There is a paid post advertised at Tromsø University, in which you study for a PhD and undertake some minor teaching etc. duties. The PhD topic is set; investigating information literacy teaching in Norwegian higher education. You have to learn Norwegian to basic qualification level within 2 years (i.e. you do not have to be able to speak it when you start: also, the PhD dissertation may be written in English). Application deadline is 18 May 2016. https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/125147/phd-candidate-affiliated-to-a-research-procject-on-information-literacy-teaching-at-the-department-of-library-services-campus-tromsoe
Photo by Sheila webber: London Marathon (turning into Charlton) April 2016
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
New articles: visial literacy; research questions; library/publisher relationship; pedagogy
- Beaudoin, J. (2016). Describing Images: A Case Study of Visual Literacy among Library and Information Science Students. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 376-392. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) "This paper reports on a study that examined the development of pedagogical methods for increasing the visual literacy skills of a group of library and information science students"
- Donlan, R. and Sieck, S. (2016). Stop, Collaborate & Listen: How the Librarian/Publisher Relationship Can Facilitate the Development of the Information Literacy Curriculum. Collaborative librarianship, 8(1). http://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol8/iss1/5/ (open access) "A librarian from the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and the Library Communications Manager at Taylor & Francis Group partnered to launch a collaborative information literacy pilot program focusing on assisting FGCU students and faculty navigate and understand the scholarly publishing process. This article describes how the idea was created, as well as steps involved in developing the publishing toolkit to help FGCU patrons. An overview of the pilot program was presented during the 2015 Charleston Conference as a poster session."
- Drabinski, E. and Walter, S. (2016). Asking Questions that Matter. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 264-268. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) (Discusses issues of research approaches and questions in the library field)
- Folk, A. (2016). Academic Reference and Instruction Librarians and Dweck’s Theories of Intelligence. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 302-313. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) "This article introduces psychologist Carol S. Dweck’s entity and incremental theories of intelligence and explores the prevalence of these theories in academic librarians who participate in reference and instruction activities."
- Greer, K Hess, A. and Kraemer, E. (2016). The Librarian Leading the Machine: A Reassessment of Library Instruction Methods. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 286-301. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) "This article builds on the 2007 College and Research Libraries article, “The Librarian, the Machine, or a Little of Bsoth [sic].” ... The study’s design and its results serve to contribute to discussion of best practices in information literacy pedagogy, online learning, instructional design, and the role of the librarian therein."
Photo by Sheila webber: stacked chairs, April 2016
- Donlan, R. and Sieck, S. (2016). Stop, Collaborate & Listen: How the Librarian/Publisher Relationship Can Facilitate the Development of the Information Literacy Curriculum. Collaborative librarianship, 8(1). http://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol8/iss1/5/ (open access) "A librarian from the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and the Library Communications Manager at Taylor & Francis Group partnered to launch a collaborative information literacy pilot program focusing on assisting FGCU students and faculty navigate and understand the scholarly publishing process. This article describes how the idea was created, as well as steps involved in developing the publishing toolkit to help FGCU patrons. An overview of the pilot program was presented during the 2015 Charleston Conference as a poster session."
- Drabinski, E. and Walter, S. (2016). Asking Questions that Matter. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 264-268. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) (Discusses issues of research approaches and questions in the library field)
- Folk, A. (2016). Academic Reference and Instruction Librarians and Dweck’s Theories of Intelligence. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 302-313. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) "This article introduces psychologist Carol S. Dweck’s entity and incremental theories of intelligence and explores the prevalence of these theories in academic librarians who participate in reference and instruction activities."
- Greer, K Hess, A. and Kraemer, E. (2016). The Librarian Leading the Machine: A Reassessment of Library Instruction Methods. College and Research Libraries, 77 (3), 286-301. http://crl.acrl.org/content/77/3.toc (open access) "This article builds on the 2007 College and Research Libraries article, “The Librarian, the Machine, or a Little of Bsoth [sic].” ... The study’s design and its results serve to contribute to discussion of best practices in information literacy pedagogy, online learning, instructional design, and the role of the librarian therein."
Photo by Sheila webber: stacked chairs, April 2016
Free information literacy e-book
Another free e-book arising from an information literacy class: Alison Hicks has edited a volume of essays from her class of library students (at the University of Denver), to form an engaging book aimed at librarians teaching information literacy.
Hicks, A. (Ed.) (2016). Got a minute? Instruction tune-up for time pressed librarians. Pressbooks. http://gotaminute.pressbooks.com/
The chapter titles are: Introduction: The next generation of instruction librarians; Librarians in Learning Management Systems: Strategies and Suggestions; A Busy Librarian’s Guide to Youtube; Visual Literacy in the Classroom; Really Really Ridiculously Good-Looking: Best Practices for Creating LibGuides; How one-shot library instruction is failing transfer students; Driving in a Parkway and Parking in a Driveway: Preparing for International Students in your Classroom; Teaching Technology to Seniors; Visible Thinking and the Implications for Instruction Librarians; Citation Managers on a Shoestring; Connect the Dots: An Exploration of Connectivism in Theory and Practice; Wake Up and Smell the Bias! Spreading Awareness in Library Instruction; Designing Asynchronous Content; Digital is Just Another Format: How Children’s Librarians Can Apply Traditional Strategies to New Media; Tale Blazers: Digital Storytelling in Library Instruction; School Library Topics in Two’s; How Intellectual Freedom Can Be Highlighted, Integrated,& Safeguarded in Modern Public Library Instruction; Health Literacy in Public Libraries; Using Digital Resources for Student Instruction; Library Burnout: Recognizing the causes and dealing with the effects
Photo by Sheila Webber: delicate cherry blossom, April 2016
Hicks, A. (Ed.) (2016). Got a minute? Instruction tune-up for time pressed librarians. Pressbooks. http://gotaminute.pressbooks.com/
The chapter titles are: Introduction: The next generation of instruction librarians; Librarians in Learning Management Systems: Strategies and Suggestions; A Busy Librarian’s Guide to Youtube; Visual Literacy in the Classroom; Really Really Ridiculously Good-Looking: Best Practices for Creating LibGuides; How one-shot library instruction is failing transfer students; Driving in a Parkway and Parking in a Driveway: Preparing for International Students in your Classroom; Teaching Technology to Seniors; Visible Thinking and the Implications for Instruction Librarians; Citation Managers on a Shoestring; Connect the Dots: An Exploration of Connectivism in Theory and Practice; Wake Up and Smell the Bias! Spreading Awareness in Library Instruction; Designing Asynchronous Content; Digital is Just Another Format: How Children’s Librarians Can Apply Traditional Strategies to New Media; Tale Blazers: Digital Storytelling in Library Instruction; School Library Topics in Two’s; How Intellectual Freedom Can Be Highlighted, Integrated,& Safeguarded in Modern Public Library Instruction; Health Literacy in Public Libraries; Using Digital Resources for Student Instruction; Library Burnout: Recognizing the causes and dealing with the effects
Photo by Sheila Webber: delicate cherry blossom, April 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Critical Pedagogy in a Time of Compliance
They are livestreaming the keynote from the Information Literacy Summit on 29 April 2016 (at 9.30am US Central time, which is 3.30pm UK time). Emily Drabinski (Associate Professor and Coordinator of Library Instruction, Long Island University, Brooklyn) is talking on Critical Pedagogy in a Time of Compliance. The web address is http://ext.morainevalley.edu/multimedia/live-stream-information-literacy-summit/
The IL Summit is hosted by Moraine Valley Community College Library and DePaul University Libraries. The abstract is "The promise of critical pedagogy lies in its capacity to change lives–our own and those of our students–as we try new ways of thinking and teaching that challenge systems of power that privilege some and not others. In the last ten years, critical pedagogy has moved from the margins to the center, most clearly in its influence on the new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Frames like Information has Value and Authority is Constructed have long been tenets of critical voices in the field, voices that can now be heard emanating from the center of our professional lives. And yet, critical approaches to teaching and learning face acute challenges from a higher education environment that increasingly values teaching and learning by the numbers, tying everything from accreditation to book budgets to quantifiable outcomes. In this talk, Emily Drabinski will explore these tensions and offer thoughts on how we can change the world while keeping our jobs."
Photo by Sheila Webber: Shadows under the table, April 2016
The IL Summit is hosted by Moraine Valley Community College Library and DePaul University Libraries. The abstract is "The promise of critical pedagogy lies in its capacity to change lives–our own and those of our students–as we try new ways of thinking and teaching that challenge systems of power that privilege some and not others. In the last ten years, critical pedagogy has moved from the margins to the center, most clearly in its influence on the new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Frames like Information has Value and Authority is Constructed have long been tenets of critical voices in the field, voices that can now be heard emanating from the center of our professional lives. And yet, critical approaches to teaching and learning face acute challenges from a higher education environment that increasingly values teaching and learning by the numbers, tying everything from accreditation to book budgets to quantifiable outcomes. In this talk, Emily Drabinski will explore these tensions and offer thoughts on how we can change the world while keeping our jobs."
Photo by Sheila Webber: Shadows under the table, April 2016
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
A pedagogical and curriculum framework for information literacy
You can request a copy (from the author, via a preprints repository) of what sounds a very interesting chapter in a forthcoming book:
- Lupton, Mandy (2016) Inquiry learning: A pedagogical and curriculum framework for information literacy. In Sales, Dora & Pinto, Maria (Eds.) Pathways into Information Literacy and Communities of Practice: Teaching Approaches and Case Studies. Chandos Publishing. (In Press) [Request the preprint at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/95005/ ] "This chapter presents an inquiry learning framework that can be used as a pathway for the development of information literacy in both K-12 and higher education. Inquiry learning is advocated as an authentic and active approach that draws upon students’ natural curiosity. The pedagogical and curriculum framework incorporates three major elements: questioning frameworks, information literacy and an iterative research cycle. Models and strategies for the elements of the framework are presented and discussed. The chapter ends with an acknowledgement of the challenges associated with implementing inquiry learning."
Lupton's Inquiry Learning and Information Literacy blog is also worth following https://inquirylearningblog.wordpress.com/ Although she doesn't post there as often, there is also her Teaching in the wild blog https://teachinginthewild.wordpress.com/
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossoms, April 2016
- Lupton, Mandy (2016) Inquiry learning: A pedagogical and curriculum framework for information literacy. In Sales, Dora & Pinto, Maria (Eds.) Pathways into Information Literacy and Communities of Practice: Teaching Approaches and Case Studies. Chandos Publishing. (In Press) [Request the preprint at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/95005/ ] "This chapter presents an inquiry learning framework that can be used as a pathway for the development of information literacy in both K-12 and higher education. Inquiry learning is advocated as an authentic and active approach that draws upon students’ natural curiosity. The pedagogical and curriculum framework incorporates three major elements: questioning frameworks, information literacy and an iterative research cycle. Models and strategies for the elements of the framework are presented and discussed. The chapter ends with an acknowledgement of the challenges associated with implementing inquiry learning."
Lupton's Inquiry Learning and Information Literacy blog is also worth following https://inquirylearningblog.wordpress.com/ Although she doesn't post there as often, there is also her Teaching in the wild blog https://teachinginthewild.wordpress.com/
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossoms, April 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Purdue's Information Literacy mission
Purdue University Libraries (USA) have just revised their information literacy mission. It now reads "Purdue University Libraries’ research-based information literacy programming empowers Purdue’s diverse communities of learners to use information critically to learn and to create new knowledge, fostering academic, personal and professional success." There is more information on this, and on their other information literacy activities, at http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/releases/2016/Q2/purdue-libraries-revamps-information-literacy-mission-statement.html
Just a quick google identified other North American libraries with information literacy mission statements, e.g. Gateway Community College and Albright College - do add a comment if you have one.
Photo by Sheila Webber: peacock butterfly, April 2016
Just a quick google identified other North American libraries with information literacy mission statements, e.g. Gateway Community College and Albright College - do add a comment if you have one.
Photo by Sheila Webber: peacock butterfly, April 2016
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Happy world book and copyright day #bookday
Although the UK perversely celebrates "World Book Day" in March, the actual international World Book and Copyright Day is today. The 23 April was chosen because "is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo."
The main website is http://www.unesco.org/new/en/wbcd and the hashtag is https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookDay?src=hash - you're encouraged to tweet your favourite book
The main website is http://www.unesco.org/new/en/wbcd and the hashtag is https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookDay?src=hash - you're encouraged to tweet your favourite book
Friday, April 22, 2016
Earth day
Today is Earth Day. I was trying to find some information literacy or library items related to this and I've picked out:
Hauka, Petra (2015) How to become / How to identify a Green Library? Standards for Certification. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2015 - Cape Town, South Africa in Session 95 - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries SIG with New Professionals SIG. (http://library.ifla.org/1237/)
Soh, Lin Li and Lo, Wan Ni (2013) My tree house - World's 1st green library for kids. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2013 - Singapore - Future Libraries: Infinite Possibilities in Session 115B - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group. (http://library.ifla.org/122/)
SOS for Information Literacy (1996?) Earth Day: Learn about the Rain Forests. (an activity for art classes, learning about an endangered animal and painting it) http://www.informationliteracy.org/plans/view/200
Oyelude, Adetoun Adebisi and Alabi, Adefunke Olanike (2013) Greening: pluses and minuses of Nigerian libraries in promoting environmental sustainability. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2013 - Singapore - Future Libraries: Infinite Possibilities in Session 115B - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group. http://library.ifla.org/133/
Photo by Sheila Webber: spring flowers April 2016
Hauka, Petra (2015) How to become / How to identify a Green Library? Standards for Certification. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2015 - Cape Town, South Africa in Session 95 - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries SIG with New Professionals SIG. (http://library.ifla.org/1237/)
Soh, Lin Li and Lo, Wan Ni (2013) My tree house - World's 1st green library for kids. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2013 - Singapore - Future Libraries: Infinite Possibilities in Session 115B - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group. (http://library.ifla.org/122/)
SOS for Information Literacy (1996?) Earth Day: Learn about the Rain Forests. (an activity for art classes, learning about an endangered animal and painting it) http://www.informationliteracy.org/plans/view/200
Oyelude, Adetoun Adebisi and Alabi, Adefunke Olanike (2013) Greening: pluses and minuses of Nigerian libraries in promoting environmental sustainability. Paper presented at: IFLA WLIC 2013 - Singapore - Future Libraries: Infinite Possibilities in Session 115B - Environmental Sustainability and Libraries Special Interest Group. http://library.ifla.org/133/
Photo by Sheila Webber: spring flowers April 2016
Thursday, April 21, 2016
The varying conceptions of information literacy across an International Middle School community: Seminar
There is a free seminar on 3 May 2016 2-4pm at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Business School, Scotland: Only Connect: The varying conceptions of information literacy across an International Middle School community. The seminar is presented by Veronica Cunningham: "This seminar offers participants the opportunity to learn about the preliminary findings from a phenomenographic study of the ways seven different stakeholder groups including students, parents, teachers, library and IT personnel, administrators and leadership understand information literacy (IL). This study uniquely places the spotlight on IL from multiple stakeholder perspectives yielding for the first time a more comprehensive understanding of IL in an international school context. The seminar also serves to provide a platform for participants to explore the implications of these findings for professional practice in the Library and Information profession, curriculum development, professional development for staff and faculty, home school collaboration around IL learning and organisational learning. The study's author Veronica Cunningham has worked in different countries in the field of international education in the library and information and curriculum development areas. She is currently based in Oslo and is undertaking this research as part of the Doctorate in Information Science Degree Programme. The research and its findings are currently in the final write up phase and are of relevance to those concerned with shaping, leading and implementing IL strategy in learning communities worldwide." Email Agnieszka Kruk-Omenzetter (a.kruk-omenzetter@rgu.ac.uk) if you wish to attend. Map and travel information are here.
Photo by Sheila Webber: windblown cherry blossom, April 2016
Photo by Sheila Webber: windblown cherry blossom, April 2016
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
FutureLearn MOOC thoughts #flnetwork
Today I'm attending a meeting of the FutureLearn Academic Network, the research network for partners in FutureLearn (a consortium which operates a MOOC - Massive Online Open Course- platform). The meeting's taking place at Glasgow University. I'll just pick out a few things that struck me during the day.
Minji Xu (FutureLearn) compared her experience of a MOOC with that of an online degree course. She identified that the MOOC course had more culturally diverse participants, which meant that people felt more included (rather than being left out because those in the national majority made assumptions about time zones, language etc.) Both courses have group work, and she liked being able to see what people had already done (profile, previous posts and portfolio) when choosing group mates. This struck me as interesting, as it may be more possible to find evidence about your classmates in online learning than (say) early on in a face to face class where you might be going more just on what people do or don't say in class.
Phil Tubman (Lancaster University) was talking about social learning, reflecting on interaction in FutureLearn MOOCs. He felt that existing tools and instruments (content analysis etc.) for "measuring" learning in small group discussions or extended online conversations were not necessarily best suited for investigating learning in MOOCs. Tubman identified that dimensions of sociocultural learning were: participative, interactive, social, cognitive and metacognitive (I think referring to this). He decided to focus on the interactive dimension, looking at comments and replies in 10 FutureLearn MOOCs. There was a si8milar curve for all the MOOCs, in that about 50-60% of comments that had replied had just one reply, 19-25% have 2 replies, with a steeply declining curve after that. From that point of view, sociocultural learning seemed low, and all the MOOCs (which were in widely different subject areas, with widely different numbers of participants) showed similar trends. You could hypothesise from this that this was something to do with the nature of the platform. Tubman proposed that people needed to be able to discover conversations that interest them (like having hashtags they could follow or search for), to be able to filter out irrelevant conversations (e.g. large number that are just thanking the person who made a comment) and to know what was expected of them in discussion spaces.
Finally this morning, Paul Browning (National STEM Learning Centre) was talking about a MOOC on Assessment for Learning in STEM teachers (aimed at pre-university teachers who teach science etc. subjects). He was focusing on their use of peer review in the MOOC (at a point where the teachers were creating and critiquing a particular type of question, a hinge-point question). The main learning point for the MOOC designers was ensuring that teachers would be able to peer review people in the same discipline (rather than someone in, say, physics, being presented with a Biology question to review). To begin with, people were randomly allocated, and they were not happy about it. They solved the problem by allowing the learner to "shuffle" if they didn't like the peer-review assignment they were presented with, which they could keep doing until they got one they liked. Enabling this learner choice led to greater learner satisfaction (and, presumably, learning) and didn't lead to "unwanted" peer assignments.
Minji Xu (FutureLearn) compared her experience of a MOOC with that of an online degree course. She identified that the MOOC course had more culturally diverse participants, which meant that people felt more included (rather than being left out because those in the national majority made assumptions about time zones, language etc.) Both courses have group work, and she liked being able to see what people had already done (profile, previous posts and portfolio) when choosing group mates. This struck me as interesting, as it may be more possible to find evidence about your classmates in online learning than (say) early on in a face to face class where you might be going more just on what people do or don't say in class.
Phil Tubman (Lancaster University) was talking about social learning, reflecting on interaction in FutureLearn MOOCs. He felt that existing tools and instruments (content analysis etc.) for "measuring" learning in small group discussions or extended online conversations were not necessarily best suited for investigating learning in MOOCs. Tubman identified that dimensions of sociocultural learning were: participative, interactive, social, cognitive and metacognitive (I think referring to this). He decided to focus on the interactive dimension, looking at comments and replies in 10 FutureLearn MOOCs. There was a si8milar curve for all the MOOCs, in that about 50-60% of comments that had replied had just one reply, 19-25% have 2 replies, with a steeply declining curve after that. From that point of view, sociocultural learning seemed low, and all the MOOCs (which were in widely different subject areas, with widely different numbers of participants) showed similar trends. You could hypothesise from this that this was something to do with the nature of the platform. Tubman proposed that people needed to be able to discover conversations that interest them (like having hashtags they could follow or search for), to be able to filter out irrelevant conversations (e.g. large number that are just thanking the person who made a comment) and to know what was expected of them in discussion spaces.
Finally this morning, Paul Browning (National STEM Learning Centre) was talking about a MOOC on Assessment for Learning in STEM teachers (aimed at pre-university teachers who teach science etc. subjects). He was focusing on their use of peer review in the MOOC (at a point where the teachers were creating and critiquing a particular type of question, a hinge-point question). The main learning point for the MOOC designers was ensuring that teachers would be able to peer review people in the same discipline (rather than someone in, say, physics, being presented with a Biology question to review). To begin with, people were randomly allocated, and they were not happy about it. They solved the problem by allowing the learner to "shuffle" if they didn't like the peer-review assignment they were presented with, which they could keep doing until they got one they liked. Enabling this learner choice led to greater learner satisfaction (and, presumably, learning) and didn't lead to "unwanted" peer assignments.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
3 articles: public libraries and IL in Kenya; Faculty perceptions in Spain; IL for distance learning
Kingori, G., Njiraine, D. and Maina, S. (2016). Implementation of Information Literacy Programmes in Public Libraries. Library Hi Tech News, 33 (2). http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/LHTN-09-2015-0063 (priced) "The aim of this study was to examine the implementation of information literacy programmes in the public libraries in Kenya as demonstrated through a case study of the major public library in the country - Kenya National Library Service. .... Major findings of this study indicated that the majority of users at the Kenya National Library Service library relied heavily on the print information materials while some users especially researchers utilized the internet for their academic work or research. The findings indicated that information literacy should be embedded in the information literacy programmes in all public libraries. ... The study will encourage users in public libraries to appreciate the importance of information resources and also sensitize public library administrators to support information literacy programmes."
Pinto, M. (2016). Assessing disciplinary differences in faculty perceptions of information literacy competencies. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 68 (2), 227 - 247. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/AJIM-05-2015-0079 (priced) "Uncovering faculty members’ conceptions of Information Literacy (IL), as well as exploring their perceptions with regard to the importance given to a previously defined set of core IL competences grouped into four categories: searching, evaluation, processing and communication and dissemination. Ascertaining the possible differences among the five knowledge branches (arts and humanities, sciences, social and legal sciences, health sciences, and technical disciplines); and understanding the importance granted to a set of learning improvement initiatives by the faculty. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach - The survey was completed by a set of faculty members from the University of Granada (Spain). ... Results suggest that more than half of the surveyed faculty have what the authors define as an Academic Concept of IL."
Reichart, B. and Elvidge, C. (2015). Information Literacy in the Changing Landscape of Distance Learning: The Collaborative Design of a Flexible, Digital, Asynchronous Course. Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice, 3 (2), 144 - 155. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/z3yenb7 (open access) "This paper offers a case study of the collaborative development of an information literacy course for students enrolled in an online, proprietary college. This credit-bearing course was created in accordance with ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as well as the newly adopted Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The course treats information literacy as a meta-competency that encourages students to explore a variety of research tools, from social media to scholarly journals, and to develop critical thinking and research skills. In order to incorporate current best practices in information literacy pedagogy into the course itself, institutional factors needed to be addressed; these factors are reviewed here. This paper also explores implications for the future of the course, including assessment, the need to constantly adapt to the changing needs of students, and the ever-changing digital environment."
Photo by Sheila Webber: butterfly and blossom (1) April 2016
Pinto, M. (2016). Assessing disciplinary differences in faculty perceptions of information literacy competencies. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 68 (2), 227 - 247. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/AJIM-05-2015-0079 (priced) "Uncovering faculty members’ conceptions of Information Literacy (IL), as well as exploring their perceptions with regard to the importance given to a previously defined set of core IL competences grouped into four categories: searching, evaluation, processing and communication and dissemination. Ascertaining the possible differences among the five knowledge branches (arts and humanities, sciences, social and legal sciences, health sciences, and technical disciplines); and understanding the importance granted to a set of learning improvement initiatives by the faculty. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach - The survey was completed by a set of faculty members from the University of Granada (Spain). ... Results suggest that more than half of the surveyed faculty have what the authors define as an Academic Concept of IL."
Reichart, B. and Elvidge, C. (2015). Information Literacy in the Changing Landscape of Distance Learning: The Collaborative Design of a Flexible, Digital, Asynchronous Course. Pennsylvania Libraries: Research & Practice, 3 (2), 144 - 155. Available at: http://tinyurl.com/z3yenb7 (open access) "This paper offers a case study of the collaborative development of an information literacy course for students enrolled in an online, proprietary college. This credit-bearing course was created in accordance with ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education as well as the newly adopted Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The course treats information literacy as a meta-competency that encourages students to explore a variety of research tools, from social media to scholarly journals, and to develop critical thinking and research skills. In order to incorporate current best practices in information literacy pedagogy into the course itself, institutional factors needed to be addressed; these factors are reviewed here. This paper also explores implications for the future of the course, including assessment, the need to constantly adapt to the changing needs of students, and the ever-changing digital environment."
Photo by Sheila Webber: butterfly and blossom (1) April 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Webcast: Cultivating Consistency in an Instruction Program without Much Authority
ACRL Instruction Section’s Management & Leadership Committee has announced a programme of online discussions.
1. Cultivating Consistency in an Instruction Program without Much Authority with Malia Willey on April 28 at 11am US Eastern time (which is 4pm UK time)
Registration is available here.
"Often with little managerial power, instruction coordinators are responsible for leading information literacy programs that encompass diverse disciplinary needs and individual teaching styles. We will examine challenges faced by library instructors and coordinators, and explore opportunities for pedagogical development and programmatic consistency. Models of shared development, such as communities of practice, encourage library instructors to grow together as teachers and learners."
2. Strategic Design: Leveraging Instructional Design in Academic Libraries with Joelle Pitts and Nicole Pagowsky on May 10 at 2pm US Eastern time which is 7pm UK time
Registration is available here.
"Interest in instructional design (ID) has been growing in academic libraries over the last decade as instruction librarians have expanded their role and scope as educators. ID approaches are additionally sought after as the science behind brain-based pedagogy and learning object design has been diffused across campuses. The development of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided a catalyst for library instruction units and stakeholders to use ID practices to refocus their instructional efforts. In this session, learn how ID works at two large university libraries, and how ID skills are helping librarians engage with the Framework. Learn how to build ID capacity in your library and how to leverage those skills to improve library instruction and collaboration."
3. Using the Framework to Foster Conversations about Information Literacy Instruction with Sara D. Miller and Amanda Nichols Hess on May 31 at 1pm US Eastern time which is 6pm UK time
Registration is available here.
Photo by Sheila Webber: white cherry, April 2016
1. Cultivating Consistency in an Instruction Program without Much Authority with Malia Willey on April 28 at 11am US Eastern time (which is 4pm UK time)
Registration is available here.
"Often with little managerial power, instruction coordinators are responsible for leading information literacy programs that encompass diverse disciplinary needs and individual teaching styles. We will examine challenges faced by library instructors and coordinators, and explore opportunities for pedagogical development and programmatic consistency. Models of shared development, such as communities of practice, encourage library instructors to grow together as teachers and learners."
2. Strategic Design: Leveraging Instructional Design in Academic Libraries with Joelle Pitts and Nicole Pagowsky on May 10 at 2pm US Eastern time which is 7pm UK time
Registration is available here.
"Interest in instructional design (ID) has been growing in academic libraries over the last decade as instruction librarians have expanded their role and scope as educators. ID approaches are additionally sought after as the science behind brain-based pedagogy and learning object design has been diffused across campuses. The development of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided a catalyst for library instruction units and stakeholders to use ID practices to refocus their instructional efforts. In this session, learn how ID works at two large university libraries, and how ID skills are helping librarians engage with the Framework. Learn how to build ID capacity in your library and how to leverage those skills to improve library instruction and collaboration."
3. Using the Framework to Foster Conversations about Information Literacy Instruction with Sara D. Miller and Amanda Nichols Hess on May 31 at 1pm US Eastern time which is 6pm UK time
Registration is available here.
Photo by Sheila Webber: white cherry, April 2016
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Webcast: A Shared Language: Threshold Concepts in Writing Studies
On April 25 2016 1-2.30pm US Central time (which is 7-8.30pm UK time) ACRL has organised a free webcast: A Shared Language: Threshold Concepts in Writing Studies. The presenters are Linda Adler-Kassner (Professor of Writing Studies, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of California Santa Barbara, USA) and Elizabeth Wardle (Howe Professor of English, Director of the Roger and Joyce Howe Center for Writing Excellence, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA). "In this interactive presentation, authors of the book Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies, will talk about their modified crowd-sourced effort to ask colleagues in Writing Studies to identify threshold concepts in their field. As part of this process, they will describe their method and rationale for undertaking this initiative, in particular their desire to impact writing pedagogy and policy. They will also address how threshold concepts can be useful in initiatives such as program and curriculum design and professional development. The remainder of the webinar will be focused on answering questions and engaging in dialog with participants." "Registration is limited to the first 100 attendees; it is strongly encouraged for groups (two or more attendees from the same library or network of libraries) to participate in this webinar together using a single login. For those unable to attend, a link to the archived presentation will be shared via the listservs following the webinar."
Event Registration Page: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/e7m2lfvrl7m/event/registration.html
Event Login Page: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/e7m2lfvrl7m/event/login.html
Photo by Sheila webber: cherry blossom, April 2016
Event Registration Page: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/e7m2lfvrl7m/event/registration.html
Event Login Page: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/e7m2lfvrl7m/event/login.html
Photo by Sheila webber: cherry blossom, April 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
cfp 3rd Annual LILi Conference: “What Would it Look Like If…?”
There is a call for proposals for the 3rd Annual LILi (Lifelong Information Literacy) Conference, which takes place 8 August 2016 at Pierce College, Woodland Hills, CA, USA. The topic is What Would it Look Like If…?
"Imagine having unlimited resources for developing information literacy and lifelong learning opportunities in your library or in partnership with others. That’s right…just imagine! Oftentimes, librarians protest that the primary obstacle to developing that great idea, program, or service is a lack of funding, staff or some other needed resource. While this is certainly a genuine concern, what if those barriers were removed and the only things required for success were a bit of ingenuity, motivation, and collaboration? The purpose of this year’s conference is to encourage librarians to
explore innovative ideas, creative solutions, and imaginative applications for cultivating information literacy competencies across a lifetime. ... Let’s have fun and pretend the sky is the limit!"
20 minute and 10 minute presentations are called for. The deadline is may 1 2016. "Topic ideas include, but are not limited to:• Collaborative or creative ILI partnerships among academic, K-12, public and special libraries • Creative fundraising and ways to obtain needed resources • Marketing, publicity & promotion for collaborative ILI • Establishing ILI connections and partnerships • Assessment of ILI partnership efforts • New, innovative ILI pedagogical approaches • Sequential ILI across two or more institutions or organizations • ILI co-teaching • Common Core Standards and/or California State Standards • ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and/or ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards • AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner • DigitalLearn.org (PLA site) and/or DigitalLiteracy.gov (US government site) • Effective uses of new technology to support ILI • Outreach for successful transfer and transitions from high school to college • Working with classroom teachers in developing ILI"
The keynote speaker is Dr. Lesley Farmer, Librarianship Program & Department Chair of Advanced
Studies in Education & Counseling at CSU, Long Beach.
The link to submit proposals is at http://goo.gl/forms/kmyuVuf1DR
Full details of the conference at http://libguides.sandiego.edu/LILI2016/CFP
Photo by Sheila webber: cherry blossoms, April 2016
"Imagine having unlimited resources for developing information literacy and lifelong learning opportunities in your library or in partnership with others. That’s right…just imagine! Oftentimes, librarians protest that the primary obstacle to developing that great idea, program, or service is a lack of funding, staff or some other needed resource. While this is certainly a genuine concern, what if those barriers were removed and the only things required for success were a bit of ingenuity, motivation, and collaboration? The purpose of this year’s conference is to encourage librarians to
explore innovative ideas, creative solutions, and imaginative applications for cultivating information literacy competencies across a lifetime. ... Let’s have fun and pretend the sky is the limit!"
20 minute and 10 minute presentations are called for. The deadline is may 1 2016. "Topic ideas include, but are not limited to:• Collaborative or creative ILI partnerships among academic, K-12, public and special libraries • Creative fundraising and ways to obtain needed resources • Marketing, publicity & promotion for collaborative ILI • Establishing ILI connections and partnerships • Assessment of ILI partnership efforts • New, innovative ILI pedagogical approaches • Sequential ILI across two or more institutions or organizations • ILI co-teaching • Common Core Standards and/or California State Standards • ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and/or ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards • AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner • DigitalLearn.org (PLA site) and/or DigitalLiteracy.gov (US government site) • Effective uses of new technology to support ILI • Outreach for successful transfer and transitions from high school to college • Working with classroom teachers in developing ILI"
The keynote speaker is Dr. Lesley Farmer, Librarianship Program & Department Chair of Advanced
Studies in Education & Counseling at CSU, Long Beach.
The link to submit proposals is at http://goo.gl/forms/kmyuVuf1DR
Full details of the conference at http://libguides.sandiego.edu/LILI2016/CFP
Photo by Sheila webber: cherry blossoms, April 2016
New articles: teachers and IL in South Africa; Information seeking anxiety
Articles in the latest issue of Libri, volume 66 issue 1 (April 2016, priced) include:
- Zinn, Sandy / Stilwell, Christine / Hoskins, Ruth. Information Literacy Education in the South African Classroom: Reflections from Teachers’ Journals in the Western Cape Province (pp31- )
- Naveed, Muhammad Asif. Exploring Information Seeking Anxiety among Research Students in Pakistan (pp73-)
http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/libr.2016.66.issue-1/issue-files/libr.2016.66.issue-1.xml
Photo by Sheila Webber: Ireland's eye, march 2016
- Zinn, Sandy / Stilwell, Christine / Hoskins, Ruth. Information Literacy Education in the South African Classroom: Reflections from Teachers’ Journals in the Western Cape Province (pp31- )
- Naveed, Muhammad Asif. Exploring Information Seeking Anxiety among Research Students in Pakistan (pp73-)
http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/libr.2016.66.issue-1/issue-files/libr.2016.66.issue-1.xml
Photo by Sheila Webber: Ireland's eye, march 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Workshop: The Evolution of Information Literacy: Framework and Assessment
Registration is open for the ALAO (Academic Library Association of Ohio) Instruction Interest & Assessment Groups workshop, to be held on April 20 2016 at the State Library of Ohio, USA: The Evolution of Information Literacy: Framework and Assessment. Keynote speaker is Craig Gibson (Interim Head of the Fine Arts Library at The Ohio State University), who will talk on The Framework for Information Literacy: Moving Forward with Implementation. The day also includes Mary J. Snyder Broussard on Facilitating Formative Assessment with Interactive Tutorials and Melissa Engleman on The Other LO: Limiting Outcomes (and Objectives). Registration is US $35 for ALAO members, $45 for non-members, and $20 for students. Register at http://www.alaoweb.org/event-2186472
Photo by Sheila Webber; Night over the Liffey, March 2016
Photo by Sheila Webber; Night over the Liffey, March 2016
Friday, April 08, 2016
Libraries and Learning in the USA
Published yesterday on the Pew Research site: results of survey on libraries and learning, carried out in the USA. "Most Americans believe libraries do a decent job of serving the education and learning needs of their communities and their own families. A new survey by Pew Research Center shows that 76% of adults say libraries serve the learning and educational needs of their communities either “very well” (37%) or “pretty well” (39%). Further, 71% say libraries serve their own personal needs and the needs of their families “very well” or “pretty well.” As a rule, libraries’ performance in learning arenas gets better marks from women, blacks, Hispanics, those in lower-income households, and those ages 30 and older."
Libraries and Learning. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/04/07/libraries-and-learning/
Rocks, Howth, March 2016
Libraries and Learning. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/04/07/libraries-and-learning/
Rocks, Howth, March 2016
Wednesday, April 06, 2016
cfp Library 2.016: Library as Classroom #library2016
There's a free online mini-conference: Library 2.016: Library as Classroom, on June 15 2016, 12:00 noon - 3:00pm US Pacific Time (which is 8pm-11pm UK time, see here for times elsewhere). "Libraries of all kinds serve as formal and informal creative classrooms, supporting learners by employing emerging strategies in learning and engagement" It will be held in Blackboard Collaborate. The founding partner of the Library 2.0 online conferences is the School of Information at San Jose State University. For registration and more info go to http://www.library20.com/classroom
An opening panel and closing keynote are already lined up, and there is a call for proposals at http://www.library20.com/page/call-for-proposals
Photo by Sheila webber: Balloons in a tree, Sheffield, March 2016
An opening panel and closing keynote are already lined up, and there is a call for proposals at http://www.library20.com/page/call-for-proposals
Photo by Sheila webber: Balloons in a tree, Sheffield, March 2016
Tuesday, April 05, 2016
Why is IL important: video competition
The CILIP Information Literacy Group have a competition on, with a closing date of May 31 2016. "You are invited to submit a short video (max. one minute) on why information literacy is important in your sector, e.g. public, health, schools, FE, HE, corporate, etc. The video can be as simple or as imaginative as you like, but make sure you address the topic clearly and concisely. Don’t forget to say who you are and which sector you work in! All entrants to the competition will be entered into a prize draw for the opportunity to win a £100 voucher for an online store of their choice" More info at http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/2016/03/why-is-information-literacy-important-in-your-sector/ You do not have to be an ILG member.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Bridge over the Liffey, March 2016
Photo by Sheila Webber: Bridge over the Liffey, March 2016
Workshop: Building a Curriculum on the Intersections of Scholarly Communication and Information Literacy
A half day pre-ALA-conference workshop on 24 June 2016, in Orlando, USA, is Building a Curriculum on the Intersections of Scholarly Communication and Information Literacy. Costs are: ACRL member - $195; ALA member - $245; Nonmember - $295. "This half-day, hands-on preconference will build librarians’ capacity as leaders on issues and projects of campus-wide interest that involve scholarly communication, information literacy, and their connections (e.g., data literacy, intellectual property, open access, etc.). With the ACRL Framework and Intersections White Paper as its foundation, this preconference will provide participants with skills and ideas to develop pedagogical strategies that reach students and faculty on a range of scholarly communication issues." More info at http://www.ala.org/acrl/intersections
Monday, April 04, 2016
Presentations and reports from #lilac16
Congratulations to the LILAC team for getting presentations and links to reports of the latest LILAC conference (21-23 March) online so quickly.
The archive page is at http://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-archive/lilac-2016-1
Many of the presentations are on the Information Literacy Group slideshare (which also has presentations from previous events) at http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/
One report that hasn't yet (at time of writing) been captured by the archive page is from Jane Secker, posted today https://janesecker.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/lessons-from-lilac-16/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Ireland's Eye, march 2016
The archive page is at http://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-archive/lilac-2016-1
Many of the presentations are on the Information Literacy Group slideshare (which also has presentations from previous events) at http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/
One report that hasn't yet (at time of writing) been captured by the archive page is from Jane Secker, posted today https://janesecker.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/lessons-from-lilac-16/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Ireland's Eye, march 2016
Friday, April 01, 2016
Online courses: universal design and captioning
Two forthcoming priced courses from two sections of the American Library Association: Universal Design for Libraries and Librarians (UD is a very useful and interesting approach), which runs between 11 April and 27 May 2016 (more information at http://www.ala.org/lita/universal-design) and Captioning Instructional Videos (rather specific but of practical use!) which runs from 16 May to 12 June 2016. More details on that one at http://www.ala.org/ascla/asclaevents/onlinelearning/onlinelearning/captioning
Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life, March 2016
Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life, March 2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)