When I started at SJSU SLIS in August 2011, the university Provost spoke at our faculty orientation and presented each of us with a gift – an allotment of funds to attend the conference of our choice! Last spring, I chose to use my funds to attend the R-Squared Conference. From the Vision page: In February 2011, a group of Colorado library professionals began brainstorming how libraries can avoid extinction, reinvent themselves and strengthen their role as vital parts of their communities. With that, R-Squared – The Risk & Reward Conference was born. Members of the Colorado State Library,Colorado Library Consortium (a 501(c)3), Anythink, Wilkinson […]
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StephensCV2012 Just updated my CV for my 2nd year retention, tenure & promotion dossier. Curious about the dossier? I made a video!
On a recent break from work at my library, I walked down to the local cafe to get my daily summer iced tea and lemonade. On my walk back to the library, I noticed a couple looking at a large map of Portland, ME. They looked like they were trying to find something but couldn’t figure out where to go. I stepped in and said, “Is there something I can help you find? I live downtown and I’m also a librarian. It’s part of my job to help people find what they need.” In the end, I helped the couple […]
Today, my blood started to boil as I sat through a presentation on my campus. The speaker actually did a good job. He was detailing information about a nation-wide survey called CCSSE (the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, http://www.ccsse.org/) in which our campus has participated for many years. Engagement is much more than a buzzword within community colleges. The higher education literature is very clear that the ways that students build personal and intellectual connections with a campus (the ways they engage) have a major impact on the success of that student. (See Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement […]
You invited the participants at IFLA Helsinki to shear their experiences about 23 things. I would very much like to shear with you the experiences from Norway. I am working as a library adviser in a county library south of Oslo in Norway and have done a lot of work with 23 things. Your research conclusions is very similar to what we see in Norway. It is mainly a personal experience that has promoted confidence and curiosity in the participants. A Timeline: Autumn 2006 – we were four Norwegian librarians that found the American web page of 23 things. We started talking and planning for a Norwegian version […]
Fall 2012: September 27, 2012: Keynote, Wyoming Library Association, Casper, Wyoming. October 2, 2012: Keynote & session, Indiana Public Library Association Conference, Carmel, Indiana. October 3, 2012: Library 2.012 presentations: “23 Things” as Transformative Learning: Promoting Confidence, Curiosity and Communication via Library Staff Professional Development and “Our Common Purpose: Libraries and LIS Education in Flux,” online. October 17, 2012: Presentation for Vancouver Public Library staff, Vancouver, BC, Canada. October 2012: TTW Kehrt nach Deutschland Zurück (sponsored by the US Embassy & Zukunftwerkstatt): Tentative presentation dates and locations: October 22: Lecture and Meet and Greet inBerlin October 23: Lecture and Meet and Greet in Frankfurt October 24: Meeting with Bloggers and […]
Today I presented at the Elmhurst Illinois Public Library staff institute. Thanks to the entire staff for being so welcoming and excited! The library is gorgeous! Slides are here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/239835/HyperlinkedElmhurst.pdf
Our little library gets some local press: http://www.theticker.tc/story/build-your-own-neighborhood-library By Samantha Tengelitsch Spider Lake Little Free Library under construction Little Free Libraries – mini fridge-sized neighborhood book “houses” neighbors borrow books from and donate books to – are sprouting up around the nation. This summer, the Traverse Area District Library jumped in on the trend, launching and funding the first Little Free Library of its own in the Kids Creek neighborhood. “Kids Creek was completely enthused by it,” says TADL marketing and communications manager Kristen Talaga. “They have a really supportive community.” Neighborhood resident Becky Mang volunteered to act as steward for […]
Every year Pierce County Library System unveils a new Summer Reading Program. This year we’ve taken the teen program online (Teen Summer Challenge http://teensummerchallenge.org/) and challenged participants to explore their interests, their library, and their community through activities and masteries. Challengers can share their experiences, earn badges and achievements, interact with friends, claim their mastery of an activity group, earn library fine rebates, and share reviews of the books, music, movies, and places they love. Best of all, teens throughout out county library system can participate in the challenge together in one place! The program has been going for more than […]
I am no longer reading the book 1493 by Charles Mann (see my previous post about Mann’s earlier book, 1491, here). I was reading it but it just disappeared from my iPad. I had downloaded it via Overdrive from my local public library. My two-week loan period is over, the book vanished, and I am now back on the waiting list. I am at a point in my life where I just don’t have time to read for fun. I just don’t have time to curl up with books any more. Young children, work responsibilities, side projects, homeownership, and the […]