Monthly Archives: March 2015

10 posts

What Happens After College?

Check out the  newest infographic from Project Information Literacy’s Lifelong Learning Study that is entitled, “What happens after college?” The infographic features preliminary findings from the 2014 survey and  a sample of recent grads (n=1,651) from 10 US colleges and universities. Click to view the full size image.

Obstacles to Participation: The Little Free Library Edition — A TTW Guest Post by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

The Little Free Library (LFL) movement has quickly caught on across the US. The dollhouse-sized miniature libraries are found on front lawns, parks, and public squares coast to coast. LFLs house books and magazines for community members. Circulation is free and runs on an honor system. The motto: “Take a book. Return a book.” As @michael pointed out in this Module 5 article, LFLs support literacy, stewardship, and community. They’re also examples of low-tech, high value localized collections that offer community enrichment and connection in public space. LFLs are a manifestation of community participation, action, and improvement. Who could object? […]

Not Just Where to Click by TTW Contributor Troy Swanson

I am very excited to announce the publication of Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think About Information from ACRL. I co-edited this collection with Heather Jagman. From the ALA Website: Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think about Information explores how librarians and faculty work together to teach students about the nature of expertise, authority, and credibility. It provides practical approaches for motivating students to explore their beliefs, biases, and ways of interpreting the world. This book also includes chapters that bridge the gap between the epistemological stances and threshold concepts held by librarians […]

The Relationship Model: What Journalism Can Teach Us by TTW Contributor Troy Swanson

I have been keeping tabs on the state of journalism over the last decade. I do this because it is part of my job as someone who helps build information literacy skills in students, but I also do this because the disruptive forces ripping apart journalism are related to forces impacting libraries. Journalism is at the epicenter of the earthquake, and we’re a bit more removed (so far at least). As media companies implode, merge, vanish, and reappear in new forms, I think it would do libraries well to sit up and take some notes. One of these opportunities caught […]

Library of the Future – Keith Webster’s New Blog

Folks – Don’t miss this new blog by Carnegie Mellon University Dean of Libraries Keith Webster: http://www.libraryofthefuture.org Keith is one of the academic library leaders I look to for insights and ideas related to higher ed and library service. Look for his articles and presentations – you won’t be disappointed. For example: The changing landscape of scholarly communication: presentation to the NFAIS 2015 annual conference from Keith Webster From his introductory post: If the librarian’s profession is increasingly to be conducted outside the library, then what of the building itself?  We know that our libraries are busier than ever, but […]

Connected Learning: Project Information Literacy Interviews S. Craig Watkins

Project Information Literacy (PIL) has just shared the Information Literacy’s latest “Smart Talk” interview with Craig Watkins a leading thinker on social media, connected learning and youth. In the interview, Craig says: “While schools do not always suffer from a lack of technology, they consistently suffer from a lack of vision in how the technology will be used. In high-poverty schools, technology is rarely used to promote the development of higher-order thinking skills, such as design, problem-solving, or coding. Schools must invest in highly-skilled instructors and curricula that cultivate the skills associated with innovation. This is not necessarily a technological […]

Librarian Stockholm Syndrome & the Meaning of Free: Lanier vs Anderson by TTW Contributor Troy Swanson

In 2013, ALA Annual was in Chicago, and all of librarianship celebrated the greatness of the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a special time, and it was at this conference where I attended LITA’s Top Tech Trends panel. This panel was made up of smart folks all of whom I greatly respect (Gary Price, Aimee Fifarek, Sarah Houghton, Clifford Lynch, Char Booth and Brewster Kahle moderated by Loran Dempsey). The conversation covered many topics that have faded in my memory, but there was a part of it that has remained. Several panelists held up the benefits of free content and the […]

Kickstarter for Circulating Ideas Podcast: Recirculated for Transcripts (by TTW Contributor Troy Swanson)

I am a big fan of the Circulating Ideas podcast. Steve does a great job of enriching the discussions within our profession. Thus, I wanted to share info about his Kickstarter. Help out if you can! Circulating Ideas began as a podcast to share the innovative ideas and projects that librarians are creating to keep libraries vibrant and relevant in the 21st century. The show has spanned more than 60 hours of content with more than 100 librarians and library supporters and now I’d love to do more to make the show’s content more accessible and searchable. This Kickstarter campaign […]

Thanks Alaska Library Association!

  Thanks to the Alaska Library Association for the invitation and warm welcome to Juneau last week. I was honored to keynote the conference and spend time with the incredibly dedicated Alaskan librarians. I was also able to break away for the afternoon and hike around the Mendenhall Glacier. It was stunning! Download the Slides