Practical Research for Community Asset Mapping

Research workshop for PEAC 9

Simon Elichko • they/them • Social Sciences & Data Librarian

Identifying community needs and assets through intentional research

• We'll focus on doing this exploratory research in an intentional way
• Goal of helping you exert agency over your own research process

Information systems

Consider how a purposeful approach to research contrasts with how key information systems and institutions are structured:

• Many search engines, social networking, news, and mapping sites are advertising-driven businesses
• Academic research tools often prioritize work reflecting power and prestige as defined by the Western academy
• Organizations (NGOs, etc.) and governments have their own interests and constraints, influencing the information they provide and how they offer access

3 key practices for more intentional research

• Zoom out regularly
• Choose your experts (and expertise) first
• Take stock of what you already know

Zoom out regularly

Do you ever find yourself experiencing
Directionless Tab Overload?
 

Tips & tools for maintaining agency over your learning process:

• Reflect on your process and how your understanding keeps changing
• Keep a simple log of what you've done, next steps, questions
• Mindmapping (already familiar!)
• Synthesis Matrix
• Zotero

Choose your experts first

If you find yourself going down a rabbit hole of conflicting information in your searches, back up a second and ask yourself: whose expertise would you respect?
 

Digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield (2017) suggests this approach as an alternative approach to open-ended web search. Instead of letting Google (etc.) decide, you can use what you've learned so far to identify multiple perspectives that could help inform your parts of your work:

• Who is in a position to know about xyz? How did they gain this experience? How might they communicate about it?
• What academic disciplines and practitioner communities may have relevant insights?

Take stock of what you know in advance

Thinking about the context(s) for your project can help you find identify relevant information and make better plans for learning more.

Key questions include who, what, and where, which we'll explore in a moment.

Practical research:

bit.ly/442DgoB

Other resources

(not included the Google Docs worksheet)

• Guide: Social Media Searching
  • Searching social media platforms via Google and Talkwalker can help you identify different posts than the ones coming up in your own feeds
• Creating a custom search engine
  • You can specify a group of websites to search, like Find Policy does.
• Guide: Citations
• Guide: Topic Introductions
  • Sites like The Conversation and Journalists' Resource can be helpful for identifying academic experts and disciplines
• Library books
  • Can't find a book you need in Tripod? Try requesting through EZBorrow, or ask us to buy a copy
  • Found a book in Tripod?
    • For physical copies, sign into Tripod to request the book for front-desk delivery (1 day) or use the call number to find it on shelf.
    • Check it out at the front desk, keep it for the semester (borrowing info).

Develop your research skills
& get support with your projects

Meet with Simon

Schedule at bit.ly/selichk1

Email them at selichk1@swarthmore.edu

(including if you need an alternative meeting time)

Use the chat in Tripod to get help from librarians and Research & Information Associates (RIAs).

You can email librarian@swarthmore.edu.