Library Prize for First-Year Seminar Students

Prizes

$1,000 to be divided as follows:

• 1st place $500
• 2nd place $300
• 3rd place $200

All Winners and Nominees

Eligibility and Qualifications

Any student who completes a research project/paper in a Core 100 course is eligible to be nominated. Research by the student should show evidence of substantial use of library resources and indicate academic excellence, including employing effective library research and information literacy skills, constructing arguments supported with evidence, and citing sources appropriately.

The research process for the project/paper should help fulfill the FYS Student Learning Outcome for Core 3a:

Identify and critically assess multiple dimensions of an ethical issue in an attempt to reach a conclusion. In FYS, this includes:

• Interpreting challenging readings
• Employing effective library research and information literacy skills
• Constructing arguments supported with evidence

Nomination Process

Any faculty member who teaches a first year seminar course during the academic year may nominate one or more students for the award. Faculty must submit a nomination letter, a copy of the assignment, and a complete, unmarked copy of the student's work using this nomination form. Nominated students will be contacted by a librarian and asked to submit a one page reflection of their library and research experience. Paper files should be in PDF format and multimedia files in a format conventional for the media.

Submission Deadlines

Fall 2023 Courses:

• Deadline for faculty nominations: January 12, 2024
• Deadline for student reflections: March 1, 2024

Spring 2024 Courses:

• Deadline for faculty nominations: May 10, 2024
• Deadline for student reflections: June 7, 2024

Three finalists will be announced during the following fall semester. Students who do not return to Xavier the fall after their first year are ineligible to receive prizes.

Awards

The finalists and their nominating faculty for the 2023-24 courses will be recognized and the prizes awarded during fall 2024. The finalists will receive monetary awards and the first place winner will have his or her name added to a plaque displayed in the library. All finalists agree to have their work added to the library's digital repository, Exhibit, as an example of excellent scholarship.

Judging Panel

• Mrs. Alison Morgan, Assistant Director of Public Services, University Library
• Ms. Christine Mueller, Instruction and Reference Librarian, University Library
• Ms. Megan Kickbush, Head of Access Services, University Library
• Ms. Leslie Whitford, Digital Initiatives Librarian, University Library

Criteria for Evaluation

Submissions

The nominated projects will be judged on the following criteria:

• Sophistication, originality and/or unusual depth or breadth in the use of library collections, including, but not limited to, printed resources, databases, primary resources, and materials in all media
• Exceptional ability to locate, select, evaluate, and synthesize library resources in the creation of a project in any media that shows originality and/or used appropriately in support of the topic
• Evidence of the applicant's research strategy, research process and personal learning.

Faculty Nomination

Nominations should include evidence of the following:

• Student's use of diverse library resources and collections in any format, appropriate to the length and subject matter of the project
• Student's ability to select, evaluate, and synthesize library resources into the creation of the project
• Student's growth as a researcher during the course

Student Reflection

Nominated students must submit a reflection of approximately 250 words (1 page) describing their experience in using information resources and library services. Students should explain their research strategy, how they used and evaluated the resources found, and how they grew as a researcher during the course. The following questions may be addressed in the reflection, but students do not need to feel like they need to answer all of them in their reflection.

• How did you begin your research? Explain how you came up with your research query/topic.
• How did you discover your sources? Which library databases or other information sources did you use? Explain particular techniques or strategies that you used while searching and discovering information.
• Did you seek research assistance from a librarian, a professor, or someone else? If so, how did this interaction impact your research process? Was there anyone in particular who gave you the inspiration to turn your research in a different direction?
• How did you select and evaluate the sources you found? Explain which criteria you used for selecting sources.
• How do you feel you grew as a researcher during the course?

Contact

For more information, please email libprize@xavier.edu or contact a librarian.