The Spring 2027 Binghamton Libraries Research Scholars Program provides undergraduate students with experience working on a guided research project. Participating students will work closely with a library faculty or professional staff mentor on a library-related research project that strengthens research skills and provides the opportunity to build upon personal research interests. Research results will be published in the ORB, Binghamton’s institutional repository. Scholars will be awarded $2,000 at the completion of their projects.
For questions contact Matthew Harrick, Coordinator.
Benefits:
- Gain hands on original research experience under the mentorship of faculty and staff.
- Develop skills to effectively synthesize research and communicate the results in a recognizable scholarly format (e.g. paper, digital project, etc.).
- Learn about the academic libraries role in the research cycle.
- Participating students have the option to enroll in CDCI 395: Internship for Credit, to earn 4 credits (click to apply).
Eligibility: Open to BU undergraduates actively enrolled in classes.
- Must be able to commit 120 hours over the course of the Spring 2027 semester.
- Must be able to commit to one common day/time per week - Wednesdays, 12-1pm - for cohort meetings and group program events.
- Applications are encouraged from students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
- Preference will be given to students who meet the requirements as determined by the project, but who do not have previous research experience.
- You cannot apply if you have previously participated in a Library Research Scholars Project.
- You cannot apply if you will be enrolled in, or participating in, another research project (as part of a class, or with faculty/staff mentors) in the Spring 2027 semester.
Expectations:
- 8 hours of dedicated time per week for orientation sessions, cohort meetings, mentor meetings, research time, and reflection and evaluation at the conclusion of the program
- Productive research under the mentorship of a faculty librarian or staff member resulting in an academic, public-facing intellectual product
- Preparation and presentation of your work to the campus community at Research Days (and possibly other other venues). (costs directly related to presenting will be covered by the Libraries)
**Deadline for Applications: Friday, October 30, 2026, 11:59pm**
See below for applications for Spring 2027!
Spring 2027 Research Projects
Seed Libraries: Investigating Their Creation & Impact in Community Spaces
Faculty Mentors: Neyda Gilman, Jennifer Embree
Seed libraries, at their core, are about education, awareness, building community, and empowerment. Because of this, seed libraries are often housed in places with similar strengths including community centers and libraries. The goals of this project are to do a deep dive into the seed library literature and to use that research to create a jumping off point for further research. The research will explore the how, why, and by whom seed libraries are started, where they are located, and their impact. The student will also spend time researching the best practices of survey creation. The student will bring it all together to begin formulating possible survey questions for an international seed libraries survey which will be deployed in fall 2027. The survey questions will be created with the goal of exploring the general motivations of seed libraries and discovering their biggest impacts in their communities. Click on the application link for more detailed information about the project.
Comparative Evaluation of an AI-Powered Literature Search Tool Using Published Reviews
Faculty Mentor: Aleshia Huber
This research project evaluates how effectively an AI-powered literature-search tool, Consensus, can replicate documented search strategies from published evidence synthesis projects, such as systematic reviews. Using these reviews as gold-standard benchmarks, the student will translate each review's original research question into natural-language queries, run them through Consensus, and compare the retrieved results against the review's actual list of included studies. The project calculates precision and recall for the tool, analyzes patterns in what gets missed, and produces a comparative assessment of AI search reliability. Click on the application link for more detailed information about the project.
Spotlight in the Stacks: Examining Library Use by Performing Arts Students
Faculty Mentor: Emily Creo
This project will focus on the performing arts in the university library, through examining a subset of student users of performing arts collections. The student will become acquainted with library collections and services, review the literature on performing arts library user habits, and undertake appropriate training to design and implement a survey on user behaviors. Click on the application link for more detailed information about the project.
Controlled Digital Lending: Assessing a New Model for Interlibrary Loan
Faculty/Staff Mentors: Hannah Morrison, Elliot Morelli-Wolfe
Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) is an emerging approach that allows libraries to lend digitized copies of whole manuscript materials to library partners while using technological controls to limit copying and downloading. By limiting access to a set loan period, CDL lets libraries share full e-books while maintaining copyright compliance. This project will assess the feasibility of implementing CDL within Binghamton University Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan Department. Click on the application link for more detailed information about the project.