Learning Objectives and Final Thoughts

Now let's have a final look at the learning objectives of the internship and how I met those goals:

Learning Objective #1: I would like to assist with collection development/management
and weeding.   Special collections tribal newspaper project at Tahlelquah campus.

Learning Objective #2: I would like to acquire experience performing research via a survey instrument. Website satisfaction survey via Google Forms.

Learning Objective #3: I would like to acquire hands-on experience serving patrons at the
Reference and Circulation desk. Two introductory sessions working the front desk. COVID-19 shutdown made it difficult to develop this further. 

Learning Objective #4: I would like to acquire experience preparing for and participating in Library
instruction. Sat in on three instructional session of the library and assisted librarian in organizing a online video presentation. I developed a LibGuide on copyright issues that will be used on the library's website. 

Learning Objective #5: I would like to develop the organizational skills required to catalog and classify special collections. There was some exposure to this in my work in Tahlequah. 

I am very glad that I pursued an internship for the 2020 Spring semester. I feel very fortunate to have been working with Dr. Louderback for what turned out to be a very difficult Spring. The closures of COVID-19 turned everyone's world upside down. Thankfully, the ongoing web survey and the LibGuide project gave me a chance to work remotely and complete the internship. While I would have liked to have participated more in the regular daily remote operations of the library during the crisis, I realize that the logistics of that would have been very difficult to work out. She had quite a bit on her plate in adapting the library to an all virtual environment, and yet she always had time to answer my questions or provide general direction.

How to Conduct a Survey: Part 6 5/04/20

We cut off public access to the survey on Friday, May 1st. Since the survey went live on April 4th, the survey was open to the public for four weeks.  There was some confusion about the total respondents (there was a difference in the number of people who started and completed the survey). We ended up with 177 completed surveys. This was not quite the number I was hoping for, but COVID-19 and the closure of the public building probably had something to do with the lower than expected total.

The survey was through Google forms and there are a number of ways you can break down the data and create graphs. The last few days I have been trying to discern patterns, themes, or stories to be told from the survey responses, especially from the open ended questions.

The process of finding a story to tell, presenting the data, and polishing the presentation for the publishing of an article will be a project that will outlast my internship. Dr. Louderback is eager to work with me until completion of this project.

A few quick takeaways from the experience:

• Ideally, someone conducting a survey for the first time at an academic institution should begin the process several months in advance. While my project qualified for an expedited review, there were many details that were overlooked in the hustle to get paperwork and applications in in a timely fashion.  
• When conducting a survey, it is important to identify very clearly all the possible kinds people who may find and take the survey. I made a mistake of assuming everyone taking the survey had actually visited the website. It turns out that many faculty and staff had not, but all of the questions assumed they had! I believe this led to the discrepancy between the total number who began the survey, and those who completed it.
• If I ever have the opportunity to do this again, I think I will spend more time refining the goals and purposes of the survey. In other words, writing very specific questions that need answering.
• In going over the responses to the survey, I'm thrilled that the information might be used by the NSU staff in current efforts to restructure the website. It seems important that student internship work actually benefit the partnering institution. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed the experience of conducting a survey and am looking forward to putting this skill to use in future professional endeavors.