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 […]
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I’m speaking at their staff institute today on future services and future technologies. Download the slides here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/239835/DGPLStaffDayStephens.pdf
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A new anonymous comment went up on this post from 2008 about my hometown library’s ban of social media access because of issues with teens: https://tametheweb.com/2008/03/18/no-myspace-facebook-at-mishawaka-library/ No email address or URL was shared, so I thought I’d share the comment here so the person might get some useful feedback – including ideas to welcome everyone into the library without “stricter patron codes of conduct.” I would especially like to hear from teen librarians. I am currently employed at a library in Kentucky and I must say that I disagree with your assessment that the primary goal of the library should […]
Michael Stephens “The Hyperlinked Community Library” from Zukunftswerkstatt on Vimeo. Thanks to my colleagues at the Zukunftswerkstatt for posting their video of my talk last year in Leipzig while I was in Germany speaking at the US Embassy. I’ve been reflecting on 2010 this week and the two back to back trips I took to Europe – one to Switzerland/Germany sponsored by the US Mission in Geneva and the Embassy in Berlin and the other for U Game U Learn – were highlights for me on many levels. Not only did I meet library folk from all over but the […]
I’m updating some slides and prepping for spring classes today. I was pleased to find this wonderful staff directory page for the Todd Library at Waubonsee Community College: https://library.waubonsee.edu/staff/ Not only do I get a photo of the staff member, I also get access to their social media presence as well. Frankly, I’d like to see more libraries do this. Wouldn’t clicking through to a staff listing such as the one above paint a clearer picture of the PEOPLE running the library beyond just a name and email address? I understand if some individuals were not interested in participating, but […]
http://www.cyclingforlibraries.org/ It’s the first cycling unconference for librarians! Cycling for libraries is a politically and economically independent unconference and a bicycle tour. We are bicycling from Copenhagen, Denmark to Berlin, Germany via Gedser and Rostock from 28th May to 7th June 2011. Read more about the route. The tour will take about 10 days. At the moment we have confirmed only the day of the closing seminar, which will be on June 6th in Berlin. The official closing will be on the next day after participating the opening ceremony and the joint cycling event of the German Library Conference. It […]