My new May column is available at LJ: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/05/opinion/michael-stephens/library-as-classroom-office-hours/ I’d argue that our libraries of all kinds also serve as creative classrooms, supporting learners by employing the building blocks mentioned above. Just explore some of the notable examples of academic, public, and K-12 library spaces shared here in LJ over the past few months. You’ll find community learning spaces that help people achieve, game-focused initiatives that make the library a laboratory for exploration, creation zones with requisite digital and 3-D hardware for building things, and potentially endless opportunities to connect virtually with people worldwide.
Contributors Michael Stephens
3983 posts
The Value of Public Libraries – Telling Our Stories – Video Initiative Chatham-Kent Public Library is celebrating Ontario Seniors Month with the release of a very special video. This video features Una Miklos, a Blenheim Senior who describes the important role libraries have played in her life. The public library is a lifelong resource for members of the community. Chatham Kent Public Library staff will debut this video at the Municipal Council meeting on Monday, June 9 2014. This video is part of a series that Chatham-Kent Public Library will be launching this year recognizing and celebrating all populations who […]
I’m honored to be talking about #hyperlibMOOC and our MOOC research at SLA this Sunday: SPOTLIGHT SESSION – It’s a Brave MOOC World: Challenges and Opportunities for Librarians Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are gaining in popularity as another tool in the expanding field of learning technologies. At the same time, the librarian’s role is being redefined as many move from traditional reference and instruction roles to offering more integrated and embedded information services, whether via subject-specific or general expertise. What opportunities do MOOCs offer for librarians, and how can librarians adapt to and take advantage of the opportunities offered […]
Warren Cheetham’s final report and presentation about his 2013 VALA Travel Scholarship to the USA, to investigate libraries and broadband internet, is now publicly available. The report was presented at the VALA Library conference in Melbourne earlier this year. This page has links to the written report and a video of the conference presentation. The page linking to the paper seems to indicate that it’s not available yet, but scroll to the bottom and accept the terms and conditions to access the paper. The video link requires a name and email to register, but it should then play right away. http://www.vala.org.au/vala2014-proceedings/795-vala2014-session-6-cheetham […]
Note from Michael: Valarie Kingsland delivered the SJSU SLIS Outstanding Student speech at our convocation She graciously allowed me to publish her remarks here. Thank you, Dr. Hirsh, for your generous introduction. It’s a pleasure to be here with you and your loved ones. To share in the celebration of this special day, when we reflect upon our time as students, delight in our new titles as archivists, librarians, and information professionals…and contemplate our future. It’s an honor to have been chosen to represent you and share our story. Our Story Remember when you found out you were accepted […]
Slides are here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/239835/StephensKeynoteAmigos.pdf The slides are lean and feature shots from my Instagram – this was a fun deck to put together. Resources: Holding Us Back: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/04/opinion/michael-stephens/holding-us-back-office-hours/ Infinite Learning: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/10/opinion/michael-stephens/infinite-learning-office-hours/ Learning to Learn: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/opinion/michael-stephens/learning-to-learn-office-hours/ Mobile at the Library: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/11/opinion/michael-stephens/mobile-at-the-library-office-hours/ Notes from Some Small Islands: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/12/opinion/michael-stephens/notes-from-some-small-islands-office-hours/ Reflective Practice: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/01/opinion/michael-stephens/reflective-practice-office-hours/
Academic 15: Evaluating library and IT staff responses to disruption and change in higher educationby Michael Stephens, David Wedaman, Ellen Freeman, Alison Hicks, Gail Matthews–DeNatale, Diane Wahl, and Lisa Spiro.First Monday, Volume 19, Number 5 – 5 May 2014http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4635/3878doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v19i5. Academic 15 (A15), an interview–based research project, explores the perceptions of university library and information technology (IT) staff related to the challenges impacting higher education as a result of technological advances. Faced with disruption on many fronts, academic library and IT staff have adapted and adopted a number of tools and processes to cope with accelerating change. This includes seeking out […]
Put your library’s logo and barcodes on iPhone cases! This is some solid library pride / geek chic for your members, as well as a way for you to demonstrate that you understand. You do understand, right? 100 cases for $600 500 cases for $2500 1000 cases for $4500 Visit: http://weareinflux.com/library-barcode-iphone-cases/ What a wonderful idea!
This was officially my first Canadian library Staff Development Day. Thanks to everyone at the Chatham-Kent Public Library for such a warm welcome and response to my talk. The slides are here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/239835/StephensChathamKentStaff.pdf