They want you to bring your intelligence and your energy to the research process, and they want you to shape the research question so that it has meaning for you and for your readers. This class will give you information about the modern library. And you need to learn the facts that will be conveyed in this class. You need to take ownership of your research topic. You need to take responsibility for finding out all you need to know about that topic.
Research is important, and it can be personally empowering.