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 […]
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My new column is up at Library Journal. The true title is the string of characters above. 🙂 Imagine if users could add emoji to the catalog, expressing their feelings about a book or movie with a range of emotion ideograms. Or having people rate their experience at a library program by sending attendees a link to the program after they attended, with emoji to represent their reactions. Talk about making feedback more fun! I saw this live at Grand Valley State University’s (GVSU) new library last year. On my way out of the Allendale, MI, building after a talk, a […]
When I tell people about my studies in the LIS field, I often hear a few similar responses: “Oh, do they still need librarians with Google and ebooks around?” (Short answer: “Yes, of course!” Longer answer: “Library and information science is about more than searching Google and checking out books!” Longest answer: Well, perhaps you should just email me.) “What can you do with that?” (Answer: “What can’t I do with that?”) “Let me guess: you want to be a librarian because you like books, right?” To be honest, that last question really needs a longer answer, so here we go. […]
Greetings all! In just under two hours we convene the Library 2.016: Library as Classroom online conference. Registrants can join the sessions live or watch recordings after. I am thrilled with the keynotes and speakers we have lined up.
Link to Event More about The Heart of Librarianship Saturday, June 25 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM ALA Store The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change Adaptation to change that’s based on thoughtful planning and grounded in the mission of libraries: it’s a model that respected LIS thinker and educator Michael Stephens terms “hyperlinked librarianship.” And the result, for librarians in leadership positions as well as those working on the front lines, is flexible librarianship that’s able to stay closely aligned with the needs and wants of library users. In this collection of essays from his “Office Hours” […]
The book entitled “It’s Complicated: Social Lives of Networked Teens” by Danah Boyd offers various examples, explanations, and even contradictions to the “issue” of teens and social media. The book is broken into eight chapters: identity, privacy, addiction, danger, bullying, inequality, literacy, and searching for a public of their own. On a personal note, I loved the book! I found so much information that I have been craving from other resources and statistical data, but they rang loud and true throughout the book. I could write an additional post just on the book and my thoughts (and perhaps I will), […]
The following poem was inspired by Taylor Mali’s “What Teachers Make” and was created as a both a tribute to librarians and libraries and a summary of sorts of what I have learned in Professor Michael Stephens’ HyperLinked Library Course from San Jose State. I was invited to dinner one night recently and during the meal one of the guests said in a tone meant to get my attention … the problem with libraries and librarians is What’s a person going to learn from someone who decided her best option in life was to become a librarian? He reminds 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.
First of all, I should note that I am a newcomer to the idea and notion of transparency. The idea of transparency seems to me to be a common sense practice and therefore, I was surprised to have never heard this term before this spring. I have worked in different businesses and corporation (all customer service based) since my teens and have never had any training or staff development in this area. Thus, when I discovered the idea of transparency, I became enraptured by its possibilities and implications. “The transparent library contains three key elements: open communication, adapting to change, […]