We interviewed Computers in Libraries 2015 speaker Michael Stephens about why he thinks opportunities for learning everywhere are so important to our library community. Read below for his answers and make sure to attend the workshop he is teaching with Wendy Newman. Dr. Michael Stephens Assistant Professor San Jose State University & Tame the Web Question 1: What key library issues are you most concerned about for the coming year? M.S.- I think it’s an ongoing issue that each and every library find the best and most useful ways to tap into community needs. Librarians need to be present in communities (city, town, campus, school, company) […]
Yearly Archives: 2015
73 posts
You gotta see me change See me change, Yeah I’m leavin’ town On a midnight train, Gotta see me change Change, change, change, Change, change, change Change, change, change, Change, change, change Woa, change, change, change ~ “The Changeling” by The Doors (Rocking out to The Doors while reading this is encouraged) Change is supposed to be temporary. We know change as that transitional, unsettling state between more reassuring times. In our imagination, and as it plays out in life, change happens but then things stabilize. Or at least that’s how it used to be. As the foundational readings underscore, […]
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.
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? […]
Greetings all! We’re starting a new series of guest posts here at TTW. I’m calling them “Listening to Student Voices.” There is so much wonderful blogging that goes in within courses I teach and beyond, I want to make sure some of those voices get out farther than the students and professor. Watch for the first post soon!
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]