Past+Questions+(and+our+Answers)

For reference: Comps Past Questions: http://www.sis.utk.edu/programs/comps#pastQuestions

We've all heard this tidbit from past comps test takers: **the best way to study for comps is to review past questions and make an outline of what your response would be to each in an appropriate amount of time**. Writing a complete response would be a good thing to practice as well, especially if you are concerned with timing, but as long as we can construct a solid outline of our answer in 15-20 minutes, we should be able to easily write our full answer in a short amount of time.

So, this page contains links to past comps questions. Each question has its own page so that we can discuss how we each would answer it (either in a general discussion or by posting our outlines).

Fall 2012

 * Question #1 (information literacy)
 * Question #2 (information retrieval and information organization)
 * Question #3 (digital information management)
 * Question #4 (human information behavior models)
 * Question #5 (professional ethics)

Summer 2012 - Set B

 * Question #1 (what is information)
 * Question #2 (information literacy)
 * Question #3 (social networks)
 * Question #4 (library 2.0)
 * Question #5 (information retrieval and subject access)

Summer 2012 - Set A

 * Question #1 (what is information)
 * Question #2 (information literacy)
 * Question #3 (open access)
 * Question #4 (digital resources and access)
 * Question #5 (organization of information, particularly digital)

Spring 2012

 * Question #1 (information literacy)
 * Question #2 (needs and wants of users)
 * Question #3 (professional ethics)
 * Question #4 (SOPACs) [this was a pretty infamous question after this comps set -- it surprised quite a few of the test takers]
 * Question #5 (commodification of information)


 * __Comparison of questions from various years – Spring 2007 to Spring 2012__**:

Fall 2011

 * Question #1 (21st century, new competences required of librarians to show impact and relevance of libraries) [See Spring 2011 #3]
 * Question #2 (metadata: definition, importance, metadata schemes) [EVIL, EVIL topic]
 * Question #3 (how your understanding of information-related work has changed while in school, library/information theory)
 * Question #4 (potential principles in a code of ethics for information professionals)
 * Question #5 ("ownership" vs. "access" debate of licensed content)

Summer 2011

 * Question #1 (Ranganathan's 5 laws, relevance today, and past) [See Summer 2010 #5]
 * Question #2 (cataloging and metadata, knowledge of cataloging in 21st century) [See Summer 2010 #2]
 * Question #3 (Living Digital) [See Spring 2010 #2]
 * Question #4 (information seeking environments, factors, and process - Kuhlthau) [See Summer 2010 #3, Fall08 #5, Fall07 #4]
 * Question #5 (Digital Divide)

Spring 2011

 * Question #1 (IS theories and models) [Very similar to Summer 2009 #1]
 * Question #2 (information retrieval relevance: system-centered vs. user-centered) [See Fall 2010 #4--a little different, and Spring 2009 #2]
 * Question #3 (21st century challenges, new skills, competencies needed) [See Fall 2007 #1]
 * Question #4 (Google vs. other information tools) [See Spring 2010 #3]
 * Question #5 (controlled vocabulary vs. user tagging) [See Spring 2010 #4]

Fall 2010

 * Question #1 (Ranganathan, "save time of the reader")[Similar to Fall 2009 #3]
 * Question #2 (controlled vocabulary vs. user tagging)
 * Question #3 (information literacy in the digital age)
 * Question #4 (system-centered vs. user-centered relevance)[See Spring 2009 #2]
 * Question #5 (multi-lingual database)[See Spring 2007, set B # 5 and Summer 06 #5]

Summer 2010

 * Question #1 (public good vs. private good)[See Spring 2009 #4]
 * Question #2 (cataloging and metadata)
 * Question #3 (role of emotions in information seeking environments) [See Fall 2008 #5 -FA08#5 is a little different][ and Fall 2007 #4]
 * Question #4 (multi-lingual database)[See Fall 2010 # 5, Spring 2007, set B # 5, and Summer 06 #5]
 * Question #5 (Ranganathan's 5 laws and relevance today)

Spring 2010

 * Question #1 (social media)
 * Question #2 (Living Digital)
 * Queston #3 (information retrieval systems - web vs. databases)[See Summer 2008 #3 andSpring 2005 #2]
 * Question #4 (controlled vocabulary vs. user tagging)
 * Question #5 (E-government)

Fall 2009

 * Question #1 (information literacy) [See Spring 2008 #3]
 * Question #2 (information seeking)
 * Question #3 (indexing "save time of reader")
 * Question #4 (libraries and bookstores)
 * Question #5 (digital libraries)

Summer 2009

 * Question #1 (IS theories and models) [See Fall 2008 #4, Spring 2007 #2B]
 * Question #2 (McLuhan, tools and shapes)
 * Question #3 (doctrine of 'fair use')
 * Question #4 (role of librarians in modern age) [See Fal0 2008 #1, Spring 2007 #2A]
 * Question #5 (metadata)

Spring 2009

 * Question #1 (traditional vs. web indexing and classification)
 * Question #2 (system-centered vs. user-centered relevance)
 * Question #3 (privacy policy)
 * Question #4 (libraries a public or private good?)
 * Question #5 (definition of information)

Fall 2008

 * Question #1(Role of Librarians in the modern age) [See Spring 2007 #2A]
 * Question #2(Information Provision and Reference Services in the traditional library v.s an online environment) [See Spring 2004 #2]
 * Question #3(Organization and Representation challenges for digital content) [See Spring 2006 #1]
 * Question #4(Discussion of theories related to the field of Information Science) [See Spring 2007 #2B]
 * Question #5(Role of emotions in information seeking environments) [See Fall 2007 #4]

Summer 2008

 * Question #1(Impact of Internet resources on Information Professionals)
 * Question #2(Information needs as defined by various Information Environments)
 * Question #3(Search architectures in databases v.s. Internet) [See Spring 2005 #2]
 * Question #4(Code of ethics for Information Professionals) [See Fall 2006 #5]
 * Question #5(Information Commons: Pros and Cons) [See Fall 2006 #1]

Spring 2008

 * Question #1 (Controlled vocabulary: features, pros and cons) //(also see Spring 02 #5)//
 * Question #2(Role of info professional in 21st century; remaining competitive) //(also see Fall 07 #1, Spring 07 #B4, etc.)//
 * Question #3 (Information literacy: definition, standards, effect of information technology) //(nearly identical to Spring 05 #5)//
 * Question #4 (Copyright in the digital environment)
 * Question #5(Ranganathan's laws, then and now) //(Also see Spring 07 #B1)//

Fall 2007

 * Question #1 (changes and challenges in the 21st century)
 * Question #2 (barriers to access)
 * Question #3 (relevance)
 * Question #4 (impact of emotions in information seeking)
 * Question #5 (representation of information)

Summer 2007

 * Question #1 (valuing diversity)
 * Question #2 //(search interfaces - Google vs. traditional library OPAC; see Fall 2006)//
 * Question #3 (code of ethics; see Fall 06 #5)
 * Question #4 (libraries as a place to go for books and book reading)
 * Question #5 (views or perspectives that will inform your work, support your decision-making and guide your professional judgment)

Spring 2007
(In Spring 2007, two sets of questions were administered. Both sets have been included)
 * Set A**
 * Question #1 (ability to answer patron queries)
 * Question #2 (what elements make up librarianship)
 * Question #3 (ownership vs. access; see Summer 06 #1)
 * Question #4 (3 components to access of information)
 * Question #5 (compare and contrast the roles of descriptive, administrative, and structural metadata) [Summer 06, #2]
 * Set B**
 * Question #1 (Ranganathan's Third Law states “every book its reader”)
 * Question #2 (theories and theorists that shape your work)
 * Question #3 (ownership vs. access; same as #3 above)
 * Question #4 (how information professionals remain relevant; see Summer 06 #4)
 * Question #5 (multi-lingual database; see Summer 06 #5)

**Fall 2006**

 * Question #1 //(assets and liabilities of moving from "library" to "information commons" model)//
 * Question #2 //(less patrons in the library building due to increased electronic resources)//
 * Question #3 //(search interfaces - Google vs. traditional library OPAC)//
 * Question #4 //(funding)//
 * Question #5 //(code of ethics)//

Summer 2006

 * Question #1 //(ownership vs. access, print vs. electronic)//
 * Question #2 //(metadata for digital and physical objects in a digital library)//
 * Question #3 //(access to information)//
 * Question #4 //(internet/why librarians are still needed)//
 * Question #5 //(developing an info system for a specific audience)//

Spring 2006

 * Question #1 //(electronic resources)//
 * Question #2 //(censorship, intellectual freedom)//
 * Question #3 //(relevance in search results)//
 * Question #4 //(funding)//
 * Question #5 //(information retrieval)//

Fall 2005

 * Question #1 //(roles in an information environment)//
 * Question #2 //(physical and cognitive paradigms)//
 * Question #3 //(future of libraries)//
 * Question #4 //("information")//
 * Question #5 //(internet filtering software and censorship/legal issues)//

Summer 2005

 * Question #1 //(information science vs. library science)//
 * Question #2 //(information access systems)//
 * Question #3 //(metadata for digital collections)//
 * Question #4 //(future of libraries)//
 * Question #5 //(digital libraries)//

Spring 2005

 * Question #1 //(importance of information)//
 * Question #2 //(online information systems)//
 * Question #3 //(metadata)//
 * Question #4 //(relevance// //in search results////)//
 * Question #5 //(information literacy)//

Fall 2004

 * Question #1 //(library funding - public vs. private)//
 * Question #2 //(professional research)//
 * Question #3 //(diversity)//
 * Question #4 //(databases)//
 * Question #5 //(impact of cell phone use in information agencies)//

Summer 2004

 * Question #1 //(library web design)//
 * Question #2 //(////physical and cognitive paradigms////)//
 * Question #3 //(web searching)//
 * Question #4 //(features of the information discipline// //- nearly identical to Spring 2004 Q5// //and Spring 2002 Q3)//
 * Question #5 //("Redundancy Model" vs. "Masters of the Universe" model)//

Spring 2004

 * Question #1 //(Patriot Act)//
 * Question #2 //(increased use of digital systems/virtual reference)//
 * Question #3 //(providing access to a currently inaccessible collection)//
 * Question #4 //(central features of the information science field, access to information////)//
 * Question #5 //(////features of the information discipline - nearly identical to Summer 2004 Q4// //and Spring 2002 Q3////)//

Fall 2003

 * Question #1 //(subject access)//
 * Question #2 //(Patriot Act)//
 * Question #3 //(digital libraries)//
 * Question #4 //(write a Hippocratic Oath for information professionals)//
 * Question #5 //(definition of information)//

Summer 2003

 * Question #1 //(access to information)//
 * Question #2 //(////bibliographic control on the internet////)//
 * Question #3 //(database subscriptions)//
 * Question #4 //(relevance in search results////)//
 * Question #5 //(information professionals and their surrounding environments - community, world, etc.)//

Spring 2003

 * Question #1 //(design a core information science curriculum for a particular library setting)//
 * Question #2 //(collection development - patron "wants" vs. library "needs")//
 * Question #3 //(information retrieval interfaces - simple vs. advanced)//
 * Question #4 //(information as a theoretical object////)//
 * Question #5 //(////digital full-text offerings////)//

Fall 2002

 * Question #1 //(importance of information professionals with the increase in internet use by patrons)//
 * Question #2 //(ownership vs. access)//
 * Question #3 //(fundamentals of being an information professional)//
 * Question #4 //(human indexing vs. full-text keyword searching)//
 * Question #5 //(Patriot Act)//

Summer 2002

 * Question #1 //(bibliographic control)//
 * Question #2 //(information formats - print vs. electronic)//
 * Question #3 //(funding)//
 * Question #4 //(relevance in search results)//
 * Question #5 //(user-centered service)//

Spring 2002

 * Question #1 //(ethics)//
 * Question #2 //(information overload)//
 * Question #3 //(////features of the information discipline - nearly identical to Spring 2004 Q5 and Summer 2004 Q4////)//
 * Question #4 //(virtual reference services)//
 * Question #5 //(metadata and controlled vocabularies in a digital environment)//

Summer 2006 Answers