“National Superhero Day Website”
Course: IS 289 – Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship (Fall 2018)
Justification: In Fall 2018, I took IS 289 “Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship” with Professor Johanna Drucker. Per the course syllabus, the course was “an introduction to digital methods for research and scholarship. It covers fundamentals of creating, designing, managing, using, and sustaining cultural materials in digital formats”. As someone who is very interested in working in libraries or archives in the digital sphere, this class was extremely important in helping me to develop digital methods for scholarship and in learning about various software tools that I can use in my future work.
While the final project for this class was very open-ended, we had to use the digital research methods and tools we had learned throughout the quarter to solve a real or fictional problem related to data for an institution. The final project had to include the data related to the institution’s project needs, analysis and visualization of the data, a rights statement, workflow documentation, and a sustainability plan.
For this project, I chose to create a Google Site for a fake children’s public library program at Santa Monica Public Library for National Superhero Day, upon which there would be superhero-themed events at the different Santa Monica Public Library branches for children and youth. I was inspired to create this webpage based upon my work during the same quarter in my IS 425 “Library Services and Programs for Children” course, for which I wrote a paper and program proposal (also included in this portfolio under the “Elective Coursework Sample 1” section) about including graphic novels in children’s library collections and programs. My final project for IS 289 was a little unique in that my data points were the graphic novels in the collection, which I analyzed in a table and charts on the website. Additionally, the events I proposed for the National Superhero Day at the different Santa Monica Public Library branches also served as data points, which I then visualized via a Google Map. My website also includes a rights statement, workflow documentation, and a sustainability plan. A link to the website is below.
I felt it important to include this assignment in my portfolio as it relates to my interests in library studies, in serving the needs of children patrons, in utilizing digital tools to analyze and visualize data, and it showcases my ability to create and use a website for a library institution.
Website: To view my National Superhero Day website, please click here.
Joanna Smith 