Friends in the library world. I am thrilled to support Loida Garcia-Febo for ALA President. Please take a look at her campaign site for more. I am pleased to endorse Loida for ALA President. I have followed her work with the association and other international groups for some time. Loida recognizes the importance of inclusive service for everyone, and to do that we must advocate for ourselves, our institutions and our users. She also recognizes we must also develop our own skills and policies as the nature of information and access to information continues to evolve. I am confident her […]
Yearly Archives: 2017
48 posts
I was excited to be a guest host on the Circulating Ideas podcast where I interviewed Lane Wilkinson,Director of Library Instruction at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Listen to our conversation here: Circulating Ideas episode 104: Lane Wilkinson. Lane and I discussed how librarians relate to knowledge in a time of fake news and alternative facts. “How information contributes to knowledge should be of the utmost concern for librarians. After all, librarians have deep-rooted affinities for both information and knowledge-creation…Patrons do not want misinformation or disinformation; they do not want to be deceived” (Lane Wilkinson, “Theories of Knowledge in Library and […]
I am honored to be a guest on the Circulating Ideas podcast! Steve chats with Dr. Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor in the School of Information at San Jose State University and author of The Heart of Librarianship. He also writes the monthly column “Office Hours” for Library Journal. SHOW NOTES: Tame the Web The Heart of Librarianship The Transparent Library “Talk About Compassion” (Office Hours) “Dream, Explore, Experiment” (Office Hours) “Adopt or Adapt” (Office Hours) “The Hygge State of Mind” (Office Hours) And for all the folks out there who may need something to soothe their soul:
IN an “Office Hours” piece from early 2014 on Reflective Practice, I wrote about the human face of the library. PUTTING A FACE ON THE LIBRARY This reminds me that the library should be human. It means that behind the keyboard, behind the blog, and behind the Facebook page, there’s a person ready to have a conversation: ready to help, ready to listen. I’m always looking for good examples of this. So I was thrilled to see this cool project from the fine librarians at the University of Colorado Boulder. Shared via librarian Adam Lisbon on Facebook who was part […]
I come to this blog post with some concern in my heart. Deep in my heart I have a profound love and respect for public libraries. They are an essential part of any democracy. Access to libraries has increased over the history of democracies, and some who might not have had access in the past are now welcome. The maturity of civilization always seems to reveal itself as we become more inclusive through the growth of acceptance, the growth of respect, and the increasing understanding of the value of all human beings. Everything I’ve learned recently supports my devotion to […]
The Information Literacy Framework from ACRL presents a nationally recognized set of skills that can be used to demonstrate the value of individual academic libraries and groups of libraries that want to benchmark learning. This is true for all types of libraries including community colleges. The representatives from regional accrediting agencies who reviewed the Framework recognized and supported this use for the Framework. Those who claim that the Framework does not fill a role similar to the rescinded Information Literacy Standards misrepresent or misremember how the Standards were used. The Framework follows current thinking for learning models that do not […]
I am excited to share a link to an article I wrote in College & Research Libraries News, “Sharing the ACRL Framework with Faculty: Opening Campus Conversations.” Part of the reason that I put this article together is because I have heard from a few community college librarians who are concerned that the Framework does not work for 2-year colleges. They seem to be especially concerned that the Framework does not connect to career programs or developmental education. I have not found these concerns to be valid. My C&RLNews article linked above outlines a professional development course for faculty that I […]