Shift #24 (2 hrs 40 min) - Weekly Check-in & Research Plan

Shift #24 - Weekly check-in & research plan

Friday, June 14, 2024 | 7-9:40 pm CST/8-10:40 pm EST (2 hrs 40 min)

Details

Michelle Hurt, student/intern

Jennifer Gonzalez, practicum supervisor

This is a screenshot of my internship schedule. I pull it up each time I have to do my check-in email to my supervisor so I know what to write on the designated week.

This week's check-in email was about our thoughts on the research process. First, I had to think about my strengths and weaknesses in this process. First, my strengths come into play during the research process when there is a plan. There can be so much information that it seems hard to know where to begin but formulating a plan is key – and that is a strength of mine. I feel I can zoom out and see the bigger picture. I like to know deadlines so I can work backwards, helping to ensure that I have all my bases (and sources) covered. I think my strength is thinking methodically. Second, while I can think methodically, my weakness in the research process is overwhelm. It goes back to the whole idea that there is so much information out there and I'm finding that I need to prioritize which materials and sources are best for my blog post. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and feel like the task at hand is too big. I know it isn't required to have a research plan but already, it is so helpful knowing that I can take my overwhelm and break it down into manageable pieces.  

I also had to think about how more research will help me in my future career. Research experience goes hand in hand with project management. Though I am not seeking to become a project manager in the future, almost all jobs require project management skills. I think my research experience during this internship will add to my skills in this area. I think it will also help me to think creatively and out of the box. I may have one particular idea in mind, but as I conduct my research, things may veer more in one direction than I originally intended. That teaches me to be flexible as well as to think critically regarding things that I'm discovering. 

I spent the rest of my shift working on my research plan and looking at sources, listing possibilities and ranking them based on my blog idea and keeping in mind, why does the Law Library of Congress need to tell this story? I narrowed down the possibilities to:

• "A select and impartial account of the lives, behaviour, and dying words of the most remarkable convicts, from the year 1700, down to the present time"
• "Criminal calendar, or, An awful warning to the youth of America"
• "The lives, behaviour, and dying words of the most remarkable criminals : who have been executed for the highway, street robberies, piracy, murder" and
• "Martin's annals of crime, or Newgate calendar and general record of tragic events, including ancient and modern modes of torture"

My curiosity was also piqued by a book called "The surprising adventures of Henry Twisdon, a young gentleman of Yorkshire". I wonder if I can include him somehow in my blog post.