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������ɫ Libraries completed the second year of its Research Scholars Program, showcasing five library-focused research projects at its annual poster presentation.

Working with undergraduate students throughout the spring semester, the Libraries program provides an opportunity to work on a guided research project alongside faculty and staff mentors. In support of the University Road Map Strategic Priority 2 and funded in part by the Libraries and the Fleishman Career Center, the 120-hour program introduces students to the research process, as well as library resources.

“This program is such an amazing resource for first-time researchers,” first-year student Ari Hoffman said. “This was my first time doing research and I was kind of intimidated by it. One hundred twenty hours is a big number, but it is absolutely doable. The whole program is not at all overwhelming. I think that it is just such an amazing program and I learned how diverse our library is. There’s so much that goes into a library, so much beyond what you think a librarian is.”

Projects explored throughout the spring semester included:

* by Sky Liu

* by Aidan Niebauer

* Expanding the Bibliographic Palette: Diversifying the BU Libraries Fine Arts Collection by Ari Hoffman

* by Autumn Jacobs

* by Kenneth Saito

Jacobs, a sophomore art history major, found the opportunity to research zines, a project that aligned with her personal and academic interests, well before she considered applying for the program.

“I first heard about the Library Research Scholars program last semester when it was sent out through the art history listserv,” Jacobs said. “Originally, I was planning on studying abroad this semester. When I backed out of that, I thought, ‘Now I can do this exciting opportunity!’ This project was especially interesting because I feel like there’s very few other opportunities to do this kind of long-term mentored research. That’s what brought me to it and I’ve had a deep interest in zines for a long time. So, having the time of a full semester to do this kind of project really interested me.”

Along with the research opportunity, additional elements of the program include a $2,000 stipend and the opportunity to receive course credit through the Credit-Bearing Internship Program (CDCI 395) via the Fleishman Career Center.

“This year marked a new collaboration between the Libraries and the Fleishman Career Center,” said Matthew Harrick, subject librarian and Research Scholars Program coordinator. “Three of our five undergraduate researchers enrolled in, and successfully completed, the Internship for Credit course, which, along with the experience gained from working on their research projects with their library mentors, also provided valuable professional and career readiness skills in an online, asynchronous format.”

The Research Scholars Program also included professional development cohort meetings throughout the semester as an opportunity for the students to connect and learn from each other. Campus guests covered topics such as culturally competent research and strategies for sharing research through scholarly poster design.

“Cohort meetings are another form of high-impact practice, meant to encourage and develop a sense of community among participants,” Harrick said. “When asked in their exit surveys what our participating students would like to see the program do differently, they were unanimous in response: more cohort meetings so they could get to know each other better as a group, and so they could share, more frequently, their research.”

While the program has only finished its second year, the impact on the student researchers is far-reaching.

“I’m getting exposed to different research methods and different ways to conduct my own research in my field, but then also looking at the role that the libraries play in that because digital text analysis is not something I think people ever use in linguistics or anthropology,” Niebauer said. “It’s a very new thing that’s really only used in certain areas. Having this knowledge of what it is and how we could use digital humanities in more ways to do research in my field, I think that’s a very good thing that I would keep with me as I continue my studies.”

To view all of the research projects, including previous year’s projects, visit the on the .