Sarah Nolan

I have chosen to interpret the core competency of research skills to encompass not only those set of skills that include actually carrying out research and developing methods, but also skills of finding and evaluating research done by others. In this respect, I have chosen my Literature Review Assessment from my Research Methods course in the first semester, to reveal this competency. We were assigned to locate and review literature surrounding a certain aspect of librarianship. I chose to review articles that related to the “Teen Challenge” in public libraries. Feeling that they are often a marginalized aspect of the public, I was interested to see what research had been completed on the subject.

While this was my first time writing a literature review, I was surprised to learn that I had a knack, and satisfaction in doing one. It was incredibly gratifying seeing various themes and connective threads throughout a multitude of research done. I was pleased to see the plethora of information regarding teens and libraries in regards to solving the disparities between the two. The literature review assessment allowed me to make note of the specifics of each individual article, as well as develop and argument about two, drawing on the themes and connections that I assessed. By reviewing and organizing different articles I was able to see varying methods of research. It seems to me that being able to critically evaluate articles and find new ways of connecting the information, analytical research skills are being used. I feel that being able to connect and analyze research is a skill that is highly transferable in my professional development.

Lit Review Assessment