Research Journal Entry #11

I got so much work done on both my papers this past week! My research proposal is about 98% finished at this point, thank goodness. I just need to proof-read it once or twice for errors and awkwardness, and I will be totally set with it. The literature review for 2.0 is about 90% done – the concluding paragraph is still unfinished, and I need to proof read it all to make sure the topic sentences go with the thesis and all, but otherwise I am happy with it. I’ve also made a lot of progress on my 2.0 final project – the blog is up and running, though a little lacking in updates because Ashaway is a sleepy little town and summer reading is only just kicking off. I wrote the majority of the implementation plan for it yesterday on my lunch break, and it’s going pretty smoothly. Oh, and I also aced my last Cataloging quiz, which is a small miracle because I had to guess at a lot of it. I am beyond thrilled that everything is running so on schedule and I was able to stick to my own deadlines – I’m a little proud of myself, too, I have to say.

I’m not out of the woods, yet, though. I still have to get through the rest of Cataloging, and while I have managed to build a decent margin of error from doing so well on the quizzes, that can easily be shattered by the fact that I do not understand MARC whatsoever, or almost anything else for that matter.

Anyway, I’m giving myself the weekend off cause it’s the holiday and I deserve it. I’ll still have to check in at some point to copy/paste or upload my annotations and these journal entries onto Sakai, but since they’re basically done, I’m not counting it. Otherwise, I plan to be at the beach for as much time as possible – basking in the gorgeous weather that the meteorologists have promised, dancing at one of the two foam parties going on at Paddy’s, and/or attending the Pimps & Hoes Ball…also at Paddy’s. I might finally get around to making that berry pie I’ve been dreaming about for a month, too.

Research Journal Entry #9

I spent most of last week writing my protoproposal – I’d estimate that it’s approximately 75% done right now, perhaps a little more. I’m not totally sure how this is going to affect my ability to write regular journal entries on it, but I’ll make it work somehow. Anyway, it’s going fairly well so far. I’ve blocked everything off into sections, so all of the results and the researchers’ reflections on those results are categorized according to the advantages and disadvantages of the internet, the gift and curse of technology, the effects of information overload, and the role of librarians in the Information Age. All of that is, of course, sandwiched between an introduction paragraph (or two), and a conclusion with notes on the strengths and weaknesses of the research I used and a lot of suggestions for further research. I mean, I’m pretty sure that’s what the paper is supposed to look like anyway, according to the syllabus, so unless that’s just a pack of lies…I should at least get points for following directions, doing a hell of a lot of reading, talking about it to my friends constantly and annoying the crap out of them, working through my lunch breaks, and trying my best.

Anyway, there’s more to do tomorrow and all of next week – gotta start on the 2.0 paper ASAP!

Oh, PS – you may have noticed, I just posted my book review for Blink a few minutes ago, too. I will also be tweeting it on my class Twitter account sometime on or around the 30th, so prepare yourself for a barrage of updates coming at you. You have been warned.

PPS – I really should have mentioned this way earlier (see: weeks ago) but it kept slipping my mind – I created a blog for the Ashaway Free Library as part of my course project for Library 2.0, and you can check it out here!

Research Journal Entry #6

Well, I’ve hit another road block regarding my research. Basically, I’ve read approximately a dozen articles, but only four of them are direct reports of research done by the authors themselves, and I need at least five. Sugar fudge.

Besides that, my annotations are going pretty well. It’s difficult for me to gauge what the strengths and weaknesses of each study are, but I’m managing. Figuring out the intentions of the researchers, the methods, and the results is pretty easy.

My goal is to finish the annotations by tomorrow afternoon on my lunch break, and then finish my readings for the Library 2.0 Literature review by Friday so I can start putting both of these projects together by the start of next week, and hopefully finish both of them by the end of June, so then I’ll really only have to worry about Cataloging for the first two weeks of July and then I’ll be g-o-n-e.

But in order to finish the annotations, I will probably need to figure out a fifth article…and there just isn’t that much research out there already on my topic specifically. Lots of information on how it relates to marketing, lots of information on how to manage it, but not a lot of information on information overload itself, which is weird.

And in order to finish my readings for 2.0, I will need to be able to stay awake while reading for more than half an hour at a time. Ugh. Easier said than done. The topic (how Facebook/social networking has affected interpersonal relationships) is actually really interesting to me, but I am not a natural reader. I am a natural sleeper.

Anyway, time to make dinner (mixed veggies sauteed in garlic and olive oil with whatever spices I can find in the cabinet…I wish I had some kind of sauce to go with it, but alas, I am a poor girl and a poor meal planner sometimes) and start on all that homework.