Dr. John Archer Library Award

Below are suggested questions to consider and perhaps address when writing the Dr. John Archer Library Award reflective essay.   The essay should be approximately 500 words and it is part of the award application.  It must be submitted to the Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA).  Library staff will not provide assistance with completing any part of the award application or writing the reflective essay.

1. How did you think about and refine your research topic?
2. What specific strategies did you develop for finding relevant information?
3. What specific library search tools did you use, and why?
4. What library services (e.g. instruction session, Help Desk/reference assistance,  Interlibrary Loan, Archives & Special Collections, Data Services, Research Guides) did you take advantage of, and how did these services and resources support your research?
5. Did you have trouble finding some types or formats of information and, if so, how did you overcome this challenge?
6. Did your assumptions about what information would be available change throughout the research process?
7. Did you have reasons for not selecting specific resources, even though they appeared promising?
8. What did you learn about finding information on your topic or in your discipline? Was it necessary to move outside your discipline to find sufficient sources?
9. How much did the sources you used provide support for your thesis or conclusions?
10. How did you balance the evidence that you found?
11. What did you learn about your own research process and style?
12. What expertise have you gained as a researcher?
13. What do you still need to learn?
14. What  would you change about your strategies and process if given another chance to conduct this research?
15. Who (librarians, archivists, reference assistants, etc.) provided significant assistance with your research gathering process and what did they do?