It's Academic

Beyond End of the Year/Semester Reflection

December 15, 2023

tags: assessment, library instruction, mindfulness

The end of the year is a time when many of us pause to reflect whether or not January will begin with a New Year’s Resolution or not. The end of the semester is similarly a time when many of us catch our breath and look back on the previous few months. However, what if we could reflect more regularly throughout the semester, even during the chaos of peak instruction periods? I know this is something to which I aspire, especially as an early career librarian who is always looking to improve my practice (especially in instruction).

Mandi Goodsett argues in her 2014 article, “Reflective Teaching: Improving Library Instruction Through Self-Reflection,” that reflective teaching practices – practices that help the instructor/librarian reflect on the class – can help fill the training and experience gap surrounding instruction that many early career librarians (including myself) encounter (12). Goodsett recommends a mix of journaling with recording one’s own classes (with student and professor permission) and feedback from a “critical friend” (12-14). Goodsett used the different sources of reflection to create a more comprehensive picture of how to improve her instruction using both her own perspectives (journaling), her students’ reactions to the lesson (recording), and advice from a more experienced colleague (critical friend) (12-14). While this system worked well for Goodsett and I can attest to the value of a “critical friend” (in my case, my ACRL Instruction mentor), it may be difficult to recreate in its entirety depending on the dynamics of your library and institution.

At LOEX 2023, Michele Santamaria and Kimberly Auger advocated for using Notion software as a tool for a variety of library related tasks, but also as a method for making reflective journaling part of your regular practice. I use Notion as my task management software (inspired by this session at LOEX), but I have yet to achieve the kind of reflective uses of it that Santamaria and Auger discussed in their presentation. The crux of their session was to find a system that helps you manage tasks, have space for journaling reflection, and stay organized in a way that feels like it is helping you rather than being another chore or repetitive task that you don’t want to do. The grace that Santamaria and Auger advocate for could blend well with any of Goodsett (2014)’s strategies as a librarian works to become more reflective and better organized about their instruction without being too hard on themselves either.

Being more consistent about instruction reflection can also make more formal assessment a more natural part of the instruction process, rather than a daunting thing that comes around on occasion. Sarah Wagner, Erika Mann, and Ann Marshall (2021) examined two different student feedback forms from library instruction sessions and the feedback that they received in order to argue for strategies to use this assessment feedback to help librarians improve as well as have something to use with outside parties (23-27, 29-31). Wagner, Mann, and Marshall encourage librarians to stop and reflect on why they are using the assessment tools that they use and whether or not they are actually getting the kind of data they need from that assessment (25). Adding in reflection about assessment, something that Wagner, Mann, and Marshall acknowledge is daunting for many librarians because of assessment’s role in justification of library services, judgement of instructional effectiveness, and personal performance reviews, can help reduce that stress because the librarian will be more confident that the assessment is optimized to gather useful feedback from students that can be used to both improve instruction and for the previously listed external tasks (23-24, 28-31).

While my reflection on reflection today is brief, these articles and sessions have encouraged me to work to bring in some of Goodsett (2014)’s reflective strategies, especially journaling, into my work on a more regular basis this coming semester. How do you incorporate reflection into your instruction? What are your goals for the new year/new semester?

References

Goodsett, M. (2014). Reflective teaching: improving library instruction through self-reflection. The Southeastern Librarian,62(3), 12-15. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/seln/vol62/iss3/3?utm_source=digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu%2Fseln%2Fvol62%2Fiss3%2F3&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages.

Santamaria, M. & Auger, K. (2023, May). Creating flexible and nourishing work systems: using Notion to “librarian” more humanely [Breakout Session]. LOEX 2023, Harrisburg, PA.

Wagner, S., Mann, E., & Marshall, A. (2021). Toward a thoughtful assessment practice: using reflection to guide library instruction assessment. The Reference Librarian, 62(1), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2021.1913466.

Opportunities abound at the end of the year

December 6, 2023

by mabogino1

I am a tenure-track librarian. I am two years into this role, and I have learned in this short time that preparing my packet for review takes organization, self-reflection, and time. Though a hectic time of the year, my colleagues mentioned that the end of the year has historically been a good time to work on creating this packet because the semester begins to wind down to a close. The packet reflects a yearlong testament to the variety and flexibility that make up the role of the health academic librarian. As I worked this month on gathering together information to compile for my packet, which includes information on scholarly, committee, and professional work, I realized that opportunities abound even at the close of the year, for participating in activities that could be included within the packet that showcase both my commitment to the profession and reflect my values. I have listed some of these activities and examples to share to provide ideas of potential ways to add to your documented professional tenure journey. Also, don’t forget to give yourself some grace at this time of the year, rest, and time to spend with family and friends.

Cheers!

Volunteer opportunities

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Library committee and our library marketing team worked to schedule a volunteer opportunity with a neighboring community outreach and advocacy group to provide needed food and supplies to support students and community members to help decrease food insecurities. Kudos to our library marketing team! Philaabundance serves our community members without the partnerships we have throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. https://www.philabundance.org/supporting-community-partners/

Training opportunities

Sponsored by the Clinical Librarians and Evidence-Based Practice and Research caucuses, a workshop on writing abstracts for poster presentations and journal articles. To participate, you will not need to be a member of the Medical Library Association or the caucus, though membership will be required to obtain CE’s

Thursday, December 14th for “Abstract Writing Workshop” offering MLA CE’s.

No registration is required. Join us at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82356210454?pwd=bk43NUR2REVCc1U2QWVLZ1RIM3dVQT09

Meeting ID: 823 5621 0454 Passcode: clebprc23

Bloggers Wanted for 2024!

December 6, 2023

by Alex K.

The PaLA College & Research Division (CRD) is looking for anyone interested in contributing to the CRD blog, It’s Academic. So if you’ve been reading the blog, now is your chance to join and share some of your own ideas. We welcome new and experienced bloggers, those who want to contribute frequently, or those who would rather only post a few times a year. Contributing to the blog is a great way to get started writing about academic library topics of interest to you, to call attention to worthwhile ideas, or to publicize important events. A blog post can also be a great way to start writing about an idea that may eventually turn into more formal scholarly writing.

Interested?

Send an email to Alexander Kirby at akirby@pennhighlands.edu. Please include how frequently you would like to contribute to the blog (once a month, twice a semester, etc.) and any scheduling issues you foresee so we know when is a good time to put you on the calendar. If you have any questions, include them in your email.

PaLA – Southeast (SEPLA) Chapter Workshop – Sign-up Today!

November 27, 2023

by Alex K.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Please join us on Friday, Dec. 1^st at Upper Dublin Library from 9:15am – 3:00pm for: 2023 SEPLA Annual Meeting & Workshop: Exploring Artificial Intelligence in Pennsylvania Libraries.

Keynote Session: Artificial Intelligence in Libraries

Keynote Speaker: Jim Craner (he/him) is a library technologist with The Galecia Group where he helps libraries adopt and implement modern technology tools. With over twenty-five years of experience as a consultant, system administrator, software developer, and technology trainer, Jim brings an engaging and interactive training style to all of his events.

Click here for a full agenda. The day will also include:

An intro to AI from a technology expert
A panel of school, academic, and public librarians discussing AI usage
Afternoon roundtables that allow for hands-on AI use and discussion of other hot library topics, such as intellectual freedom
The opportunity to obtain several hours of CE credits
A delicious box lunch is included in the price, along with the chance to socialize and network with colleagues – an amazing value!
Raffles prizes!
Not just a learning opportunity – this event financially supports the important work of the SEPLA chapter (PALS sponsorship, Awards, and more)

INVESTMENT: $45 PaLA Member | $50 Non-MemberREGISTER: https://www.palibraries.org/event/2023SEPLAWS

We can’t wait to see you there!

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Special Offer for SEPLA Annual Meeting Attendees: 20% discount on library tech training offerings from the Galecia Group in 2024, covering artificial intelligence and more. To redeem, email Lori Ayre at lori.ayre@galecia.com

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This message has been sent on behalf of the 2023 SEPLA Annual Meeting Workshop Committee

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This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, Governor.******************************
Support is also provided by the College and Research Division of the Pennsylvania Library Association. https://crdpala.org/

Ready-To-Hand AI

November 21, 2023

tags: artificial intelligence, philosophy, tools

by Darren G. Poley

Perhaps some of you are like me and remember how the hero in the movie “WarGames” saved the day when he initiated that the supercomputer the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had set-up to override the human factor and which could launch an all-out counterattack, the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response, pronounced “whopper”), play through on its own all of the “intelligent” scenarios of Tic-Tac-Toe and “learn” the futility of waging a nuclear war.

Interestingly an earlier form of machine learning MENACE, a backronym for Matchbox Educable Noughts And Crosses Engine, was a likely inspiration for this climatic plot twist. Noughts and Crosses is what the British call Tic-Tac-Toe, and MENACE was invented in the 1960s by British scientist Donald Michie, who set out to develop a trial-and-error device for the mechanization of game-learning. “Menace: the Machine Educable Noughts And Crosses Engine: Teaching a bunch of matchboxes how to play tic-tac-toe” is a brief article about how it works. If you want to play it virtually, go here: https://www.mscroggs.co.uk/menace/.

About a decade after “WarGames,” however, philosopher Hubert Dreyfus updated an earlier work of his which he titled What Computers Still Can’t Do, and in it he describes the four types of intelligent activity. Each one seemingly building on the lower level. He wrote, “Area IV might be called the area of nonformal behavior.” He goes on to say, “This includes all those everyday activities in our human world which are regular but not rule governed. The most striking example of this controlled imprecision is our disambiguation of natural languages. This area also includes games in which the rules are not definite, such as guessing riddles. Pattern recognition in this domain is based on recognition of the generic, or of the typical, by means of a paradigm case. Problems on this level are open structured, requiring a determination of what is relevant and insight into which operations are essential, before the problem can be attacked. Techniques on this level are usually taught by generalizing from examples and are followed intuitively without appeal to rules” (Dreyfus 293-94).

Well, the development of machine learning has come a long way since the mid to late twentieth century, or has it? Dreyfus’ critique describes the impediments thus far to artificial intelligence in three ways. Computers cannot be programed to recognize “the global organization and indeterminacy which is characteristic of perception and embodied skills” … “What is being asked for is a way of dealing with the field of experience before it has been broken up into determinate objects, but such preobjective experience is, by definition, out of bounds for a digital computer” (Dreyfus 296-97). A computer cannot create a set of needs that requires discernment of essential and inessential data during the creative act of looking at a problem which exhibits “the flexibility of a human being solving an open structured problem” (Dreyfus 298-99). “Since computers are not in a situation” they also fail to know and understand the world except as data; “whereas human beings organize the world in terms of their interests so that facts need be made explicit only insofar as they are relevant” (Dreyfus 299-300).

Artificial intelligence and its utility are now being hotly debated because these limits still exist and AI tools for writing, productivity, design, image generation, and more have become mainstream. Whatever your stance on whether computers can truly learn, the ethical use of such tools is an important ongoing discussion. Therefore, it is imperative to have some understanding of what’s out there. Here is a list of 100 AI tools in a variety of categories.