SIM students showcased their research projects at a joint SIM / School of Public Administration public poster session on April 1st.  Students in the Research Methods course work individually or in groups to identify a topic of interest, conduct a literature review, propose original research, obtain ethics approval, collect data, analyze data, answer research questions, and present their work in three different formats.  This semester-long project helps build evaluation & assessment skills, academic research abilities, presentation skills, and of course collaboration and project management experience.

The projects were as diverse as information management itself, covering various uses and contexts of information.  Topics included public librarians’ perspectives on whether library catalogs should be included in Google search results; how social media protests translate into real-world action; an assessment of intern experiences including the relative value of practical experience versus wages; an examination of how non-technical people define privacy and security in the context of cloud computing; how Canadians assess their own levels of data literacy with regard to Open Data, and their views on the general move to open data; how the Myers-Briggs personality types of MLIS students relate to expected or desired careers; how theoretical information behavior models compare to actual information seeking in religious communities; how police departments in Atlantic Canada use social media to share and engage with information; and how undergraduate students assess the quality of open-access journals.

Students shared their research with guests from across the Faculty and the University.  Dr. Mike Smit teaches the SIM Research Methods course, and thought the poster session was successful. “I was incredibly impressed with the general quality of the posters, and the ability of the students to speak confidently and enthusiastically about their work. I am confident our students will graduate not just with valuable knowledge and experience, but with the tools and abilities to generate new knowledge.”

See photographs of the event here