Levine, J. (2008). Broadening Gaming Services in Libraries. Library Technology Reports, 44(3), 24-34. Retrieved January 19, 2010, from ProQuest Research Library. Data from one of the case studies in this article stated that when a school librarian implemented something known as "gaming days" for students who joined the VRC (Virginia Readers Choice) program and read at least one book off of the VRC list, the amount of students who participated in the program nearly doubled from 25 to 49 students in only the first year of implementing games into the library. The author of the article was able to determine that the student response to including games in a library setting was quite positive and actually helped to increase the amount of students who visited the library in general. This is relevant to my research topic because I am quite interested in learning how including video games and other games in a library can have a positive impact on how people (specifically teenagers) view the library and hopefully increase the amount of people who want to visit and experience all that libraries have to offer. Research reveals that including video games in a library setting can increase not only interest in the library but can also help to improve literacy and learning among patrons of all ages.

Labelle, P.R. (2007). Initiating the Learning Process: A Model for Federated Searching and Information Literacy, 12(3), 237-252, Retrieved January 19, 2010 from the Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. Data from an informal usability study by Ed Tallent, Head of Reference and Instructional Services at Boston College's O'Neill Library, conducted in 2003 based on the desire of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty at Boston College using the federated search product MetaLib. This product, which allows users to search multiple databases simultaneously, was used by students to demonstrate their preferred methods of information seeking. According to Tallent's findings, published in an article titled Metasearching in Boston College Libraries - a case study of user reactions and published in 2004, 5 percent of undergraduates responded that they used the library website daily while 12.56 percent of students used the physical library daily. Librarians also noted that some students who arrive on campus were unaware what a card catalog was. Many of the students did not read instructions or announcements posted by librarians, but insisted on finding what they needed immediately. Some of the examples of the searches entered were love advice, deafness rock music, school bullying, sin and ethics, and film Hollywood history studio. These results indicate that students preferred to search immediately using a single resource instead of conducting a thorough search by replicating their strategy in many resources. Labelle illustrates in his article that as federated searching tools are a growing technology in libraries, there are several flaws with successfully implementing this technology. These include not always providing the best possible results (which not all search tools are capable of), lack a clear indication of how results are are found, classified and sorted, and finally the issue of de-duplication, where duplicate results are identified and grouped together in a single entry, but only for the results retrieved using the federated search. I am interested in learning what methods students consider and use in order to complete research assignments and understanding how to determine the reliability of sources when searching in library catalogs or using the internet. Research indicates that while the use of federated searching is not without issues, students will find that they may be able to find information using sources they may have not considered before and will help librarians improve information literacy instruction through discussion and analysis of the students ability to evaluate the information they find.

Kendrick, M., & McKay, R. (2002). Uncovering Literacy Narratives Through Children's Drawings. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'education, 27(1), 45-60. This article examines the correlation between literacy, and art. This puts it a little briefly, but the article dealt with children who would read or write a story, and asked them to draw what they had just read or written. This allowed them to see how each individual child interpreted the text, giving them a glimpse into the thought process of the students’ views of literacy. They showed a few examples of drawings the students had made, and how they had interpreted the text. They found that boys tended to have a more violent view of stories they had created. These drawings allow educators a better understanding of their students; this can allow them to provide better help in areas the student might be struggling in. I think this will be relevant for my work, because I want to look at literacy, specifically visual literacy, and how they tie together. Also I am hoping to draw this knowledge into improving library materials that can increase visual literacy.

Teper, Thomas H. “Current and Emerging Challenges for the Future of Library and Archival Preservation.” Library Resources and Technical Services 49.1 (2005): 32-9. Teper explores and analyzes the preservation issues related to a variety of formats in libraries. The article delves into the individual challenges in preserving these formats, particularly when formats are continuously phased out or eliminated as the technology evolves. Much of the focus is on digital formats and the difficulty in determining the best tools to use in preserving digital information. The article also discusses an increasing problem related to preservation related to the lack of adequately trained technicians to manage the increased volume of preservation activities of libraries and archives. Even though this article addresses many areas of concern, those researching digital preservation may find Teper’s analysis provides valuable insight to the dynamics of digital technology and the surrounding issues of preserving a variety of formats.

Looking good! Not sure if the Teper article is a research article with data - or more an educated editorial.

Replication and Meta-Analysis in Parapsychology. Jessica Utts. Statistical Science, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Nov., 1991), pp. 363-378 Published by: Institute of Mathematical Statistics Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2245728 One study involved four participants. One (Sender) attempted to psychically send information they viewed on a television to another participant (Receiver). Another participant (Experimenter) recorded the Receiver’s response without knowing which response was the correct one. A Lab Assistant randomly selected targets to be viewed on the television. A 25% success rate was figured to occur due to chance. The actual result rate of “direct hits” for the 355 trials involving 241 participants was 34.4%. When the Sender and Receiver were friends, the results increased to 36%. The author concludes that more research should be done in parapsychology to determine if these results occurred due to ESP or for another reason. This could be relevant to topics involving research methods, projected statistics, or paranormal research. Research implies that knowing what someone else is thinking might happen not just by chance.

Response to Ian's article: This article points out a frustration felt by many academic librarians. Students prefer instant gratification, or quantity over quality. The article would be of interest to Instruction Librarians since it focuses on research related to reference searches and students lack of interest in conducting focused research.

Response to Erowshan: Librarians who create programs for children and young adults must use creative methods to entice children and teens to the library. Any book or program which gets young people through the door is a plus. As this study shows, even video games can encourage young people to use the library. This article not only would provide valuable information to children librarians, it also provides documentation to acquisition librarians and library directors the value of purchasing these type of materials and instituting similar programs.

Reply to EChampion article: This article I found very interesting since it explores the foundations of the value of early exposure books and the value visual stimulation is to literacy. This article would be useful to anyone researching early childhood education, school media librarians and children librarians who may need information in planning programs for very young children.

Erowshan: Your article could also be relevant if someone was researching learning habits of teenagers. Where they learn and do activities can effect how and what they learn. Playing video games in a library program would lead to those participants having a keener interest in reading programs in the library. People who play solely at home would be less likely to have an interest in the reading program.

Response to Erin's article; This article is an outstanding example of methods needed to conduct a qualitative research project. Studying parapsychology is not necessarily a topic that would be widely researched except in a very limited number of institutions which makes the methodology used of great importance. Novice researchers could use this study as an example in setting up research or conducting a study.

Ian: This article could also be used by those researching the quality of student work. If students have the desire to attain most of their information from one source, the quality of their work lies in the quality of the one source they have chosen to adopt.

echampion: Your article could also be used in a psychological context. You could compare the results of what boys and girls thought. Why are the boys creating more violent stories? A study like this could be used with art therapy for children to discover what their creative tendencies were and why.

Kathy: Your article could be used to argue the power of preservation and why it's worth the effort. Are there actual studies on how much older technologies are being used compared to the number of hours used to preserve them?

Erika: I find you article interesting in that playing video games at a library is one way of getting students to participate in library and I am wondering if there is any further research on whether other libraries across the country have used or are planning to use this program. I am also wondering whether the article goes into detail about the study habits of the students and how many of the students had an interest in using the library's resources before the program began.