Journal # 12 - Conflicting Research

I have been researching and researching and researching copyright law as it relates to storytelling for a class.  And what I am learning is that the more controversial the subject and the more popular or current the topic, the more conflicting research there is out there.  It is seriously enough to drive a person mad.  Those lawyer friends I have out there - I take back all I've ever said - except maybe the really good jokes - and commend you for dealing with all the loophole wording and twisting interpretations.

I've never thought of myself as a black and white, clear cut answer sort of person until lately.  Up until now I've been pretty happy with the gray issues I've come up against in my education - issues in child development, education, social skills, politics.  The gray hasn't bugged me.  But maybe they've just been pretty benign  Gray used to symbolize that everything was in a state of evolution and change.  That there was always more out there to learn.  But I've seemed to gotten lost in this gray fog lately and the only reason I'm grumpy is because I wish I had a clear black and white path. 

So what's a person to do when there's conflicting research out there?  Just keep researching.  I'm starting to appreciate this researching class a little more in terms of creating your own research.  Because if the answers haven't been found by someone else - then this class is giving me the skills to go out there and find the answers myself. 

I've never given much thought until this semester about how I will use research in my career - but the truth is if I want to be good (and hopefully great) at what I do then I will use these skills.  And I do want to do my best.  Creating and conducting your own research - even on a small level such as a patron questionnaire - takes time, effort and skill in order to collect data I can use best. Not all researching projects are about the big gray issues - some are the smaller, more personal, and more immediate issues.  I may or may not take on one of those big issues in the future - but I definitely will be tackling research on a smaller level - so what I learn now, I will need to remember and use in the future. 

Start of Another Semester!

It's the start of another semester at SJSU.  I've enjoyed the winter break and took the time to catch up on some pleasure reading - a mixture of children's, YA, and adult fantasy titles.  I probably should have blogged about them but I wanted to read for pleasure and pleasure alone.  I also attempted to finally beat my current final fantasy game; mostly beat the new Donkey Kong game on the Wii; worked outside on the yard and garden; tried some new food places; and did a little new year's cleaning.  The last few weeks have also been full of scholarship hunting.  Thanks to those who've been helping me with references and proof reading =) I appreciate the help! 

All in all I feel like I'm ready to jump back into my school work.  I'm only taking two classes this semester - LIBR 281: Seminar in Contemporary Issues - Storytelling and LIBR 285: Research Methods - Youth Services.  I expect that I'll be posting to this blog or my web page for both of those classes.  For Storytelling, you can expect to see video postings of me performing different stories for different age groups.  For Youth Services, I'll be keeping a journal of my research and reflections throughout the semester.