Essay Requirements
Judges will examine your use of library resources and what you have learned through the research process. All materials submitted with your application will be reviewed with this in mind, but the 1,000-1,200 word essay you write will be the key document for providing judges information in these areas.
Address the five points below in your essay. Not all questions will apply to every applicant. If one or more questions are not applicable, please explain why.
- What types of information resources did you use at the Leatherby Libraries, online, or through other libraries and archives? Include a discussion of books, journal articles, databases (e.g., ERIC, PsycINFO, Academic Search Premier, etc.), archival material, websites, audiovisual materials, or other materials.
- What library research processes, search techniques, and information-seeking strategies did you use to find the sources for your research? Explain your searching methods (e.g., did you use keywords, Boolean operators, search limiters, or iterative searching behaviors?)
- How did you critically evaluate the information sources you chose for your research? What specific criteria did you use to evaluate sources, and what effect did that have on the sources that you chose?
- How did assistance from a librarian, library staff member, or a library service (for example, library instruction session, one-on-one meeting with a librarian, or visit to Special Collections and Archives) affect your research process?
- What have you learned about the research process from conducting library research for this paper/project? How will you use what you have learned in the future? How would your research be valuable to other scholars?
Selection Criteria
The 1,000-1,200 word essay students submit with their applications will be the primary document the judges will evaluate to determine prize winners. All application materials, however, will be carefully considered along with the essay. Your essay will be judged based on the Evaluation Rubric.