Monthly Archives: August 2011

14 posts

Battery lantern being recharged at Darien Library

Battery lantern being recharged at Darien Library, originally uploaded by louise.berry. What a wonderful thing! During Irene, when many were without power, Darien Library offers outlets and comfort. Beyond needing a charge during an emergency, it reminded me that sometimes the services a library provides might be a little different than some are used to. I was remind of this piece in LJ: The Quiet Plug Crisis: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/communitybuildingandfacilities/888543-266/the_quiet_plug_crisis.html.csp At the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, the problem had been at the top of students’ wish list for the past several years, according to the Mardigian Library News, and the problem […]

Happy Birthday Mr. Schu!

From  First Book: http://blog.firstbook.org/2011/08/27/happy-birthday-mr-schu/ This Sunday is a very special day. It is the birthday of a friend of First Book and of mine, an inspired educator, blogger and children’s books advocate: John Schumacher, the man we all know as Mr. Schu. I knew of Mr. Schu long before we actually met. My already-high opinion of him (School Library Journal Mover-and-Shaker andcover boy that he is) went through the roof this summer as I received photos, videos, emails and tweets about his Adventures Out West, a kidlit roadtrip he took with many of his favorite new books in tow. Whether at the Grand Canyon or Las […]

Freed-Hardeman University to Introduce Apple ipads, Inkling Digital Textbooks and Faculty Training as Part of Innovative iKnow 2.0

“For the first time since kindergarten, I will have to learn how to go to class again.” That is what Freed-Hardeman University prospective student Katie Scott said when she was told about iKnow 2.0, the initiative created by the university to shift the paradigm of traditional instruction at FHU. Beginning in the fall of 2012, iKnow 2.0 will provide an iPad to every student who enrolls as a freshman at Freed-Hardeman University as well as every faculty member at the institution. “We want our faculty, our staff, our university, to be at the forefront of technology,” said Mark Scott, vice […]

Upcoming Presentations – Fall 2011

September 14, 2011 – CLIR PostDoc Fellows Session, “The Hyperlinked Library,” online. October 7, 2011 – Keynote, Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association Conference, Augusta, Georgia. October 12, 2011 – White Pine Library Cooperative Annual Meeting, Saginaw, Michigan. October 19 – 23, 2011 – Panelist, Communication & Technologies, and Resource Specialist,  Institute of Museum and Library Services/Salzburg Global Seminar “Libraries and Museums in an Era of Participatory Culture,” Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria. October 27 & 28, 2011 – Internet Librarian International, London, England. November 2 & 3, 2011 – Library 2.011 Conference (Online) November 9, 2011 – Richland County Public Library Staff […]

Office Hours: Finding Balance?

A cliche but one that rings true as I write: summer is flying by. We arrived in northern Michigan in late May and it felt as though I had unlimited weeks leading up to the beginning of my new position at SLIS at San Jose State University. Now I’m in California for a week to start the semester with orientation and my first faculty retreat. This summer I’ve made time for work on research, updating my participatory service and emerging technologies course, and have taken a bit of a breather – ending each night by a campfire. I’ve spent some […]

When “Library” Is Not an Action but an Old Building – A TTW Guest Post by Dr. Troy Swanson

 I have heard reports of the demise of libraries and librarians since I first entered library school over thirteen years ago. I tend to not pay much attention to them, but in the last few months a couple articles followed by personal experiences have caused me a bit of concern. The first was Rick Anderson’s guest editorial in the Journal of Academic Librarianship (July 2011, 37:4) where he argued that we have valuable services, but students and faculty don’t really care. Second, was the blog post by Mike Shatzkin (http://www.idealog.com/blog/it-will-be-hard-to-find-a-public-library-15-years-from-now) where he argues that big picture trends are going to […]

See you at ILI 2011 – London

The programme is up for Internet Librarian International 2011 in London October 27 & 28: http://www.internet-librarian.com/2011/programme.php I’ll be presenting this on Friday: C201 – Teaching Others 10.30 – 11.15 Michael Stephens, San Jose State University & Tame the Web Expanding on his research on the effect of Learning 2.0 programmes in Australian libraries, initially done when he was the 2009 CAVAL Visiting Scholar, Michael Stephens, whose background is in public libraries, presents an overview of emerging literacies related to digital media, information exchange and education. The phrase “information literacy” has expanded well beyond its original meaning and now encompasses a wide […]

Context Book Assignment for Participatory Service & Emerging Technologies – What would you add?

I’m updating and expanding my “Participatory Service & Emerging Technologies” class for my new position at SJSU SLIS. I’m carrying over one of my favorite assignments – the context book report. What would you add? ————————————————— Context Book: Students will read one book selected from a list provided, and write a 300 word reflection or create a media-based presentation relating the topic and focus of the book to libraries, technology and participatory service. 10 points Checkout a sample book report here. What can librarians glean from these works? How might the focus of some titles impact library service? Users? The way we […]

Office Hours Extra: Great Advice from Mr. Library Dude & Graham Lavender

Graham Lavender points to a post by Mr. Library Dude concerning the realities of libraries school and the job market. Mr. Library Dude offers a few points to be considered: I don’t really care what library school course grades/GPA you have. Just get your degree and focus on getting some experience. Get a mentor! Someone who is a working librarian. Not a library school professor who hasn’t worked in libraries for 20 years. Geographic flexibility: I understand that not everyone can (or wants) to move across country for a job. Just be aware that you may be severely limiting your […]