It's Academic

Articles to forward to faculty.

July 11, 2011

As an information literacy librarian, one piece of information I like to keep my eye out for are articles which support the inclusion of information literacy into the curriculum, but that are not written academic librarians. Articles such as the one published on July 6th at the Courier-Journal.com website, can provide support for the outreach and instruction mission of the library. They can help to situate librarians within the larger conversations of the academic community, and they are great resources to forward onto faculty!

The article by Daniel F. Sullivan linked above advocates for a liberal arts education in the Business major, because the liberal arts focus on lifelong learning skill such as “inquiry and analysis; critical and creative thinking; integrative and reflective thinking; written and oral communication; quantitative literacy; information literacy; intercultural understanding; teamwork and problem solving” is valuable in this modern world. Sullivan says that “it is an enormous challenge for those of us in higher education leadership to break through an anxiety-fueled policy and public dialogue that too often treats college as a 21st century version of trade school when our nation’s economic vitality depends on our producing very different results — vastly increased numbers of college graduates with a liberal education who really can lead businesses to success in the extremely competitive global political economy of today.” In his article Sullivan also cites two additional resources that might also be useful for librarians to be aware of when talking with faculty about the need to teach students information literacy skills.

1. A 2009 report from The National Association of College Admissions counseling called Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on College Learning in the Wake of the Economic Downturn

2. Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses (published 2011)

Professional orgs & the power of people

July 8, 2011

tags: 2011, ala11, conference, make it happen, networking, professional development

by Erin Dorney

CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 by Librarian In Black

It’s a refrain heard ’round the web post-ALA:

Nicole at The Pumped Librarian: “…I’d say, as networking is really a big part of conferences, to not think of it as networking. It is what it is, but I really just thought about it as making new friends and talking to interesting people.”
Andromeda at Across Divided Networks: “…you can gravitate toward neighborhoods where you find your tribe and where people are doing good work, real work… Surround yourself with people better than you, and learn from them.”
Annie at cat lady librarian: “…by the afternoon, I had found some people I follow on Twitter and hung out with them. What’s great is that I felt comfortable talking to my Twitter friends because we have already built a rapport online, so it was easy to get along in person.”
Patrick at PC Sweeney’s Blog: “Basically, by partying as much as I could with as many brilliant people as I can find, I have been able to learn more meaningful, current, and useful information in librarianship.”

Partying, neighborhoods, friends, tribes and networking, it all comes down to people and the power we have to make or break situations, organizations, conferences and the like. If you’ve ever questioned the importance of professional organizations (either at the national level like the American Library Association or the local level like the Pennsylvania Library Association), it might be that you’re tipping the scales in the wrong direction. Getting involved is not only about the structured learning opportunities these organizations provide. It’s about gathering people together who have shared goals, experiences and passions to see what ignites. Do you need a “professional organization” to do this? No, not necessarily, but it helps because all of the pieces are in place for something amazing to happen. Go to that party because you never know what kind of partnership will develop over a beer. Talk to that “library celebrity” you’ve been following on Twitter – they are probably looking for someone to welcome into their circle of awesomeness. Professional organizations give librarians the tools and framework for learning in both structured and unstructured environments. Step away from that hotel room. File those session notes away. Instead, spark up a conversation. If we don’t make it happen, no one will.

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Erin Dorney is the Outreach Librarian at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and outgoing Treasurer of the PaLA College & Research Division. She can be found on Twitter at libscenester and blogging at https://www.libraryscenester.wordpress.com. Like a fine wine, this post pairs well with the beats of K.Flay’s Party. Enjoy!

Debate: Are School Librarians Expendable?

July 5, 2011

tags: debate

by Amy Deuink

I didn’t see a lot of discussion or commentary, at least in my circles, on this recent New York Times, Room for Debate discussion of the question, “Are school librarians expendable?” So, I thought this might be a good place to share.

Specifically, debaters considered whether school administrators see librarians as more expendable than other school employees and if so, why?

Librarian Jessamyn West refocuses the question on larger issues in our education system and defines the 21st Century librarian’s role: “Now a librarian, or school media specialist, is more of a discerning cultivator and a matchmaker between people and the widely varied resources that meet their information needs… [T]he integral role of librarians isn’t always obvious from the outside; as a result their contributions can be undervalued.”

Tech exec Ze’ev Wurman made some broad assertions about books, reading, and our nation’s schools without offering much evidence to back them up:“Yet all this discussion about libraries and librarians misses an essential point: even with recent cuts we already spend enough for the good education of every student, even in the most frugal state.”

Author Francine Prose reflects on Mrs. Morgan, a school librarian who made a significant impact on her life: “So I would like to take this chance… to publicly thank [Mrs. Morgan] and all the others like her, the librarians to whom we owe so much, though their influence may not be quantifiable on any standardized test. I would like to express my gratitude to Mrs. Anna Morgan for helping turn me into a reader, a writer, a lifelong lover of books… “

As for me, I certainly don’t think school librarians are expendable, but can see how the nuanced role they play in a student’s success could go unnoticed (and unmeasured). I agree they no longer exclusively play the traditional role of book selector and keeper of the library. School librarians are generally a passionate lot and sharing their enthusiasm for reading and learning should be part of students’ education, as well as new roles teaching students about critical evaluation to deal with 21st Century information overload and imparting necessary tech skills to efficiently find, understand, manage, and use the information students need. When school officials quickly react to budget cuts by permanently changing the composition of their faculty, with no mandates to shift the teaching of these skills from the library exclusively to the classroom, I can’t help but wonder about the long-term effects on students. As an academic librarian, I wonder, specifically, whether these students will be ready for college-level research. Whether they’ll have the curiosity to drive them.

So, what are your thoughts? Are school librarians expendable?

Free Webcast: The Future of Library Technology

July 5, 2011

by serendipiTina

Library Journal and Ex Libris are sponsoring a Free Webcast: “The Future of Library Technology: How Trends in Scholarly Communication and Technology are Impacting Academic Libraries.”

Thursday, July 7, 2011 from 12:00-1:00 EDT.

Even though the event is free, you must still register for the event. Registration is available online.

Information about the event taken from the website:

Few libraries today develop the 5-10 year strategic plans they once did due to the dynamic environments within academic and research libraries. In this webinar, Jack Ammerman, Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Open Access at Boston University Libraries, will discuss ways in which shifting user needs and expectations as well as trends in the scholarly and technology worlds have effected planning for library technology at BU. Oren Beit-Arie, Chief Strategy Officer at Ex Libris, will review the ways in which Ex Libris has and is responding to these trends with specific examples from the next generation library services Primo and Alma.

Panelists:
Jack Ammerman, Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Open Access at Boston University Libraries
Oren Beit-Arie, Chief Strategy Officer at Ex Libris

LSTA Funds at Work!

June 30, 2011

by serendipiTina

In my humble opinion, one of the best things about being a member of the CRD Committee is that we get to distribute LSTA Grants to PaLA chapters, divisions, roundtables, as well as other library organizations, to provide professional development programming. I am always impressed with the variety and types of programs that are offered. It is also nice to attend some of these programs to see LSTA Funds at work! This year, I was very fortunate to be able to attend several programs. Here are some interesting highlights from some programs that I attended and even some from those I haven’t but heard great things about!

CRD offered a very well received workshop on Assessment featuring Megan Oakleaf, author of ACRL Value of Academic Libraries report
The West Branch Chapter had a great technology workshop which highlighted e-readers, gadgets, and online tools.
The Library Instruction Round Table had a workshop on learning styles and how to incorporate critical thinking into information literacy.
TCLC had NPR librarian, Kee Malesky, as a keynote speaker.
Trexler Library at Muhlenberg College had a program on copyright.
The Southwest Chapter went with a ‘techie social worker’ theme, which included not only technology sessions, but also sessions on working effectively with different kinds of patrons, such as substance abusers.
Kutztown University hosted a program on Digital Learning Materials featuring John Shank as the speaker.
The South Central Workshop included sessions on Fundraising, Advocacy, Public Speaking, and Customer Service.
The Lehigh Valley Chapter always has a jam-packed conference; this year’s topics included Reorganization of Libraries, Children’s Authors’ Panel, Google Apps, Student Engagement and Outreach, Library Instruction in Content Management Systems, Assessing Information Literacy, and more.
Advocacy was also the hot topic at the Northeast Chapter Workshop.

There are also some great programs coming up thanks to the many PaLA members who plans these functions and have requested LSTA funding:

In July, keep an eye out for a school and academic librarian information literacy workshop.
In August, the PaLA Leadership Development Committee will be offering a workshop on ‘monkey management’ (that alone is very intriguing!)
And we can’t forget about the upcoming PaLA Annual Conference, where Marshall Breeding will be the keynote speaker at the CRD Luncheon.

Wow! I think that PaLA members certainly get a great value for professional development programming. Much of this programming could not be done without not only PaLA membership but also the LSTA grants. If you have a program that would be of benefit to academic librarians, be sure to think about including LSTA grants!