive low grades.
Students should use the American Psychological Association (APA) version 5 citation
format for all assignments and throughout their work.
The rubrics indicate what assignment components are being graded and their priorities;
i.e. the more points a grading rubric component is worth, the larger the portion of the
information in the submitted assignment addressing that rubric.
Final Exam Period: The university requires that all classes, including online classes,
hold a final exams period. The university does not require a final exam be given, only
that some learning experience and/or assessment be provided. For this online class, a
class discussion on the day of the final (June 20) will be the final requirement.
All assignments are due by midnight on their due date.
Late submissions: Late submissions are considered late when your instructor (Dr. Harer)
checks for your submission after the official due date and time. If an assignment is
submitted late, 10% of its score will be deducted in addition to score deductions for
rubric assessments. Excessive late submissions (more than 3) will result in a “One grade
letter downgrade” of your final grade.
Incompletes: Incompletes will not be provided to students unless there is an extreme
exception to normal life conditions, i.e. serious family/personal illness, major life
trauma, etc. Incompletes need to be approved at least 3 weeks before the end of the
semester by the instructor and the student must have completed at least 2/3 of all course
assignments before any consideration of an incomplete will be provided.
Grading Scale: Grades for the course shall consist of 7 assignments. The course
assignments total 100 points in value. These points comprise your final grade for the
course. The grade scale is as follows:
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93 - 100 total points results in a final grade of "A"
85 - 92 total points results in a final grade of "B"
75 - 84 total points results in a final grade of "C"
00 - 74 total points results in a final grade of "F"
Class participation: Student participation is required in all communications, online
inquiries / discussions, etc. throughout the semester.
Portfolio Artifact and Reflective Statement: Information regarding the portfolio
artifact (Assignment) and the reflective statement for the artifact will be available in
Assignment and in the “Course Docs” section of the course Blackboard site.
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Copyright: All of intellectual property used or created in LIBS 6972 created on any
tangible medium (electronic or paper format) is fully protected by the copyright law as
embodied by US Code Title 17. Examples of intellectual property include the intellectual
property of you, your classmates as expressed in course assignments and email
discourses, and the course instructor as expressed in his course syllabus, class
assignments, course resources, and presentations of an audio/video nature. The copyright
law does allow what is described as “fair use" of copyright materials. Under “fair use” of
copyright protected materials used or generated within LIBS 6972, students may only
utilize protected intellectual property in support of their education pursuits in this class as
long as fully cited and authorship/creator acknowledgement is noted. Please ask the
instructor if you have any questions regarding copyright law and “fair use.”
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to turn in original work and adhere to all
"Academic Honesty" policies and procedures. All resources consulted for the work
should be listed as “Consulted or Background Sources” and all resources actually used
(quoted, cited, exampled, etc.) should be listed in detail. When you quote a resource
verbatim, you must enclose the text in quotation marks and identify the original resource
in your citations following proper APA Manual of Style rules. Ideas that you paraphrase
must be attributed, even if you are not quoting the original source verbatim. Any use of
copyright protected materials in your assignments must follow all applicable copyright
and intellectual property laws.
Students shall avoid all forms of deliberate academic dishonesty, including but not
limited to:
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Collusion – students concealing their collaborating in the completion or
production of course assignments submitted for credit when specifically
prohibited in advance by the instructor.
Plagiarism – the use or nearly exact use of others intellectual property without
attribution and without enclosing the property in quotation marks or other
identifier notation. An extended quotation or paraphrase of another’s intellectual
property must be attributed to its source and will be considered plagiarism if not
attributed to its source.
Changes to syllabus: This syllabus may be subject to some alteration, as needs arise,
before or during the CURRENT term.
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