I have written about the connections between journalism and libraries previously on this blog (see “The Relationship Model: What Journalism Can Teach Us“). The ways that society is interfacing with and consuming information are shaping both professions in parallel ways. This week I have stumbled upon two pieces that pull together journalism and librarianship and help orient both for the future. First amendment protections are one area where the journalism and librarianship have long shared philosophical connections. This is why when I read Barbara Fister’s brilliant insights on the PEN America report on free speech on college campuses I quickly shared her […]
Search Results contributor
235 results
One year ago I made the jump from a career full of youth services to a life as a director of a small public library. It was a jump that I knew I wanted to make for awhile and when I had the opportunity to work at the Benson Memorial Library in Titusville, PA I jumped right at it. YOUR COMMUNITY IS UNIQUE. UNDERSTAND THEM. We can’t rely on an article in a library related publication to spell out exactly what we need to do in our library. Every community is different, and with that you have to adapt to […]
“I am not sure how to use the Framework for Information Literacy. I haven’t really had time to look at it.” These were the words of an instruction librarian. I was at a poster session at ALA Annual in Orlando, and I had a great conversation with this librarian about her poster. Now, the conversation was turning toward the Framework. She said, “each year, we use the Information Literacy Standards to assess our program. I do not really understand how I would do this with the Framework.” She seemed concerned that the Framework forced her to undergo some undefined process. […]
I just returned from ALA Annual in Orlando this week, and since we were in Orlando, I couldn’t escape the reach of the Harry Potter marketing machine and the equally as pervasive reach (all across the conference) of the Harry Potter fandom. (For the uninitiated, please note that these are very different things.) Over drinks, conversation turned the world of Harry Potter, which often started with identifying one’s Hogwarts’ House. Of course, I was not aware that I was a member of a Hogwarts’ House. This was quickly remedied by taking the test at the Pottermore website and going through the […]
Today, I was fortunate to speak at a webinar as part of NILRC’s professional development series for librarians. I discussed our library cultural programming that we use to engage our college curricula. Here’s the video from the webinar: Engaging the Curriculum Through Public Programming: Planning for Public Events in Libraries —————————– Troy A. Swanson is Department Chair and Teaching & Learning Librarian at Moraine Valley Community College. He is the co-editor of the recent book from ACRL, Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think About Information. You can follow him on Twitter at @t_swanson.
Keynote from the 15th Annual Information Literacy Summit, hosted by DePaul University Libraries and Moraine Valley Community College Library (http://informationliteracysummit.org). Critical Pedagogy in a Time of Compliance | Information Literacy Keynote, Emily Drabinski —————– Troy A. Swanson is Department Chair and Teaching & Learning Librarian at Moraine Valley Community College. He is the co-editor of the recent book from ACRL, Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think About Information. You can follow him on Twitter at @t_swanson.
This week we held our own Human Library event at my library. The short video below is a quick overview. The Human Library as an idea has been around for a while now, but it is becoming increasingly common in libraries. We utilized it as a way for students from a range of classes to come together with our “books” to explore diversity and understanding within the context of their classes. Faculty members signed up by course section and built assignments that connected to the program. Books Come Alive at Moraine Valley Troy A. Swanson is Department Chair and Teaching […]
I have always been interested in the cognitive side of information literacy. How does our existing knowledge, personal beliefs, worldview, and experience intertwine into a decision-making process? How can we understand this process and use it to improve the teaching of information literacy skills? That being said, I really enjoyed David McRaney’s interview with Yale University’s Matthew Fisher as they considered how the online context impacted self-perceptions of knowledge. Here’s a description from the You Are Not so Smart Podcast page: The latest research suggest that though technology probably doesn’t make us stupid, it can, however, cause us to believe […]
This week my library held our annual Graphic Novel Symposium, which was a great program emphasizing diversity, creativity, and community . This event is essentially a mini con but is aimed at the curriculum. The conversations were thoughtful and engaging, and I thought that TTW readers may enjoy them. Here are the links: Graphic Novels and Their Use as Tools of Tolerance and Diversity Eric Kallenborn, Ronell Whitaker, and Claire Overton YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUHy5vqFL40&index=15&list=PLEenmBjMCRGg81l_w-fF8ywZivwQmlbR3 Generation Next: How to Keep Nerd Communities Growing Carlye Frank, Dawn Xiana Moon, Michi Trota, and Ytasha Woman YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqzlBX0LNgM&list=PLEenmBjMCRGg81l_w-fF8ywZivwQmlbR3&index=13 From Pencils to Print: Small […]
Since Heather Jagman and I co-edited our book Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Thing About Information, I have enjoyed several email exchanges with librarians around the country focusing on topics of the book. The larger theme of these conversations center on the larger concepts around information literacy beyond the mechanics of searching. It seems that our profession has long recognized that information literacy is more than using a library, and it is more than just searching Google. But, we are just now entering a time of broader discussion about the dispositions, modes of thinking, and levels of understanding […]