Curation Situations: Let us count the ways

Stefani, Anne

Valenza, J. (2017, July 5). Curation situations: Let us count the ways. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2017/07/05/curation-situations-let-us-count-the-ways


In “Curation situations, let us count the ways” Joyce Valenza discusses not only the many definitions of curation, but also the critical importance of creating collections to support student learning, especially in a digital format. She and her co-authors conducted several surveys which ultimately led them to the “curator’s taxonomy” which consists of four parts: collecting, connecting, curating, and contributing (Valenza, 2017). She goes on to argue that librarians are critical members of instructional leadership on campus because they possess a holistic view of the learning needs at their site and/or context:

Digital curation is a translation and amplification of our traditional practice. We study the                specific needs and interests of our communities. We have always been around to tame the information flow, to facilitate discovery and knowledge building. Curation is a direct translation of collection building, critical evaluation, instructional partnership, sense making, meeting community needs, knowledge building and instruction. With a school wide perspective spanning disciplines, grade levels and learners’ abilities, we build collections based on decisions relating to quality, diversity and local relevance. We organize resources for intellectual and physical access and equity and our efforts are portable, collaborative, embeddable, easy to access, customized for their audience and optimized for all platforms.

This article really resonated with me because it captures the important role that librarians play in finding resources for everyone on their campus and/or district. Whether it is a video for a teacher, a language tutorial site for a student, or even an article for administration, librarians have the power to create connections and take some of the heavy-lifting off of the shoulders of students and teachers. However, like the article points out, those resources and collections need to be easily accessible for all so that those resources do not just exist in individual silos, but rather are available for all. Digital collections housed on learning commons websites are an excellent way to ensure equal access for all.

Cartoons?! Digitizing and Cataloging Challenges...

Nguyen, Jennifer

 

Citation:

Dyer, M. A. (2014). Full Speed Ahead: The Challenges of Cataloging a Historic Editorial Cartoon Collection. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 33(2) 279-294.

Summary/Notes:

This article is about the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Libraries digitizing [the Charles Henry Sykes Cartoon Collection] of original editorial or political cartoons from the 1940s. Multiple library departments and staff involved in the project included the digital collections systems librarian, the digital specialist, the Digital Scanning Unit, and the metadata catalog librarian. There were cataloging issues due to missing or lack of information about cartoons donated. Image cataloging issues surrounding what the image is of versus what image is about. Scholars scrutinize the lack of cultural context provided with image digitized. And Dyer, wants us to note importance of text used in cartoon, as there aren’t many text used to begin with. Some solutions found were to obtain original newspaper and editorials the cartoons were printed in, document and note front pages of newspaper that contains cartoon to figure out the context of the cartoon. Only with context would we understand the humor of the cartoons drawn by Sykes’.

 

Reflection:

I was looking for ways and how librarians digitize images while researching for presentation 4. I tried to understand the process of digitization so that I can mention it in the digitization of a collection at the academic library I have been studying all semester. This article showed a whole other dimension of digitization that I hadn’t thought of before: cataloging and digitizing dated materials. It wasn’t as simple as I had thought of it. Apparently, it isn’t as easy as scanning and inputting the metadata information. Dyer does a great job explicating how cartoons work, the context and information to catalog, and additional research needed to fully catalog one cartoon image.

This makes me think about how Instagram functions. Images are often posted, but the source, creator, or information isn’t mentioned, just a partial caption underneath the image. Instagram will make it hard for information professionals to categorize or search for images there. But Instagram has hashtags. Some hashtags often used have nothing to do with the image, but more about what the person posting the image has done. Heck, even I have had trouble searching for a restaurant or place I randomly found an image of on Instagram. It takes me an extra 2 to 20 minutes following hashtags, tagged profiles, and locations to find an art exhibit.

            Overall, read this article if you’re thinking about cataloging, digitizing, and working with images during your librarianship. Dyer writes an easy and coherent article about VCU, Sykes, and the struggles of cataloging historical editorial cartoons.

Apps- e-books and audio books

Apps for free e-books and audio books from your library.


https://app.overdrive.com/

https://www.hoopladigital.com/

Budgets Are Limited, Student Interests Are Not

Micka, Tracy

INFO266, Fall 2016

Bill Ferriter (2014, March 3). Is Stocking Library Shelves with Nonfiction Content a Waste of Money? [Web log post]. Retrived from http://teachingquality.org/content/blogs/bill-ferriter/stocking-library-shelves-nonfiction-content-waste-money

Summary:

The basic idea here is that when school libraries are pushed into a forced choice between developing their nonfiction section by either spending money on print or spending it on digital (and this IS the case for most libraries as there is never enough funding), then the author suggests digital - in the name of student choice, currency, relevance, and expediency. Putting it succinctly, the author explains the lack of digital access as a situation where students are “forced to study what they CAN study instead of what they WANT to study.”

My Comments:

I spent longer than I planned on this article because I read every last word, including all the reader comments. And then I read it again. I think this is one of the most important articles I’ve read for this assignment yet...particularly for what it says about connection development.

If our job is to open the world of nonfiction to students and enable them to be self-directed, lifelong learners, then I think digital content is a must, and probably preferential to print books, which are quickly outdated and, without an unlimited budget, cannot adequately cover a breadth of subjects for curious children. That last point on breadth of subject matter may be contestable- for there are ways to incorporate student choice into purchasing decisions, and there is the idea that the collection should be focused (narrowed) anyway by the unique needs of the school’s community and curriculum.

Still, it seems common sense to me to build up nonfiction collections with digital access. There are nuances to the argument, however, and the real gold here is in the comments section, where readers make of number of important objections and clarifications. Such points include the idea that young and reluctant readers benefit from the tactile experience of physical books; not all students have digital access at home, so they need print books; and most importantly- providing digital access is not enough- kids need information literacy instruction.

Ultimately, this article is about how to get more bang for your buck and Jennifer Henry’s comment  (titled “Cooperation & Innovation”) has some great points about connection development that might help those of us on a tight budget not feel so constricted by that forced choice.

Empowering Libraries to Innovate

Clark, L. (2015, June 02). Empowering Libraries to Innovate. American Libraries, 46, 20-24. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from Academic Search Premier.

Summary:

This article discusses the Knight Foundation’s attempt to inspire libraries to innovate. The article reviews the Knight Foundation’s challenge to increase the effectiveness of technology to meet users’ needs in more effective and efficient ways. This foundation is funding projects for libraries to increase access to digital technology. The foundation is attempting to streamline the process of cataloging public domain books. The purpose of funding these projects is to motivate libraries to become more innovative,

Evaluation:

This article examines the issues that come with trying to digitalize content in libraries. In an increasingly digital world, libraries need to become more innovative in incorporating digital content into their collections. Libraries need to become innovative if they wish to stay relevant in this new digital age. This article gives several innovative solutions to increasing digital access to library users.