Yearly Archives: 2011

251 posts

Office Hours Extra: Geospatial & Geosocial

https://twitter.com/#!/nypl/status/25616837626560512 Job description: http://sla-divisions.typepad.com/njslajobs/2009/12/geospatial-librarian-new-york.html Duties include: In collaboration with others, develops scaleable tools for delivering NYPL’s digital collections to the public using web mapping discovery technologies and advises on best practices for metadata schema Collaborates with Library Sites and Services staff and engages with users and researchers to provide reference and research services including individualized consultations; engages with users online to foster an interactive and creative use of collection content Promotes and interprets the collections through the use of online tools, classroom instruction, curriculum development, exhibitions and publications Expands outreach to local, national, and international audiences, including K-12 groups Again […]

Office Hours Extra: The New Reality

https://twitter.com/#!/mickjacobsen/status/25217483560460288 I shared this with my Participatory Service & Emerging Technologies class. Skokie PL librarian Mick Jacobsen finds himself in the new reality: developing Web sites as part of his work but without the title or duties of web developer noted in his job description. It makes me wonder – are the proficiencies necessary to create online info environments (think Info architecture, if you will) and online communities becoming part of the greater skill set of the 21st Century Librarian?

Office Hours: Can We Handle the Truth?

http://bit.ly/fJDE6A My new column explores some recent studies about students, faculty and librarians. Ultimately, the authors of the report make a series of recommendations, including a few that librarians must heed. “We believe library instruction could benefit from some serious rethinking and re-examination. We recommend modifying sessions (in-class and reference encounters) so they emphasize…framing a successful research process…over research-finding of sources.” (p. 39) Librarians’ focus on sources over teaching the research process itself has probably contributed to these disheartening survey results. But they also make me wonder how most college students see librarians. Are they invisible within their libraries and […]

Buy India a Library: UPDATE

First up, the Buy India a Library team wishes to thank everyone that has donated to the project.  Right now, our total amount raised stands at £665, which is more than half of what we need to accomplish our goal of purchasing a village library!  Awesome! If you have any questions about how the money we raise is being spent, please read our post here: Who spends the money we’re raising, and how? And finally, Andromeda did this really great interview at ALA Midwinter that explains the project and how it came to be. Thanks for everything, and if you […]

A Burgeoning Librarian’s Perspective : A TTW Guest Post by Terri Rieck

For new librarians entering the field of academic librarianship, there is an expectation to continue and evolve the Participatory Service methodology. Luckily, it is not a forced expectation, but rather one of excitement and, dare I say, glee. The ability of academic libraries to effectively reach and engage students in the research process is palpable and librarians are responsible. Librarians entering the profession are happily challenged with continuing this new era of constant change, experimentation, innovation, and evaluation. This group of new and future librarians is so inspired and focused on this new culture of libraries and librarians. And I […]

Thoughts on the Fall Semester by an LIS PhD Student

Kyle Jones shares some reflection on his first semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Library and Information Studies (LIS) doctoral program: http://thecorkboard.org/a-reflection-on-the-fall-semester/ With good timing, a friend recently contacted me about his own interests in pursuing a PhD in library and information studies.  Knowing that I had just wrapped up my first semester and wanting to hear specific parts of my reflections, he sent me a few questions to answer.  Happily, he allowed me to turn these questions in to a reflective post for all to read. What has taken you by surprise? I was very much used […]

Buy India a Library

From the minds of Jan Holmquist (representing Denmark), Andromeda Yelton (representing the USA), and Ned Potter (representing the UK)… …comes Buy India a Library, a project started by librarians to fund a library in India via Twitter.  Head on over to their blog for more information on the project and learn about how you can help them accomplish their awesome goal! What an awesome project and a wonderful team.  I’ve been lucky to meet in person with Andromeda a few times and have many great discussions with Jan and Ned online.  Kudos to them for making it happen! -Post by […]