Methodological Challenges in the 21st Century: 30 June; streaming #socmethods

Diversity and community is the next seminar in the University of Sheffield Social Sciences Faculty series: Social Science Research Questions and Methodological Challenges in the 21st Century. Each seminar is a couple of hours long: I and Marshall Dozier (University of Edinburgh) are presenting at the one in October.
If you happen to be in Sheffield you can join the seminar face to face (in ICOSS, University of Sheffield). Otherwise it should be streamed live, and a recording of the first session is available.
"The seminars will involve researchers discussing the kinds of research questions they are beginning to ask and looking at the methodological approaches and challenges that these questions pose."

- Information about the Diversity and community seminar, which takes place 1pm-3pm UK time on 30 June 2014,  is at http://methodologicalchallenges.group.shef.ac.uk/?page_id=196
 - There is a recording of the first seminar, held on 20 may 2014, Wellbeing and disadvantage on the page http://methodologicalchallenges.group.shef.ac.uk/?page_id=173
 - The next seminars are on 16 July (Vulnerabilities and risks) and 15 October (The relationship between social and digital worlds) and the series finishes with a roundtable event on 26 November.
Website at http://methodologicalchallenges.group.shef.ac.uk/
The picture is of me (right) and Marshall Dozier being diverse in Second Life

The importance of being digital: broadcast and webchat: 27 June

From the Open University Library The importance of being digital "is a live question and answer session (broadcast online) about the skills and approaches that can help you use digital and online tools and technologies during your studies, at work or in your personal life. After a short introduction you will be able to ask us questions using the live webchat, by tweeting us (@OU_Library) using #LibLive14 or by emailing Library-Services. We’ll do our best to answer your questions during the live broadcast but we'll also post all the answers on the library website after the broadcast." It takes place on 27 June (i.e. today) at 2pm UK time. Go to http://www.open.ac.uk/library/training-and-events/the-importance-of-being-digital for information and a link to the livestream
Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life: Something up there?

Journal Club in Second Life: Adult returners: 1st July 2014

Join us in the virtual world Second Life for a one-hour discussion of an open-access article. Sheila Webber (Sheffield University iSchool, Sheila Yoshikawa in Second Life, i.e. me) leads a discussion on:
Anderson, A., Johnston, B., and McDonald, A. (2013). Information literacy in adult returners to higher education: Student experiences in a university pre-entry course in a UK university. Library and Information Research, 37(114), 55–73. http://www.lirgjournal.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/546
This paper has been listed by the American Library association as one of the top 20 information literacy articles of 2013.

When: 1st July 2014 at 12 noon SL time, that's 8pm UK time, see http://tinyurl.com/mqo7gvk for times elsewhere

Where: Infolit iSchool, in the virtual world Second Life. You need a SL avatar and the Second Life browser installed on your computer. Go to http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/134/47/22

Everyone is welcome to join the one-hour discussion.

A Sheffield iSchool Centre for Information Literacy Research event.

Learner Experiences with MOOCs, and learning analytics

I don't think I blogged: Veletsianos, G. (2013). Learner Experiences with MOOCs and Open Online Learning. Hybrid Pedagogy.
which is a book made up of chapters authored by Veletsianos' students, detailing their perspective on early experience with MOOCs. Download in various formats at:
http://hybrid-pedagogy.github.io/LearnerExperiencesInMOOCs/

On a related theme, the latest Transforming Assessment webinar (which took place on 25th June) has been put on Youtube. The presenters were Belinda Tynan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) and Kevin Mayles, Open University, UK. "This session detailed the model and approach used by the Open University, UK to Learning Analytics. The outcomes derived from an organisational level approach to embedding analytics as students begin their journey, on a day-to-day basis and in reflection to support students in being successful in their learning journey were discussed." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mufg9vTi3cY
Photo by Sheila Webber: Two worlds (roses and Second Life), June 2014

PRIMO site-of-the-month: Research Therapy

The Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online (PRIMO) Committee of the Instruction Section of ACRL has posted a new Site of the Month, Research Therapy. This site has videos on topics such as searching evaluating etc. and a blog with a mixture of material e.g. the latest when I looked had a post about not stressing out at exam time, with a custom-made cartoon strip, links, advice etc. There is an interview with the authors, Laurie Borchard and Anna Fidgeon on the PRIMO site. The interview and links are at http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections/is/iswebsite/projpubs/primo/site/2014may
Below is embedded the video about an "annotated bibliography".

New articles in Information Research; news seeking; refugees

The latest issue of Information Research (Volume 19 No 2 June, 2014) has the theme of e-books and also includes:
M. Asim Qayyum and Kirsty Williamson: The online information experiences of news-seeking young adults
M. Asim Qayyum, Kim M. Thompson, Mary Anne Kennan and Annemaree Lloyd: The provision and sharing of information between service providers and settling refugees
http://www.informationr.net/ir/19-2/infres192.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: white foxglove, Sheffield Botanics, June 2014.

cfp SEDA Conference

There is a call for papers for the 19th Annual SEDA Conference, Opportunities and challenges for academic development in a post-digital age, which will take place on 13-14 November 2014 in Nottingham, UK. SEDA is "the professional association for staff and educational developers in the UK". Proposals should be submitted by 11 July 2014. The theme would seem to include possibilities for submissions to do with information literacy: "We may now be entering a post-digital age, where the technology is so prevalent that it no longer can be considered as an add-on or luxury, but as embedded. We no longer talk about library-enhanced learning, although libraries and their successors are vital tools and environments for learning. As we move further in this direction, what are the implications for educational and curriculum development in higher education?" More info at http://www.seda.ac.uk/index.php?p=14_2&e=450&c=1
Photo by Sheila Webber: white rose, June 2014

Pew Internet quiz: are you a library lover

The people at the Pew Research Internet Project have made a quiz using the categories of library use (or non user) that they discovered in their research (report released in March). As they say, it "is a condensed version of the questions asked in our nationally representative survey of 6,224 Americans ages 16 and older in September 2013." The categories are: Library Lovers, Information Omnivores, Solid Center, Print Traditionalists, Not for Me, Young and Restless, Rooted and Roadblocked, Distant Admirers, Off the Grid. http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/library-typology/
The March 2014 report itself is, as usual, available in full online. On the home page they identify a few "surprises" e.g. "A common narrative is that Americans are turning away from libraries because of newer technology, but the data shows that most highly-engaged library users are also big technology users."
Also there is a quote from the report's main author: “A key theme in these survey findings is that many people see acquiring information as a highly social process in which trusted helpers matter ... One of the main resources that people tap when they have questions is the networks of expertise. Even some of the most self-sufficient information consumers in our sample find that libraries and librarians can be part of their networks when they have problems to solve or decisions to make.”
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/13/library-engagement-typology/
Photo by Sheila Webber: washed and twisted, June 2014

Not much Media and Information Literacy in the Final WSIS Targets Review

I have had a superficial look at the newly-released (June 10) Final WSIS Targets Review: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward, launched at the [World Summit on the Information Society] WSIS+10 High Level Event, in Geneva, Switzerland, that just took place (to mark 10 years since the first summit). Specifically I was just hunting for references to information literacy and media literacy (so I will not be doing justice to other aspects of the document).
One's hopes are raised a little by the prominent quotation from Irina Bokova on the opening pages "Education stands at the heart of the global development agenda – it is also the focus of two of the 10 WSIS targets. At this time of change, when all societies are seeking new sources of dynamism, we must harness the power of new information and communication technologies to reach the unreached and to enhance the quality of learning, inside and outside the classroom and throughout life. Building inclusive knowledge societies requires crafting the right ecosystems for making the most of new technologies, through teacher training, through media literacy, and through a focus on new skills and competencies.”

Obviously I think that information literacy should be mentioned alongside media literacy. However, even media literacy does not get much of a look in for the rest of the report. The WSIS initiative has always been very focused on technology, rather than information, so this is not a surprise (and it is encouraging that the steady lobbying by library organisations (in particular IFLA) means that the role of libraries in providing access to ICTs is now recognised).
My usual rudimentary search for the word "literacy" shows that digital-, IT-, and e-literacy are mentioned quite frequently, but media and information literacy scarcely at all, not even in connection with the targets of giving everyone access to TV and radio, and the target concerned with adapting school curricula to meet the challenges of the information society.
Media and Information Literacy is mentioned briefly in the section on "Content" :
"The availability of relevant skills is also critical to individuals’ and organisations’ ability to make use of content. UNESCO has developed a set of largely qualitative indicators that can be used to monitor the extent of media and information literacy within different societies, including the quality of national ICT environments, content access, the availability of analytical capabilities and content generation." (p274, in a section about "content" in different languages) later in the same chapter "lack of media and information literacy skills" are seen as inhibiting the demand for local content (p315): a rather consumerist context for MIL, really. There is a further reference to MIL in a passage about Towards Knowledge Societies for Peace and Sustainable Development: Final Statement (UNESCO, 2013)
The Final WSIS Targets Review is at http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wsistargets2014.aspx
Photos by Sheila Webber: some photos in which I combine Second Life and teh physical world: the first is "My second life phone is cuter than my real life phone" and the second "Coffee is important in both worlds" (June 2014).

ACRL releases #acrlilrevisions revised Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

There is a revised draft of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Feedback is sought (via an online form https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WQB3NZ3)on the revised draft, with a deadline of July 15 2014. An in-person hearing is scheduled for June 28, at the 2014 American Library Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Two additional online hearings will take place on Monday, July 7, and Friday, July 11, 2014. Sign-up for the July online hearings is available on the task force website. (They just came out today so I haven't had a chance to look at them yet!)
http://acrl.ala.org/ilstandards/?page_id=133
Photo by Sheila Webber: Foxglove, Weston Park, Sheffield, June 2014

Information Literacy and Summon Day

Proceedings of the 2013 Information Literacy and Summon Day (Summon being a federated search service) are available. They includes:
Emma Coonan: Going beyond ‘find’: a Summon before-and-after snapshot
Tim Leonard: Information Skills at UCO using Summon
Sandy Buchanan: The platypus and the sausage: teaching Summon across diverse subjects at Sheffield Hallam University
plus several other papers.
Go to http://www.proquest.com/blog/2014/Teaching-not-Telling.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: ladies mantle leaf and spider, June 2014

New issue of Journal of Information Literacy

Volume 8 no. 1 of the open access Journal of Information Literacy is published. Articles include:
- Assessing information literacy programmes using information search tasks by Nikolas Leichner, Johannes Peter, Anne-Kathrin Mayer, Günter Krampen
- Bilingual workplaces: integrating cultural approaches to information literacy into foreign language educational practices by Alison Hicks
- The creation of a university library outreach programme to develop the information literacy of further education students: an interactive approach to support transition by Lisa Anderson, Stephen Bull
- Exploring the lived information-seeking experiences of mature students by Sarah Clark
- AMORES - Discovering a love for literature through digital collaboration and creativity by Geoff Walton
- Information literacy: a matter of course by Elizabeth Tilley
- Graduate information literacy in online education using the embedded librarian model by Lauryl A. Lefebvre, Martha C. Yancey
Plus conference reports and book reviews
Go to http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/issue/view/168
Photo by Sheila Webber: raindrops in June, Sheffield, 2014

Report from the #EAHIL2014 (health library) conference, in Second Life, 17 June 2014

What: Marshall Dozier, President of EAHIL (Edinburgh University, Pancha Enzyme in SL) and Vicki Cormie (St Andrews University, Ishbel Hartman in SL) provide a report on their personal highlights from the European Association for Health Information and Libraries' 2014 conference that took place in Rome, Italy last week http://www.iss.it/eahil2014/index.php?lang=2 All welcome! You need a Second Life avatar and the SL browser installed in your computer, to participate.

When: At 12 noon Second Life Time, which is 8pm UK time, see http://tinyurl.com/nsuae36 for times elsewhere on Tuesday 17 June 2014

Where: Infolit iSchool, in the virtual world, Second Life http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/133/46/22

A Sheffield iSchool Centre for Information Literacy Research event

Information Literacy: in legal education/practice; in Inquiry Based Learning: new articles

If you have a subscription to Journal of Librarianship and Information Science you can access two new articles about infolit, one of them by my colleague here in the Sheffield iSchool, Pamela McKinney.

McKinney, P. (2014) Information literacy and inquiry-based learning: Evaluation of a five-year programme of curriculum development. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 46(2) 148–166.
"Inquiry-based learning describes a range of learner-centred pedagogies increasingly employed in higher education where students learn through engaging in open-ended research and inquiry. It is acknowledged that this type of pedagogical approach requires advanced information literacy capabilities in students, and that there is a need to support the development of information literacy in inquiry-based learning curricula. This paper reports on the evaluation of a selection of curriculum development projects undertaken at a UK university that implemented inquiry-based learning and information literacy development. Data was collected using a ‘Theory of Change’ evaluation methodology and analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. It was found that educators need to make explicit to students the need to develop information literacy to support their inquiries, and that dedicated approaches to facilitation from peers, librarians and academics are helpful when designing inquiry-based learning."

Lawal, V. et al. (2014) Information literacy-related practices in the legal workplace: The applicability of Kuhlthau's model to the legal profession. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. [early online release)
"This article examines evidence of information literacy in the context of legal education and legal practice in Nigeria. It seeks to explore the application of Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process model as the dominant framework used in investigating issues of uncertainty and task complexity in a study conducted among graduate lawyers in Nigeria. The article provides an analysis of the empirical validity of the model in investigating the connection between learning, experience and the  development of expertise among novice practitioners in the legal workplace in Nigeria. Data were obtained using quantitative and qualitative approaches while a case study method was employed for the study. Based on the findings of the study, the article offers insight into the role of the cognitive and affective dimensions in information seeking and the implications they have on issues of curriculum design, teaching methods and learning experiences in the context of legal education and practice in Nigeria."
The home page of the journal is at: http://lis.sagepub.com/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Snails in the rain, 4, June 2014

Latest on ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards #acrlilrevisions

There is a new short report from the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Task Force. The revised draft of the Framework will be published in the week beginning June 16. In this new brief report there is mostly information on the structure of the next draft. There will be an online "sandbox" for the examples and guidance that may date. the Framework will gain an introduction on How to Use This Framework and there "will also be separate guides for faculty members and administrators". It seems like the threshold concepts are being labelled as "frames" (not sure whether Christine Bruce et al. are an influence there!) You can download the new report from: http://connect.ala.org/node/223580
Just to remind you, the existing Framework drafts are on the website at http://acrl.ala.org/ilstandards/
Photo by Sheila webber: Snails in the rain, 3, June 2014

Michigan Instruction Exchange Conference

The second Michigan Instruction Exchange Conference is on 8 August 2014 at Grand Valley State University (USA). The theme is Working within your discipline(s). Go to http://www.gvsu.edu/library/mixconference/ for more details

Information Literacy Commons

There is a section in the Digital Commons Network on Information Literacy. I think the Digital Commons is something I used to know about, but haven't checked out recently ... Anyway I noticed that the WILU presentations (mentioned a couple of days ago) were listed as being archived here, so I thought the Commons merited a separate post. It says that (at time of writing) there are 408 items archived under "Information Literacy", but I wouldn't actually class all of them information literacy, myself. Nevertheless, worth bookmarking as a resource.
On the Commons home page it says "The Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, the Network includes a growing collection of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, and other original scholarly work."
http://network.bepress.com/social-and-behavioral-sciences/library-and-information-science/information-literacy/
Photo by Sheila Webber: snails in the rain 2, June 2014

Short video about paraphrasing

Lehman College library recently put a short video, Just Because You Put It In Your Own Words..., reminding people about the need to acknowledge sources even when not directly quoting - I like the introductory conversation with the three students (where one person is "paraphrasing" another person's anecdote)

Presentations from WILU 2014

The Canadian information literacy conference, WILU, has an archive of the presentations from the May 2014 conference. These include, for example
- Video tutorial reboot: Re-imagining the library workshop for 21st century students
- Beyond the database demo: Using discourse analysis to improve research and citation practices
- Head over Heels: Approaches to Flipped Teaching
Go to http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/wilu/wilu2014/Presentations/
Photo by Sheila Webber: snail after the rain 1, Blackheath, June 2014

Questionnaire about academic libraries' strategies

There is a questionnaire from the University of Waterloo Library, Canada, which is developing "an Instruction and Engagement Strategy that will align with the Library's Strategic Directions and the University's Strategic Plan". They would like to gather information about other academic libraries' plans and strategies as part of this exercise. The questionnaire closes on 27 June 2014 and is at http://fluidsurveys.com/s/uwaterloo-instruction-strategy/
They have also started a blog about this at http://blogs.lib.uwaterloo.ca/libraryinstructionandengagement/
Photo by Sheila Webber: hedge blossom, Hailsham, June 2014

Top twenty articles chosen

The American Library Association's Library Instruction Round Table has just published its "2013 Top Twenty List" (of articles about information literacy).
I'll highlight in particular a"Top 20" article written by a British team, including my long-time information literacy collaborator, Bill Johnston. It is open access.
Anderson, A., Johnston, B., & McDonald, A. (2013). Information literacy in adult returners to higher education: Student experiences in a university pre-entry course in a UK university. Library and Information Research, 37(114), 55–73. http://www.lirgjournal.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/546
At the end of the abstract the LIRT committee noted "Of note are the authors’ backgrounds: none is a librarian. The research team is comprised of a curriculum developer, a lecturer in psychology, and a practitioner who runs the pre-entry course. Their study, which echoes previous calls for librarian participation in curriculum design, might help convey this call to a broader audience."
The full list of 20 articles, with abstracts, can be found at http://www.ala.org/lirt/sites/ala.org.lirt/files/content/archive/2014jun.pdf.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Sheffield Botanic gardens, June 2014 (with photoshop effect).

Library 2.014 call for papers

There is a call for presentations for the free, online Library 2.014 Worldwide Virtual Conference, to be held 8-9 October 2014. The themes are Digital Services, Preservation, and Access; Emerging Technologies and Trends; Learning Commons and Infinite Learning (where information literacy seems to fit); Management of Libraries and Information Centers in the 21st Century; User Centered Services and Models. More information at: http://www.library20.com/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Botanical gardens, Sheffield, June 2014.

Technology for Flipping the Classroom

The latest in ACRL's series of 3 page Tips and trends briefings is:
Colmenares, A. (2014) Technology for Flipping the Classroom. Tips and trends. http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections/is/iswebsite/projpubs/tipsandtrends

Singapore: SURE website and videos

SURE means Source Understand Research Evaluate and I have blogged previously how the National Library Board, Singapore, have got a very active information literacy campaign badged SURE. The website is at http://www.nlb.gov.sg/sure/ with news, some resources (e.g. infographics and sheets for teachers) and articles.

SURE day (last November) featured Carl Schooner ("Acclaimed author of ‘Portraits of the Mind’ and neurologist at Columbia University"), Anthony Chen ("First Singaporean filmmaker to be awarded the prestigious Camera d’Or") and Steven Chia ("Well-loved Channel News Asia producer and presenter"). There are several videos from the day, including the panel discussion. Other videos in their video stream include one from April 2014 in which a team of schoolgirls talk about using SURE as part of their Formula 1 project and several videos in the SURE Lok Hom ("Sherlock Holmes" for Singapore) series. I have embedded SURE Lok Hom & the Case of the Cosplay Showdown below. The video channel is at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UANCf_h8f6c&list=UUUpPsXrrGvRKuuaoFN6Vd9Q

Survey for information literacy coordinators

Andrea Brooks has put out a request to complete an online survey, as she and a colleague at Northern Kentucky University, USA "are conducting research about the organizational structures of reference/instruction departments at academic libraries. ... If you are the Information Literacy Coordinator (i.e. the individual in charge of your library’s instruction/IL program) at an academic library, please take 10-15 minutes to complete this online survey." Go to https://nku.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_b3LzUvA3dO6xzo1

MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching: MOOCs articles

Vol 10, no. 1 of the open-access MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching has a focus on MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses), with some good contributions. Papers are:
Teacher Experiences and Academic Identity: The Missing Components of MOOC Pedagogy by Jen Ross, Christine Sinclair, Jeremy Knox, Siân Bayne, and Hamish Macleod
Challenges to Research in MOOCs by Helene Fournier, Rita Kop, and Guillaume Durand
Participants' Perceptions of Learning and Networking in Connectivist MOOCs by Mohsen Saadatmand and Kristiina Kumpulainen
MOOCs: Striking the Right Balance between Facilitation and Self-Determination by Tita Beaven, Mirjam Hauck, Anna Comas-Quinn, Tim Lewis, and Beatriz de los Arcos
MOOC Pedagogy: Gleaning Good Practice from Existing MOOCs by Maha Bali
http://jolt.merlot.org/currentissue.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: alium heads going to seed, Sheffield Botanics, June 2014

Report on the #emilforum, in Second Life on 4 June

I will give a personal report from the First European Media and Information Literacy Forum (held in Paris, France, 27-28 May) in the virtual world, Second Life.
Time: 4 June 2014, 12 noon Second Life time (which is 8pm UK time, see http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?iso=20140604T12&p1=234 for times elsewhere)
Venue: Infolit iSchool, our island in the virtual world, Second Life (SL). You need a SL avatar (signup free on the SL website http://secondlife.com) and the free SL browser (not the normal web browser) installed on your computer in order to participate. Email me s.webber@sheffield.ac.uk if you want any help with this. The direct SLURL (once you have your avatar and browser) is http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/136/239/22
What: Sheila Webber (i.e. me, my name is Sheila Yoshikawa in SL) will give a report on the Media and Information Literacy Forum http://www.europeanmedialiteracyforum.org/. I already liveblogged some of this (see http://information-literacy.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/emilforum) I will be highlighting some of the projects and resources, and also giving my personal perspective on the issues and challenges: including the issue of getting the "Information Literacy" part of "Media and Information Literacy" better understood ;-)

Impact of school libraries on learning

A free workshop on the Impact of school libraries on learning is being run on 19 June (Edinburgh, Scotland) and 3 September (Aberdeen) by Professor Dorothy Williams, Caroline Wavell and Katie Cooper (a Robert Gordon University Making Connections workshop). It will explore the findings from their 2013 research for the Scottish Library and Information Council on the impact of school libraries on learning and attainment (http://www.rgu.ac.uk/research/research-institutes/institute-for-management-governance-and-society-research/news/impact-of-school-library-services-on-learning). Workshop activities will explore the available evidence of impact and the relevance to developments in Scottish schools.
To book a place email a.kruk-omenzetter@rgu.ac.uk stating your Name; Job title; Organisation; Address; Email; Dietary/Other requirements and the venue you want to attend. Closing dates for applications are 13 June 2014, for the Edinburgh workshop, and 29 August 2014, for the Aberdeen event.
Photo by Sheila Webber: UNESCO gardens, Paris, May 2014

Informal Education, Social inclusion and Media and Information Literacy #emilforum

Next at the European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France a session is focusing on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and information/social contexts. As with other sessions, the focus is more on media literacy than information literacy, and I will pick out some of the contributions. Firstly, Francine Cunningham talked about an initiative of the European Newspaper Publishers Association, What’s your news. The website for this is at http://www.enpa.be/en/publications/whats-your-news-_62.aspx

Abdel Jalil Alami (Doha Centre for Media Freedom, Qatar) talked about the important issue of children who are outside schooling. He felt that media literacy should be linked to literacy, and was concerned about how we could form initiatives to get children into schooling. I was not sure whether Alami was meaning this specifically, but I know there is a serious problem of, for example, Syrian refugees, who do not have access to schooling.
Olli Vesterinen (Finnish Society on Media Education) talked about initiatives in Finland. I will save my effort by linking to a recent report http://ppemi.ens-cachan.fr/data/media/colloque140528/rapports/FINLAND_2014.pdf and his slides are here http://t.co/31aEfh4IEy. He also showed a video about young people making "how to" videos for each other, using quotations from research with young people who make these videos: there is a prezi about this here. Pleasingly, he also mentioned libraries as partners in media literacy education.
Manuel Pinto talked about a Portuguese group on media literacy which has an interestingly broad membership. Unfortunately I can't find it by Googling ... so I may add the name/link later. He identified the benefits of working with different kinds of organisations to further the media literacy agenda. One project he mentioned was "7 days with the media" - which challenges citizens to think about the role that media has in their lives. There is some information about it here
Photo by Sheila Webber (as are the others blogged from the conference, as usual): spot the delegate: she might have been rehearsing a speech, or perhaps she was just on the phone, in the UNESCO gardens.

Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy #emilforum

This afternoon's session at the European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014 (at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France) started with a focus on the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy. Carolyn Wilson (University of Toronto, Canada) introduced the strategic goals for GAPMIL and its priorities for the short term. Its terms of reference are being finalised currently. The website for GAPMIL is at http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/media-development/media-literacy/global-alliance-for-partnerships-on-media-and-information-literacy/
Maria Torras Carme (representing the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions - including the information literacy section) talked about the importance of partnerships. She also identified that the information literacy and media literacy needed to identify their common ground and work together to support Media and Information Literacy worldwide. Common themes in the ML and IL included the inclusion and intergration of MIL into the curriculum, the concern that MIL should not just be seen as a technical issue, and the critical thinking aspect of ML and IL. Maria stressed that the interpersonal and physical aspects of MIL are important. She called for a cross professional intercultural dialogue: dialogue between ML and IL experts. Finally Maria mentioned areas were there could be active collaboration e.g. working with librarians to develop teachers' MIL.
Following this Alan Rosenblatt (Turner 4D, USA) mainly advocated active use of social media to promote awareness of MIL. He urged us all to tweet why we though Media and Information Literacy was important (so obviously I did - see https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23milit&src=typd). The last of the speakers to provide their perspective on GAPMIL was Chido Onumah (GAPMIL) who stressed the important of identifying key partners in the African context, including ones concerned with particular issues such as journalists' freedom. He also mentioned the need for a national platform on MIL in Nigeria (a project I think they are working on with UNESCO), the need to create discussion on the intergration of MIL curriculum, and the need for world market in media. Ismail Abdel Ghafar (Arab Academy, Egypt) chaired the session and made a nice summing up of the presentations before the session was opened to the audience.

Family media literacy: report from #emilforum

A further report from the European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. As the first session this morning I chose one on the family and media literacy. There were presentations on media literacy initiatives from different countries.
Marco Ricceri started with a challenge to look beyond an individual perspective on Media Literacy (ML), and to consider ML in the family and community. There was then a presentation from Carmen Garcia Galera on IC-Media Spain http://www.icmedianet.org/, which it seemed had a strong focus on "harmful" media content, so teaching children and families about safe use of media, and pressing complaints about media. They were concerned about a generation gap, with parents apparently “lost” as regards their children’s media habits, and they organised training for those. They worked a lot with school teachers.
Lusine Grigoryan (Media Initiatives Center http://www.mediainitiatives.am/) talked about Media Literacy in Armenia. She described it as being in the early stages. Initiatives include a handbook for teachers, including an online game for children, a mobile media museum (travelling installation) and a regional TV project for young people
Sirkku Kotilainen talked about Towards parental consciousness of media education, presenting on research from her research group the University of Tampere, Finland. They found that the change in media relationship (with/within their children) could seem confusing for parents. They have done a couple of studies “Children’s mediabarometer 2010 and 2013”. Amongst other things they characteristed “babies online in parent’s arms” developing “genderlike taste” from the age of 3 or 4. They also discovered “girl-like habits” (with more social activity) and “boy-like habits” (with more gaming, publishing). Interestingly, they adopted the Freirian concept of concienzacion, for familial concienzacion of media education (awareness of themselves and their children as users of media and information). There is a website at http://www.mediaeducation.fi/.
There was a further interesting presentation which I'll blog later.

European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014: 2nd report #emilforum

Continuing my reports from the European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. The second session this afternoon is New action lines: European Project's recommendations. Ola Erstad (Norway & European Science Foundation) had done a review of ML, and saw ML rather broadly as "the way we read and write" including social practices with media. Erstad also reported briefly on views from a project of the ESF "Forward Look", identifying four key areas. I think this is the report Media in Europe: New Questions for Research and Policy which has been distributed to research bodies and policy makers.
Mihaela Banek Zorica (Organising Committee, ECIL) highlighted the lack of IL at the conference, and stressed the need for ML and IL experts to work together. Divina Frau-Meigs (Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle, France) talked about the COST project. She also mentioned the translit http://www.translit.fr/ website and various other strategic and advocacy issues which I have not been quick enough to capture.
Jose Manuel Perez Tomero (Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain and director of the Emedus media literacy project) gave an interesting discourse on the need for new literacies and for change, to empower people as citizens and not just consumers.

European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014: 1st report

I am attending the European Media and Information Literacy Forum 2014 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. Despite the title, the focus is mainly on media literacy, influenced by the fact that this is also the final conference for the EMEDUS project (http://www.eumedus.com). However it also reflects the fact that media literacy has more of a hold on national and international agenda (something that information literacy people have to take action on...)

In the session at the moment ("Formal Education: New Curriculum"), the focus is on Media Literacy in the curriculum, with contributions from different countries. Firstly Sara Pareira (University of Minho, Portugal) has highlighted the lack of ML in the curriculum in Portugal, hwoever now there are being introduced ML guidelines for several levels of education. Other important documents include the Braga Manifesto on Media Literacy (2011) and National Educational Council's (2011) recommendations for ML. However these have had relatively little impact, and more is expected of the new Guidelines.
Next, Lazslo Hartai (Hungarian Institute of Educational Research and Development) has explained that media literacy only becomes a separate option at upper secondary level (before that it was, I think, seen to be part of visual literacy).

Unfortunately I have just lost some of my blogging (connection problem, grrr), but I will try to remember what I blogged! Carmen Campos (Spain) stressed the importance of having media literacy as a subject, but also intergrated into the curriculum transversally, and she saw teacher education as vitally important (teachers being supported to teach all forms of literacy). Ditemar Schipek (Austria) felt that ML was well intergrated in Austrian school curricula. He cited the work of the Austrian national library, broadcasters etc. in developing children's ML and also mentioned a conference on gaming aimed at young people. He identified "doing" as important - e.g. children learning how to be broadcasters. He also talked about ways of assessing whether schools are dealing adequately with ML (a "minimum standard"). Patrick Verniers (Belgium) pinpointed ways in which ML might be in the curriculum, but felt that at the moment it was rather reliant on the teacher's individual enthusiasm/ initiative. He proposed a framework for media literacy education (I took photos of those slides, so I may blog that later).

At the moment in the session, the speakers are coming forward again to consider ML education in Europe, as opposed to in their specific country. Interestingly, some speakers see things as having got a worse, posibly due to the Bologna Process of harmonisation of education in Europe. Frequent themes are the lack of requirements for media literacy education as part of teacher education, and the lack of a clear policy framework. Laszlo Hartai mentioned the lack of substantial data on what is going on in classrooms around Europe and some confusion around the concepts of ML, information literacy and digital literacy. The contribution from Natasa Slavikova (Slovakia) included mentioning translating the UNESCO MIL curriculum for teachers into Slovak.

Facing the Future: Librarians and Information Literacy in a Changing Landscape

Registration for IFLA Information Literacy Section Satellite Meeting in Limerick, Ireland, 14-15 August 2014, is open. The theme is Facing the Future: Librarians and Information Literacy in a Changing Landscape. The programme is now available. There is a a very international range of speakers. Amongst other highlights I am doing a panel session with Bill Johnston and Dr Shahd Salha on The Active Citizen in a Changing Information Landscape ;-)
Details are at http://iflasatellitelimerick.com/page/21/programme/ and the earlybird discount ends on June 15 2014.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Poppy, May 2014, Sheffield Botanic Gardens.

Librarian as researcher seminar

For those of you interested in research, the powerpoints from the Librarian as Researcher seminar, that took place at National University of Ireland Maynooth Library, Ireland, on 8 May 2014 are at http://library.nuim.ie/news/librarian-researcher-seminar (they aren't about information literacy) and there is a slideshow of the event at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oPkANh7CxU
Photo by Sheila Webber: part of Sunday lunch, May 2014

Roles, opportunities, and pitfalls of MOOCs

The final webinar in the ALCTS series, Libraries and MOOCs, is on June 4, 2014. Sarah Bardac will look at the roles, opportunities, and pitfalls of MOOCs. The event starts at 11am US Pacific time (which is 7pm UK time). They are priced events. Go to http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/060414 for more information.
Photo by Sheila Webber: spot the bee, May 2014

Organising and running your own training sessions

A cpd25 event in London, UK, on 26 June 2014 is Organising and running your own training sessions. It is a priced event: £150 for members and £225 for other institutions. http://www.cpd25.ac.uk/events/staff-development-forum-ii-event-ref-tg1sdf2/

Teachmeet @UCD : upcycle and upskill: 27 June 2014

Teachmeet @UCD : upcycle and upskill is an event on June 27, 2014, at University College Dublin, Ireland. "A free practice exchange between librarians or information professionals who engage in, or would like to engage in, teaching and information literacy". Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teachmeet-ucd-upcycle-and-upskill-tickets-11524990557
Photo by Sheila Webber: peonies in a Radford vase, May 2014

Call for proposals: PA Forward Information Literacy Summit breakouts

There is a Call for proposals for breakout sessions for the PA Forward Information Literacy Summit: Building Bridges: Extending the Conversation, Penn State University Libraries, USA, which will be held on July 23, 2014. The deadline for proposals is 30 May 2014. More information, and submission form, at https://docs.google.com/a/sheffield.ac.uk/forms/d/1zQ_7Xeuf-FkqN-bemH7sNwWZFjLfXD6LbsIoSRAkp9Y/viewform
Photo by Sheila Webber: spot the pigeon, May 2014

Journal of academic librarianship latest articles

Articles in the latest issue of the (priced) Journal of academic librarianship (Volume 40, Issue 2, 2014) include:
- Integrating Information Literacy into Academic Curricula: A Professional Development Programme for Librarians at the University of Auckland by Chris Moselen, Li Wang
- Tying Television Comedies to Information Literacy: A Mixed-Methods Investigation by Eamon C. Tewell
- Individual Differences in Social Media Use for Information Seeking by Kyung-Sun Kim, Sei-Ching Joanna Sin, Tien-I Tsai
- Critical Information Literacy: A Model for Transdisciplinary Research in Behavioral Sciences by Claudia J. Dold
- The Role of Perceived Self-Efficacy in the Information Seeking Behavior of Library and Information Science Students by Jenny Bronstein
Journal home page at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00991333
Photo by Sheila Webber: Allium, Sheffield Botanic Gardens (photoshopped), May 2014

Crossover Edinburgh: learning technology in workplace skills development

Crossover Edinburgh is a conference (June 5 2014) and "product forge" (weekend developing learning technology; June 6-7) in Edinburgh, Scotland, focused on using learning technology in the workplace. http://2014.crossoveredinburgh.com/

cfp on financial literacy

The Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship (priced sublication) has a call for papers for special issue on Financial Literacy: "Article submissions should focus on financial literacy -the ability to use knowledge and skills to make responsible financial decisions- in academic, public, school and special libraries, other information organizations, and everyday life contexts. Proposals should be research oriented, and could include empirical research, historical or philosophical analysis, or rigorous case-study research." Articles should be 5-9 thousand words and should be submitted to the editor by July 16 2014. The journal website is at http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/WBFL
Photo by Sheila Webber: no. 13 in my irregular "spot the cat" series. This one is rather hard and is really "spot the cat's tail": Open University, May 2014

Alcuin and Clemens Library Information Literacy Award

I like to highlight institutional information literacy awards, and College of St Benedict/St John's University, USA, has the Alcuin and Clemens Library Information Literacy Award to "recognize faculty members who have notably contributed to promoting information literacy". Information on the award is here http://www.csbsju.edu/libraries/faculty-award The winner for 2013 was just announced as Christi Siver, assistant professor of political science.

Ctitical Pedagogy in Libraries chat on 20th May #critlib

#critlib is a chat about critical pedagogy in libraries which takes place every two weeks: the next one is on May 20th. Unfortunately (for me) they take place at 2am UK time, they are at 6pm US Pacific time (see http://tinyurl.com/lk8cnht for times elsewhere). However I will have to prop my eyelids open to join in one now and then. The "cheat sheet" gives times and topics for upcoming talks http://tinyurl.com/critlibx. Here is an introduction: http://pumpedlibrarian.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/introducing-critlib-chats.html
This is the zotero of readings: https://www.zotero.org/groups/critical_library_pedagogy/
Photo by Sheila Webber: rocks/garden, Open University, May 2014

Innovating pedagogy reports

Horizon Report style reports from the Open University, identifying what experts at the OU see as important innovations in pedagogy (with an emphasis on use of technology). The 2013 Innovating pedagogy report identifies: MOOCs, Badges, learning analytics, seamless learning, digital scholarship, geo-learning, learning from gaming, maker culture and citizen inquiry. There are 3 pages on each item, including a short resource list (with, as with the Horizon reports, mainly web resources but at least this report does include some research items as well).
The blog has links to download the full reports from 2013 (published in September) and 2012 http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Foam of cow parsley, Open University, May 2014

Spreading the benefits of digital participation

Congratulation to Scottish colleagues who, through robust their responses, have managed to get information literacy firmly onto the agenda in the recently released report from the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Spreading the benefits of digital participation. The final report now passes the "find information literacy" test, with statements including “Information literacy is essential in the modern information age; literacy, numeracy and digital skills are required by everyone if they are to effectively find and use information and enjoy their right to personal expression.” (p8) and “In the 21st Century, information literacy is a prerequisite for digital engagement.” (p44: a very quotable quote!) The report notes, for example, the need for improving the extent to which information literacy is embedded in the Scottish curriculum.
Royal Society of Edinburgh (2014) Spreading the benefits of digital participation. Edinburgh: The Royal Society of Edinburgh http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1136_FinalReport.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: foam of cow parsley, Gravesend, May 2014

Healthy days identified through Google search analysis

Attracted by a headline "Online Searches for ‘Health’ Information Occur Early in the Week" I tracked down the original article, in which medical researchers aimed to "determine whether contemplations for healthy behaviors ... follow circaseptan [weekly] rhythms". By analysing Google search logs they found that health related searches "peaked on Monday and Tuesday, thereafter declining until rebounding modestly on Sunday." I'm sure there must be implications for information literacy education here, but the authors of the study were more interested in implications for health promotion.
Ayers, J. et al. (2014) What’s the Healthiest Day? Circaseptan (Weekly) Rhythms in Healthy Considerations. American Journal of Preventive Medicine
http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2814%2900099-3/abstract
Photo by Sheila Webber: Bluebell wood last year, Hellingly: bluebells are still out in Sheffield

Developing a shared curriculum; and #ALDinHE presentations

Presentation from Jane Secker, Emma Coonan and Maria Bell given at the ALDinHE conference 2014: their title is Developing a shared curriculum in higher education: from theory to practice and it's embedded below. ALDinHE is the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education and the presentationd for 2013 aren't up yet, but the ones for 2013 are work browsing https://sites.google.com/site/aldinheconference2013/ (note: the keynotes and workshop sessions aren't there, but there are many presentations from parallel sessions, including one on information literacy).

Developing a shared curriculum in higher education: from theory to practice from Jane Secker

Flipped classroom and critical pedagogy: a couple of links from #loex14

I did some more scanning through tweets from the LOEX conference (which is just finishing), and found a couple of interesting links:
- Nice list of readings and resources related to the "flipped classroom", from Kimberley Miller http://urli.st/06t-The-Flipped-Canvas-Inverting-Info-Lit-Instruction
- Critical pedagogy bibliography from Naomi Stuesser and Sarah Brandt: https://docs.google.com/a/westga.edu/document/d/1MkGCxIJpKMMXMWQhpZAvdJT2ERiPST5MjVziLreP8tE/edit?pli=1
Photo by Sheila Webber: Gravestones in St Georges' churchyard, Gravesend, May 2014.

#loex14 tweeting

The major US information literacy conference, LOEX, is taking place at the moment in Michigan USA (8-10 May). You can follow the twitterstream using https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23loex2014&src=hash
I had a really packed day so I haven't been able to follow it live, but I've picked out a couple of links. It was a bit like a detective puzzle: I think that this evaluation survey in one tweet must be of the people who were taking the Professional Skills for Educators Certificate Program described in this blog post. The blog post has links to course materials.
Also, some tutorials from Loyola Marymount University: http://library.lmu.edu/research/researchtutorials/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Jasmine outside the door, May 2014 - pity I can't include the jasmine fragrance!

SMIRK resource for use on mobile devices

SMIRK is "an information literacy and communication skills resource developed especially for use with tablets and smartphones" from Glasgow Caledonian University. It is based on the SMILE resource and has numerous sections of information and advice. Topics include Evaluating information, Writing skills, and Your Digital Footprint. http://www.gcu.ac.uk/library/SMILE/SMIRK/Start.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: St Georges church, Gravesend, May 2014

#lilac14 - some presentations and reports

The LILAC team has already put presentations and posters from the LILAC conference on Slideshare, with many there already. I will highlight a few I found on LILAC's Slideshare, plus a few other non-Slideshare items that I discovered myself.
1. The official LILAC 2014 conference page which the presentations etc.link from: http://www.lilacconference.com/WP/past-conferences/lilac-2014/

2. CILIP IL Group/LILAC Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group

3. Alison Head's keynote, Truth Be Told: How Today’s Students Conduct Research, which got a lot of positive tweets: http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/truth-be-told-how-todays-students-conduct-research-keynote-alison-head

4. A couple of other Slideshares from the LILAC page (picked out because they caught my eye + there was enough text to tell what the presentation was about. Increasing numbers of presentations are rather enigmatic in themselves: it is great that people aren't crowding out their presentations with text nowadays, but having practically no text makes them less useful afterwards....)
- An ID&AL Loop - David Parkes and Alison Pope (about feedback and "better grade" events at Staffordshire University): http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/an-idal-loop-david-parkes-alison-pope
- Launching high school teaching support at the University of Oslo Science Library - Anders Mattias Lundmark and Jessica Lönn-Stensrud: http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/launching-high-school-teaching-support-at-the-university-of-oslo-science-library-anders-mattias-lundmark-jessica-lnnstensrud
- Between the sheets: the affordances and limitations of social reading tools and their potential role in developing critical and information literacy skills - Alison Sharman: http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/sharman-34170677
- Information literacy when there is no information: the case of rare and orphan diseases - Hannah Spring: http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/spring-34170376

5. A video from Andrew Walsh, related to his LILAC session, which gives definitions of play, games and gamification and examples of games and gamification in information literacy and libraries. Walsh, Andrew (2014) Playing with Information Literacy. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/20022/

6. A blog post from Brian Kelly: Capturing the Conference Buzz: #LILAC14 as an Example http://ukwebfocus.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/capturing-the-conference-buzz-lilac14-as-an-example/ from whom I found out about :
- LILAC 2014, Sheffield Hallam University: a Storify by Clare McCluskey/ @librarygirl79 https://storify.com/librarygirl79/lilac-2014

7. Jonathan White's collection of notes on the LILAC conference (including notes on the presentations by Head, by Walsh and by Sharman which are linked above): https://www.evernote.com/pub/jonwhite82/lilac2014
Photo by Sheila Webber: Yellow rose and insect, Gravesend, May 2014

Schoolchildren developing their own IL models

A short online article from Andrew Shenton is interesting, in outlining a structure for helping school children develop their own model of information literacy. "There are several benefits of this approach – pupils are given the freedom to create a framework that suits their preferred learning style, reflection is promoted, and the prospect that the skills in question will be transferred across subjects and retained over time is increased."
Shenton, A. (2014, 13 March) Personalised approaches to teaching information literacy. http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/finding-and-using-data/
Shenton credits James Herring with the idea of students developing their own frameowrk, citing:
Herring, J. (2010) Improving Students' Web Use and Information Literacy: A guide for teachers and teacher librarians. London: Facet. ISBN: 978-1-85604-743-2
Photo by Sheila Webber: Charlton Station Open Bookcase, May 2014

Penn State information literacy awards

Another nice example of a university having information literacy awards for students: Penn State University (USA). They award prizes as part of an undergraduate research poster exhibition. http://news.psu.edu/story/312610/2014/04/18/academics/information-literacy-judged-2014-undergraduate-exhibition
Photo by Sheia Webber: My Thalia daffodil, April 2014

BeJLT anniversary updates: assessment, plagiarism, research-based learning, and technology-supported learning

The Brookes eJournal of Learning and Teaching (BeJLT) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special issue (volume 6, issue 1, 2014) in which the authors of the most cited papers of the previous years update the papers and/or reflect on developments since the paper was written. An interesting read for those who involved in learning and teaching: The papers are:
- Quality enhancement of Undergraduate Research – further strategies to increase student engagement in research dissemination: Helen Walkington
- Reflections on ‘The student experience of e-learning in higher education: a review of the literature’ Rhona Sharpe and Greg Benfield
- Where is the new blended learning? Whispering corners of the forum: Richard Francis and George Roberts
- Online formative MCQs [multiple choice questions] to supplement traditional teaching: improving retention, progression and performance – the longer view: Paul Catley
- Revisiting the management of student plagiarism in the light of ideas outlined in 2005: Jude Carroll
- ASKe Manifesto seven years on: so what did change? Margaret Price, Chris Rust, Berry O'Donovan
​​http://bejlt.brookes.ac.uk/issue/vol-six-issue-one-may-2014-special-10th-anniversary-issue/
Photo by Sheila Webber: crab apple blossom, Sheffield, April 2014

3rd Annual National Health Literacy Research Conference (UK)

At Keele University, UK, on 20 June 2014 is the 3rd Annual National Health Literacy Research Conference. The theme is "Healthy Living". "There is a limit of 100 delegates so it will be first come first served." Delegate rate for full day including tea, coffee and lunch is £90, and deadline for registration is 30 May 2014. More info at http://www.healthliteracy.org.uk/index.php/conference