Systematic review

A recent article summarising what a systematic review is, and how to go about it (in the healthcare context) is: Pati, D. and Lorusso, L. (2017, December 28). How to Write a Systematic Review of the Literature. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. (Advance onlione publication). https://doi.org/10.1177/1937586717747384 (priced publication)(Thanks to Andrew Booth for tweeting this).

Also, just a reminder that a key centre for expertise in systematic review (particularly social sciences, but also healthcare etc.) is the EPPI Centre, based at the UK's Institute of Education (University College London) and funded by a range of public-sector and professional organisations. It has tools and advice for carrying out systematic reviews, as well as examples, and also an ongoing blog https://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=53
Photo by Sheila Webber: paino, Sheffield Crucible, January 2018

#iConference 2018

It's not too late to register for the iConference which takes place at my university, the University of Sheffield, UK, 25-28 March 2018. This is the conference of the iSchools association, and the programme covers a wide range of topics in the Information Science field. More information at http://ischools.org/the-iconference/
Photo by Sheila Webber: University of Sheffield campus, April 2017

Recent articles: first year students; self-efficacy; enhancing information literacy; lifelong learning

The latest issues (volume 43, no. 5 and no. 6) of The Journal of Academic Librarianship (priced publication) include (from issue 6):
- Enhancing Information Literacy Using Bernard Lonergan's Generalized Empirical Method: A Three-year Case Study in a First Year Biology Course (Pages 495-508) by Lisa Rose-Wiles, Marian Glenn, Doreen Stiskal
- Evaluation of an Embedded Program Through the Embedded Ecosystem Framework and Toolkit (Pages 532-539) by Kim Mears, Maryśka Connolly-Brown, Julie K. Gaines, Lindsay Blake, Kathy Davies, Peter Shipman, Gail Kouame
- An Academic Librarian's Search for Meaning: A Survey of Lifelong Learning in Library Literature (Pages 540-547) by Megan Hayes Mahoney
Contents page at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00991333/43/6

From issue 5:
- The Out Loud Assignment: Articulating Library Contributions to First-year Student Success (Pages 409-416) by Elizabeth L. Black, Sarah Anne Murphy
- Imposed-inquiry Information-seeking Self-efficacy and Performance of College Students: A Review of the Literature (Pages 417-422) by Melissa Clark
- Factors Influencing Information Literacy Competency of College Students (Pages 443-450) by Scott Lanning, Jill Mallek
Contents page at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00991333/43/5
Photo by Sheila Webber: Inside the piano, Sheffield Crucible, January 2018

#Digifest18 booking open

Digifest runs 6-7 March 2018, in Birmingham, UK. It "offers a unique opportunity to see, hear and share the latest thinking [on use of technology in education]. We'll deliver an innovative schedule of keynotes, workshops, lightning talks and networking opportunities, presented by experts and peers from the further education and higher education sectors." The main strands are: Digital strategy; The student digital experience; Next-generation learning environments; Teaching and learning excellence in a digital age. It is free to people from organisations which belong to JISC (basically, UK higher and further education institutions) with fees for others. More information and booking  https://www.jisc.ac.uk/digifest
There are slides from the 2017 Digifest at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/digifest-14-mar-2017/programme and last year they streamed some of the conference (though it doesn't mention that yet for this year's)
Photo by Sheila Webber: setting off for Digifest (in the 3D virtal world Second Life, TM Linden Lab)

University of Kentucky award

I like to highlight the awards that some libraries make for students' or teachers' information literacy achievements. One of these was just announced at the University of Kentucky: the UK Libraries Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Scholarship. "Awards are judged on how well a student’s project demonstrates extensive, effective use of library resources, proficient research skills, information literacy competence, and solid scholarship within their discipline" and the prize is US $1,000. The press release is at:
Hale, W. (2018, January 24). UK Libraries Taking Applications Now for 2017-18 Dean’s Undergraduate Scholarship Award. http://uknow.uky.edu/student-life/uk-libraries-taking-applications-now-2017-18-dean-s-undergraduate-scholarship-award
Photo by Sheila Webber: snowy pathway, last Sunday.

Research conversations

The ACRL blog has an occasional Research conversation series and it just released two (text) interviews. The first question in each interview is "In your opinion, has library information literacy instruction developed its own theoretical basis and methodologies? If not, should it?"
- Dr. Nicole A. Cooke is an Assistant Professor at the School of Information Sciences, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign http://acrl.ala.org/IS/research-agenda-conversations-nicole-cooke/
- Dr. Lili Luo is an associate professor at the School of Information at San Jose State University http://acrl.ala.org/IS/research-agenda-conversations-lili-luo/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Regent Court on Sunday

#LILAC2018 programme and booking available

There is a draft programme available for the UK's information literacy conference, LILAC, being held 4-6 April 2018 in Liverpool, UK. Early bird registration rates end on 2 Febrary 2018. I am participating in a panel on 6 April, chaired by Sheila Corrall, Advancing information literacy in higher education: four questions for debate, and my colleague Pamela McKinney will be presenting a presentation we've coauthored, Teaching the next generation of IL educators: reflection for learning (also Pam presents a paper coauthored with former student Manfred Gschwandtner, Reviewing the role of academic librarians in supporting student"s digital capabilities: a qualitative case study). Go to http://www.lilacconference.com/

Student awards for #LILAC2018

The LILAC award for students entitles two students to fully sponsored places at the UK's information literacy conference, LILAC which takes place in Liverpool, UK, 4-6 April 2018. The award consists of full conference registration, travel (within the UK only) and accommodation expenses, if appropriate. Deadline for application is 16 February 2018. Applicants must be full-time or part-time students (including distance-learners) registered for a UK-based first degree or taught postgraduate qualification in information/library studies or information literacy. It is not essential that applicants are current members of CILIP or its Information Literacy Group. More information on how to apply at https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2018/awards/student-sponsored-places

New articles: data literacy; information literacy; digital literacy

The Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology (priced) are published. Papers include:
- “It lives all around us”: Aspects of data literacy in teen's lives by Leanne Bowler, Amelia Acker, Wei Jeng and Yu Chi
- Before information literacy [Or, Who Am I, as a subject-of-(information)-need?] by Ronald E. Day
- Is ignorance really bliss?: Exploring the interrelationships among information avoidance, health literacy and health justice by Beth St. Jean, Gagan Jindal and Yuting Liao
- The effects of BeNetWise program on youth media literacy: A mixed methods research by Kevin P.C. Cheng et al.
- Information literacy in an era of information uncertainty by Noa Aharony, Louise Limberg, Heidi Julien, Kendra Albright, Ina Fourie and Jenny Bronstein
- Digital literacy in the era of fake news: Key roles for information professionals by Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Heidi Julien, Michael Seadle and Alex Kasprak
- Explicating the trends of information literacy studies in the higher education context: A pilot study by Sung Un Kim and Yong Gu Lee
Go to http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pra2.2017.54.issue-1/issuetoc
Photo by Sheila Webber: Sheffield earlier today

MOOCs on digital skills for business/careers

The company Accenture runs some #MOOCs on the #Futurelearn platform about digital skills, with a business focus:
Digital Skills: Grow Your Career "Learn about how digital is changing the world of work, and how you can successfully grow your career in the digital age." (2 weeks)
Digital Skills: Social Media "Learn how to use social media for business, from creating a social media presence to measuring success." (2 weeks)
Digital Skills: Digital Marketing "Learn about some of the different digital marketing strategies and techniques that are available for businesses to use." (2 weeks)
Digital Skills: Web Analytics "Learn about the role of analytics in business, the types of analytics and techniques used and why they are important." (2 weeks)
Digital Skills: Retail "Discover the impact digital technology is having on the retail industry and what it means for customers. (3 weeks)
Digital Skills: User Experience "Learn about why user experience (UX) is important, the research and design basics, and the tools and testing techniques used in UX (3 weeks)
Digital Skills: Mobile "Learn about mobile design, development and creating mobile experiences, as well as bigger concepts related to mobile technology." (2 weeks)
Go to: https://www.futurelearn.com/career-advice/grow-your-digital-skills
Photo by Sheila Webber: taken in the 3D virtual world Second Life (TM Linden Lab)

cfp Information Literacy: From Practice to Research and Back Again

There is a call for papers for a session organised by IFLA's Library Theory and Research Section and Information Literacy Section: Information Literacy: From Practice to Research and Back Again. The session wil be held during the World Library and Information Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 24-30 August 2018.
"This session aims to bring together practice that is based on theoretical underpinnings and theory that can inform practice across the diverse field (of literacies that encompasses the analytical skills critical to information literacy). Our objective is to hear about a range of critical approaches and research models that contribute to building new theory; the challenges of applying theory in practice; the technology dimension in theoretical frameworks; how learning theories can inform practice; and cultural perspectives associated with learning. The session will look beyond standards and processes, engaging instead in the potential for developing knowledge to guide information literacy practice across disciplines, contexts and environments. It will also explore how the body of information literacy practice can inform the building of theory, which in turn can inform future practice. Suggested themes to guide submissions: Construction of knowledge in information literacy; Critical approaches and challenges to build new theoretical contexts; Cross-cultural contexts in information literacy; Emancipatory pedagogy; Enabling technology to enhance information literacy theory and practice; Exploring alternative routes to information literacy; Information literacies to transform society; Information literacy models – from theory to practice and back to theory; Informed learning theory; Methodological and analytical approaches for exploring information literacy."
Deadline for abstracts: 5 March 2018. Full information at https://2018.ifla.org/cfp-calls/library-theory-and-research-section-with-information-literacy-section
Photo by Sheila Webber: heather in Greenwich Park, December 2017

Workshops: Lego for libraries; Playful Teaching

Two full day workshops in the UK, organised by Andrew Walsh, each costs £95.
- Lego for Library Teaching in Cardiff, 16 February 2018. "A full day workshop, when we will explore how Lego® (or other model making materials) may be used in teaching situations in libraries and learning support." https://cardifflego.eventbrite.co.uk
- Creative / Playful Teaching workshop, in York, 2 March 2018. "we will introduce a range of creative and playful ideas for teaching or training throughout the day. Certain
playful ideas will run throughout, plus we will focus on a few creative approaches in particular: Model making, Collage, and use of Narrative." https://creativeyork.eventbrite.co.uk
Photo by Sheila Webber: lego

Embedding Scholarly Communication in Your Instruction Practice

There is an online discussion on January 24 2018 at 1-2pm US Central time (which is 7-8pm UK time): Embedding Scholarly Communication in Your Instruction Practice: A Coordinated Approach. This is the 2018 Instruction Section Midwinter Virtual Discussion Forum. It is led by Rebecca Lloyd (Reference & Instruction Librarian), Kristina De Voe (English & Communication Librarian), and Annie Johnson (Library Publishing and Scholarly Communications Specialist) from Temple University. "How can we best integrate scholarly communication into today’s academic library instruction? While scholarly communication and content creation have impacted some areas of library services, these developments often overlook instruction aimed at undergraduate students."
Discussion digest: http://acrl.ala.org/IS/2018-is-midwinter-virtual-discussion-forum-2/
Registration http://ala.adobeconnect.com/eqs6uw5lyisa/event/registration.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: dusk, Blackheath, December 2017

Recent articles: Pinterest; Critical inquiry; Outreach

Articles in the priced journal Internet Reference Services Quarterly (Volume 22 issue 2/3) include:
- Talking Through It: Using Student to Student Interviews and Brainstorming Activities for Facilitating Critical Inquiry by Krista D. Schmidt (this is in a chemistry class)
- Dust off Those Encyclopedias: Using Reference Sources to Teach the ACRL Framework Concepts by Kristin E. C. Green
- Library Outreach and Instruction to Academic Departments of Military Science and ROTC Cadets by Leila June Rod-Welch EdD, Barbara E. Weeg & Glen P. Keith
- Reframing Pinterest: Information Literacy for Interior Design Students by Ellen Hampton Filgo & Megan Martinsen
Thanks to Esther Grassian for alerting me to this journal issue. Go to http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wirs20/22/2-3?nav=tocList
Photo by Sheila Webber: beets and squash, Blackheath Farmers market, January 2018

Pew Research: satisfication with news media; study in 38 countries

An interesting international survey on attitudes to news media, from Pew Internet. Random surveys of about 1000 people were carried out in each of 38 countries in spring of 2017 (methods are given here). Some snippets from the front page: "rather than being consistently tied to a particular ideological position, satisfaction with the news media across the globe is more closely related to support for the party in power – whether that party is left or right.": so in most countries (though not the USA!) if you support the ruling party, you are more satisfied with the press. "The survey finds that a median of 75% across 38 countries say it is never acceptable for a news organization to favor one political party over others when reporting the news. Just 20% say this is sometimes okay. People in Europe show the greatest opposition to political bias in their news, including 89% in Spain and 88% in Greece who think this is unacceptable."
Younger people are more likely to get news online and be less interested in local news. A global median of 57% of people are interested in news about other countries (in most countries there is most interest in national news, then local news). "The median percentages of people who get news at least once a day through social media are about the same in emerging and developing economies as in advanced ones (33% and 36%, respectively)."

Mitchell, A. et al. (2018, January 11). Publics Globally Want Unbiased News Coverage, but Are Divided on Whether Their News Media Deliver: Deep political divides in many nations on satisfaction with news media; greatest is in the U.S. http://www.pewglobal.org/2018/01/11/publics-globally-want-unbiased-news-coverage-but-are-divided-on-whether-their-news-media-deliver/
Photo by Sheila Webber: sunset over Blackheath, December 2017

Health Literacy Skills and Partnership Working for Public and Health Librarians​

At time of writing there are still a few places for a workshop on 26 January 2018 in Oldham, UK: Health Literacy Skills and Partnership Working for Public and Health Librarians​. The event is free for CILIP PMLG/ HLG members (see https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/SpecialInterestGroup) and £25 to others. Go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/health-literacy-skills-and-partnership-working-for-public-and-health-librarians-tickets-41305800762?

Latest issue of RUSQ: business and workplace information literacy

The latest issue of open-access Reference & User Services Quarterly (RUSQ) (volume 57, issue 2, 2017) includes (amongst other articles):
- Information Literacy: Business and Workplace Information Literacy: Three Perspectives by Elizabeth Malafi, Grace Liu, Stéphane Goldstein [The three mini articles are called: Business Empowered at the Public Library; Business Information Literacy in Academic Libraries - Challenges and Opportunities in Meeting Trends in Business Education; Workplace Information Literacy)
- From the President: Entitled to the Facts: A Fact-Checking Role for Librarians by Chris LeBeau
- A Reference for That: Reference Service: Every Time It’s Personal by David A. Tyckoson
- Including the Voices of Librarians of Color in Reference and Information Services Research by Amy VanScoy, Kawanna Bright
- “There is Nothing Inherently Mysterious about Assistive Technology”: A Qualitative Study about Blind User Experiences in US Academic Libraries by Adina Mulliken
- Understanding Appeals of Video Games for Readers’ Advisory and Recommendation by Jin Ha Lee, Rachel Ivy Clarke, Hyerim Cho, Travis Windleharth
Go to https://journals.ala.org/index.php/rusq/issue/view/665
Photo by Sheila Webber: Eliza asleep, December 2017

New articles: #critlib , first year experience, science and privacy literacy; threshold concepts

The latest issue of open access journal Communications in Information Literacy (CIL) has been published: Volume 11, Issue 2 (2017)
- The Reconquista Student: Critical Information Literacy, Civics, and Confronting Student Intolerance by Jonathan T. Cope
- Transformative? Integrative? Troublesome? Undergraduate Student Reflections on Information Literacy Threshold Concepts by Rachel E. Scott
- Library Experience and Information Literacy Learning of First Year International Students: An Australian Case Study by Hilary Hughes, Nerilee Hall, and Megan Pozzi
- Setting Them Up for Success: Assessing a Pre-Research Assignment for First-Year International Students by Susan Avery
- Measuring Library Impacts through First Year Course Assessment by Holly Luetkenhaus, Erin Hvizdak, Corey Johnson, and Nicholas Schiller
- The Intersection of Information and Science Literacy by Kristin M. Klucevsek
- SoTL in the LIS Classroom: Helping Future Academic Librarians Become More Engaged Teachers by Lindsay McNiff and Lauren Hays
- Privacy Literacy: From Theory to Practice by Christina L. Wissinger
Go to https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit/vol11/iss2/
Photo by Sheila Webber: a friend's elegant mantlepiece and almost a selfie, December 2017

Recent Pew reports: Roundup of tech/online trends in American life; online harassment

The Pew Research Center pulled together some interesting material from their reports at the end of 2017, as they put it "from online harassment to fake news to net neutrality":
Anderson, M. (2017, December 28). Fact Tank: Our Lives in Numbers: Key trends shaping technology in 2017. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/28/key-trends-shaping-technology-in-2017/
They also just reported on their research into online harassment:
Smith, A. and Duggan, M. (2018, January 4). Crossing the Line: What Counts as Online Harassment? http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/01/04/crossing-the-line-what-counts-as-online-harassment/
Photo by Sheila Webber: door wreaths of Lewes, December 2017

Open book: Choosing and Using Sources

Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research is an open book by Ohio State University Libraries. It is aimed at students and has chapters on questions, types of sources, precision searching, ethical use of information etc. etc. A few parts are tailored to Ohio needs/collection, and the sections on copyright are obviously geared to US copyright laws, but a good deal of the material would be generally applicable. Go to https://osu.pb.unizin.org/choosingsources/
Photo by Sheila webber: door wreaths of Blackheath, December 2017

New articles: critical information literacy and pedagogy; ebook use; bridging the infolit gap; book reviews

The latest issue of College and Research Libraries (open access) Vol 79, No 1 (2018) at http://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/issue/view/1087/showToc includes:
- The Practice and Promise of Critical Information Literacy: Academic Librarians' Involvement in Critical Library Instruction by Eamon C. Tewell
- Factors Affecting the Use of Print and Electronic Books: A Use Study and Discussion by Amy Fry
- A Collaborative, Trilateral Approach to Bridging the Information Literacy Gap in Student Writing by Trenia Napier, Jill Parrott, Erin Presley, Leslie Valley
There are also book reviews of
- Transdisciplinarity Revealed: What Librarians Need to Know by Victoria Martin. Info on book itself here
- Critical Library Pedagogy Handbook, Volume 1: Essays and Workbook Activities, and Volume 2: Lesson Plans edited by Nicole Pagowsky and Kelly McElroy, eds. Info on book itself here and here
- Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians edited by Brandon K. West, Kimberly D. Hoffman, and Michelle Costello, eds. Info on book itself here
Photo by Sheila Webber: trees over the rooves, Blackheath, December 2017

@infolitgroup Information Literacy Awards: nominations sought

Nominations are open for the 2018 awards, which will be presented at the LILAC conference. (1) The Information Literacy Award 2018 "The award is open to practitioners, researchers and academics working in the IL field within the United Kingdom. Nominations from all sectors are welcome. The winner will receive £500 for personal use and £500 for their nominated charity. Nominations must demonstrate impact, innovation, initiative and originality in one or more of the following areas: Raising the profile of IL within an organisation/community/sector; Initiating or contributing to national, regional or local projects/initiatives which enhance IL skills for an identified client group(s); Undertaking original research in the field of IL and making a significant contribution to the literature. There should be evidence that the nominee is committed to sharing his/her knowledge and expertise and/or disseminating his/her learning and research within their organisation and beyond. Nominations will be judged upon evidence of impact within the past 3 years only.
(2) Digital Award for Information Literacy 2018. "This award recognises an individual or group who develop the best new digital educational resource for promoting Information Literacy (IL). The winner will receive £500 for personal use and £500 for their nominated charity. Nominations will be judged in relation to the following criteria: Raising the profile of IL within an organisation or sector; Developing a digital resource (e.g. online course, service, product or app) which develops and enhances IL skills; Innovation, initiative, originality and sustainability; Impact on the target audience(s); Openess – is openly licenced, considers accessibility issues, supports flexible use.
Closing date: 17.00 UK time Friday 23 February 2018. There will also be student sponsored places (information on that not yet available)
Information at https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2018/awards
Photo by Sheila webber: festive door bows of Blackheath December 2017

#FakeNews, Real Concerns: Developing Information Literate Students Workshop

A an online workshop from the American Library Association on April 11 2018, 2.30-4.pm US Eastern time (that's 7.30-9pm UK time) is Fake News, Real Concerns: Developing Information Literate Students Workshop, run by Donald Barclay. osts are US $60.00, ALA Member $ 54.00. "In this workshop, information literacy expert Donald Barclay uses a historical context to argue that while some of what we are seeing is new and unique to the Digital Age, much of it has been around for centuries. This workshop focuses on the challenges of developing information-literate students in an era marked by massive amounts of information, fake news, propaganda, and mistrust of authority." https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/fake-news-real-concerns-developing-information-literate-students-workshop
Photo by Sheila webber: door wreaths of Lewes, December 2017

Research on news/ journalism/ social media

Harvard's Nieman Lab has an article listing what they term "10 of the most important pieces of new research into digital and social media published in 2017", but it is really more focused on news/journalism research. Some interesting items e.g. on news avoidance; on whether journalists influence the democratic process.
Ordway, D. (2018, 2 January). Cross-examining the network: The year in digital and social media research.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2018/01/cross-examining-the-network-the-year-in-digital-and-social-media-research/
Earlier stories on the site are also interesting e.g. one on fake news

New year, new project: Managing information, managing language, managing lives @infolitgroup @infoschoolsheff

An exciting project, for which I am acting as expert advisor: Managing information, managing language, managing lives: An ESOL and information literacy research project. This research explores ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners’ abilities in managing their everyday information. The project is led by Jess Elmore and Caroline Norman and is funded by the CILIP Information Literacy Group. Jess is a doctoral researcher at the Information School, University of Sheffield (my department) and Caroline is a lead ESOL tutor working for Lifelong Learning, Skills and Communities at Sheffield City Council. The other expert advisor on the project is Sheila Brown, who recently retired as the Funding Strategy Manager for Community Learning, Sheffield City Council, Lifelong Learning and Skills. There is a website for the project at http://info.lurk.org/
The photo shows an example of my own information management: pile of things that need dealing with and reminders, in my kitchen