My new column is up at Library Journal online: http://bit.ly/bD8ZOS This exercise helped me clarify my philosophy of LIS education. Some of my goals include: To prepare LIS students for a decidedly digital future in libraries. With titles like Digital Strategy Librarian, User Experience Librarian, or Strategy Guide, jobs being advertised speak to an evolving skill set that not only includes a solid understanding of the core values of LIS but a strong knowledge of information architecture, online user behavior, and the ability to build networked resources and services. We do our students (and programs) a disservice if they graduate […]
Categories Education
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Please see: http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/887460-264/steven_maccall_winner_of_ljs.html.csp “He transforms what could be a cold and impersonal experience into one that is filled with enthusiasm, humor, and intellectual rigor, possibly even transcending an on-campus experience.” That description of Steven L. MacCall’s online teaching comes from the student nomination that earned him the 2010LJ Teaching Award, sponsored by ProQuest. An associate professor at the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, MacCall was nominated by Kathie Popadin, known as “Kpop” to the members of her cohort in the online MLIS program at SLIS. Sixteen of those students banded together to urge Kpop […]
Barrett Jones, Digital Preservation Outreach and Education – Office of Strategic Initiatives at the Library of Congress writes: The Library of Congress launched the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE) initiative earlier this year. The mission of DPOE is to foster a national network of education programs for digital preservation. DPOE is conducting a survey of digital preservation training needs. The results of this survey will be used to develop course content and delivery options for digital preservation education. Take the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D6RF8RZ Download a flier: DPOE
Kurt Fischer noted (in passing, at a Mind, Brain, Education Institute) that the Conduit Metaphor of Learning is defunct. This is the idea that education is essentially a kind of pipe whereby knowledge travels from the mouth or mind of a more- to a less-learned person. That the learner is a receptacle to be filled with knowledge. Learning, it ends up, is actually much more complex. And knowledge is apparently not a paper package of data tied with string moving across the meat counter. Which is just as well, because the Conduit Metaphor taken to the extreme leads to students thinking […]
From Michael – This is a reprint of a column originally published last year in Digitale Biblioteek. “On average, students in online learning conditions per- formed better than those receiving face-to-face instructi- on”. That was the conclusion of an authoritative report by SRI International commissioned by the US Ministry of Education. The New York Times wrote about it on August 24th: “The report examined the comparative research for on- line versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008. Most of the comparative studies were done in colleges and adult continuing-education programs of various kinds, from medical training to the military”2. Michael Stephens […]
I stumbled across an old presentation (December 2009) and I liked it, so I thought I’d share. It’s called “Butting In” (click here for the PPT). “Butting in” is the idea that we in the Library and IT world are in what I call the “Cloutterdammerung,” or the Twilight of our Clout. We have a little window of time to use this clout to get ourselves inculcated into the places in our schools where the futures of teaching, learning, and research will be decided (or to help create these places if they do not already exist). Our advantages: people mostly like […]
http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/2010/09/music-in-libraries-were-doing-it-wrong.html I’ve been meaning to post a link to this incredible post by the Librarian in Black. I’ll be using it in my classes from now on as a perfect overview of what’s happening with downloadable music in libraries. If you haven’t read it, be sure to do so and don’t miss the comments. For example: Overdrive & Alexander Street Music are very similar. Overdrive users download a music file in a DRM-protected format that will self-encrypt and be unreadable after the designated circulation period (e.g. 3 weeks). Update: Alexander Street Music offers -streaming- access to classical, jazz, and folk. […]
Please consider participating! http://www.unc.edu/~jvelasco/sm-survey2010/ A study by Javier Velasco-Martin The Study I’m interested in how we are incorporating Social Media into our communication toolset; this research study will compare different computer-based interpersonal communication media. I’m particularly interested in whom we relate with through different tools, what types of information we share on these, and how we feel about different types of information. Your participation involves responding to an online survey. This process should take you about 15 to 20 minutes, and should involve no risk or harm to yourself. With your help, we’ll be extending our knowledge in this field, […]
Fascinating!
A brief post based on my notes for a short speech this week at Dominican GSLIS New Student Orientation and some reflection on the 55 students who graduated from our program last Saturday: Ranganathan said “the Library is a growing organism.” That evolution continues and you all are starting your graduate library school journey at a perfect time. I was recently in South Carolina, where I found myself in the hotel bar after a speech for the library school. The bartender was fired up about his brand new iPod Touch. He was running the bar’s music of of it via […]