If we knew what it was we were doing...

I've never really thought of myself as someone who's an extraordinary researcher. Really, I figured that what I can do is really what anyone could do with a bit o' smarts and an Internet connection. In my teaching career, I've worked with some crazy amazing librarians who have found answers to questions (mine and kids'!) before the question was even punctuated. I have marveled in their style and efficiency. I've never fancied myself as much of a librarian, or a researcher, for that matter, but several times in the last academic year, my peers have mentioned that my research skills are sharp. I  always thought (and still do) that they were just being polite.

Working on the DOE guide made me a better researcher.

That is the plain and simple truth. First of all, this project required me to not only check every link that was on each original page -- tedious! -- but it also required me to find new projects and make contact with all and any educators who were involved. Wow!

Considering how many pages the DOE guide was, (90+ when printed!), I decided I needed to prioritize. I emailed the DOE contacts again, via Ed. This time, I asked for some stats. I wanted to know which pages got the most hits. They responded shortly with not only the number of hits of each page but also the top referrals. This was very useful and allowed me to find a starting point.

I started with the page that by FAR got the most hits. And, unsurprisingly, it ended up being the page that consumed the most of my time by FAR on the DOE project overall. :)



Let the combing begin.

Image: 'What on earth!?!? (302/365)' by Tony₂
Edit: P.S. the title comes from this Einstein quote about research.