Josh Hadro provides coverage of the “Play, Learn, Innovate” Symposium: Guiding the event was the prevailing notion of integrating “playfulness in your life, career, and work as a whole,” noted opening presenter and moderator Liz Danforth, a freelance game illustrator, scenario designer, and game developer, and librarian at the Pima County Public Library. Danforth established the framework for the session, touching on “innovation, creativity, motivation, games, critical and strategic thinking,” all in an effort to spark positive change and overcome fearful reaction and resistance. As she noted and other panelists affirmed, activity flexibility and a positive, fostering environment are some […]
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http://www.valiz.nl/en/IReadWhereIAm I am honored to have a short piece written with Jan Klerk in this new book just released in The Netherlands. I Read Where I Am contains visionary texts about the future of reading and the status of the word. We read anytime and anywhere. We read of screens, we read out on the streets, we read in the office but less and less we read a book at home on the couch. We are, or are becoming, a different type of reader. The question remains which shape will it take and what experience does one want? To answer […]
The 5th Dominican University eChicago Annual Community Informatics symposium “Information, Innovation & Inclusion: Building Community Cohesion” is a practice/policy/research symposium organized and sponsored by the Graduate School of Library & Information Science, Dominican University. As most organizations are feeling the economic pinch and are looking for ways to streamline budgets, this year at eChicago@Dominican, we focus on how practitioners, policymakers and researchers in a variety of communities e.g. academic, corporate and non-profit can share resources, exchange ideas and find new ways to work together. Registration $30 Free for Dominican University students, faculty, and speakers Registration includes evening buffet on Thursday and […]
Yes you can! 2011, originally uploaded by Oak Park Public Library. Oak Park Public Library writes: Yes you can eat at the Library! Beginning today, June 1, 2011, we will allow food in all 3 facilities. We made this change because we think it will improve the library experience of many of our customers, including parents with young children, kids and teens who visit after school, and people who use the Library for extended periods of time. There …are some limitations, including: no eating in the Silent Reading Room or Storytime Room or while using our computers. We expect this […]
Hi Michael, I just read your recent LJ article, “The Transparent Library School”. It really resonated with me. I don’t know if I told you about my undergraduate experience at the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies, University of Redlands or not. Your article reminded me of the student-faculty collaborative practice at Johnston. For example, I co-created several classes there, designed my own major, and was a Community Assistant (Johnston’s version of a “RA”) on the living-learning complex. One of the things we did on a weekly basis was have community meetings. We (students and faculty) talked about everything in those […]
Shamelessly re-posted from Ken’s blog because it’s oh so good- http://www.kenhaycock.com/kens-blog/entry/ten-keys-to-career-success.html As I pointed out to the graduates, it may be less appropriate to offer an inspiring message concerning our particular profession and its prospects in a tight economy but we also sometimes forget that this too shall pass. The term convocation denotes a coming together, in this case for a celebration of achievement, but it is also a commencement, a beginning, a beginning of a new career and a new life, and also a beginning to learn, just as one gets a driver’s license but then really learns […]
Daniel Stuhlman, Reference Librarian at Wright College, Chicago presents part one of an interview with the newly appointed dean of the University’s School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS). Daniel notes, however, that “note this is just for your information and amusement. Any connection to a real university or dean is strictly coincidental.” The ideas ring true. http://kol-safran.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-dean-interview-part-1.html Q> You talked about teaching management skills as important for librarians. Would you elaborate? What is your philosophy of management? A> One of the most common reasons for people to be dissatisfied with their jobs is they feel they are not supported […]
When we initiated a new usability study of our library’s website, we reviewed close to 60 library websites. The one dominant trend we observed was the placement of some sort of search functionality was present on the library’s homepage. Most libraries had tabbed search boxes that allowed users to click between tabs for searching the OPAC, periodical databases, and other types of information. Our assumption was that we also should move our search functionality to our library’s homepage. We thought that search was the primary purpose of our website, but the results of our usability study caused us to rethink […]
Back in late 2008, I received a phone call from a friend/colleague in Germany with a tantalizing offer: would I be interested in a three-semester teaching gig? The location was the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig (Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Kultur – HTWK) [http://www.fbm.htwk-leipzig.de/de/fakultaet-medien/], and the job was a paternity leave replacement for their professor of electronic publishing and multimedia in the College of Media. How could one say no? I was feeling a bit stale in my library work, and know from past experience that I enjoy teaching semester-length courses and possess some teaching skill. That I […]
At the Future of Academic Libraries Symposium, I had about 15 minutes to hear from the attendees about their own “heretical thoughts” about LIS education. Thanks to Dale Askey (@daskey) for capturing these while I lead the discussion: Being more selective about who gets in to library school. Cut down number of graduates; avoid overstocking the profession. Deans/professors at conferences/forums, at thought leading/forming events. Where are they? LIS schools need to manage expectations of profession; libraries are being unrealistic by demanding immediate gratification in the form of perfectly fit graduates Instructional design should be part of the mix Internships integral? Yes, must […]