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Degrees of Impact:
Analyzing the Effects of Progressive Librarian Course Collaborations on
Student Performance
Citation:
Booth, C., Lowe, M. S., Tagge, N., & Stone, S. M.
(2015). Degrees of Impact: Analyzing the Effects of Progressive Librarian
Course Collaborations on Student Performance. College & Research Libraries,
76(5), 623-651. doi:10.5860/crl.76.5.623
Summary:
The Claremont Colleges Library conducted
direct rubric assessment of Pitzer College First-Year Seminar research papers
to analyze the impact of diverse levels of librarian course collaborations on
information literacy (IL) performance in student writing. Findings indicate
that progressive degrees of librarian engagement in IL-related course
instruction and/or syllabus and assignment design had an increasingly
positive impact on student performance. A secondary indirect analysis of
librarian teaching evaluations and self-perceived learning gains by students
and faculty showed no correlation to rubric IL scores, suggesting the
importance of “authentic” assessment in determining actual learning outcomes.
This mixed-methods study presents findings in each area and examines their
implications for effective IL course collaborations.
Analysis:
This applies directly to my academic library as our newest
librarian addition is our Online Instruction Librarian. She is working on teaming with our Distance
Education department to imbed library services into Canvas, but also will be
reaching out and working with faculty members to improve the partnership with
the library in the classroom (online).
I appreciate this study for its findings on what’s worked and
suggestions it makes to this end.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Citation:
Summary:
OER Commons (Open Educational Resources) has a “Curated
Collections” section where “digital librarians develop…curated collections to
bring… the best of digital library offerings.”
They have resources on hot topics ranging from STEM/STEAM to Game-Based
Learning.
Analysis:
Monday, May 15, 2017
#TLMatch and #TLChat as factors in the global learning and connecting equation
Van Halsema, Pamela
Summary:
The article invites librarians to become part of a global network to educators who are willing to build collaborative connections between classrooms all over the world and tackle some of the universal problems we face in modern society. The author wants to use social networking sites and hashtags to bring willing partners together, and use Google Hangouts and Skype for live video chatting.
Analysis:
One aspect of teacher librarianship I have dreamed of developing, but have not yet gotten started is using social networking and streaming technology tools to connect students in my school with other students and various experts and leaders around the world. Its the 21st century version of global pen pals. And to make this kind of connection get started, it could help to have a leadership network for connection building. Lucky for us there are people already beginning this work.
Joyce Valenza's April 7, 2017 blog article in School Library Journal (Launching #tlmatch: for connecting with that special other librarian) I found myself truly interested in connecting with other librarians on this. It is perfect for teachers who want to enhance their approach to the curriculum as a sort of bridge building through a Skype of Google Hangout connected classroom scenario. Valenza admits to have first conceived this idea back in 2014, but never fully realized the potential, and now is taking a fresh look.
What would the purpose be for connecting with people from a different part of the globe? The reasons are multiple, they have the potential to encourage deep thinking. A teacher could use this opportunity to collaborate and problem solve the same problem as another school group in a different culture and country. The problem could be a universal issue, but because of their specific time and place, each group would bring their own understandings to bear on creating solutions. Another idea would be to build cultural and geographical competency between the participants. Simply by listening to each other, asking each other questions, and responding, these students could better understand people from other parts of the world.
To facilitate this kind of collaborative learning experience, educators need to be matched and there needs a coordinator of curriculum, resources and technology. That facilitation could be managed by the teacher librarian. Valenza hopes to build a G+ community and use Twitter and other social networks to reach out and build a librarian network for this endeavor.
Work like this has the potential to offer innovative, relevant, engaging and memorable learning experiences for students. Now that so many schools have 1:1 iPads, video capabilities and more, this is not a far fetched idea. And many have forged the way on connected learning for many years. The article provides a list of projects for consideration:
- iEARN
- Flat Connections Global Project
- World Read Aloud Day
- Global Read Aloud
- PenPalSchools
- Mystery Skypes and Skype in the Classroom
- Flipgrid 30-Second Book Talk
- Global Flipgrid Community
- Peace Corps Speaker/Correspondence Matches
- UNICEF Kid Power
- GlobalEdEvents
- Participate.com Chats
To make this happen, it will be essential for the teacher to work closely with the classroom teachers to plan for and facilitate the sessions. If these sessions go smoothly, then the library could potentially offer help hosting individual connection sessions for student personal learning topics too.
Design Thinking for Libraries: A Process Model for Putting Patron Needs First
Van Halsema, Pamela
Citation:
Ideo. (2015). Design Thinking for Libraries: A Toolkit for Patron Centered Design. Retrieved May 1, 2017, from Design Thinking for Libraries website: http://www.designthinkingforlibraries.com
Summary:
The Design Thinking for Libraries publication describes a process that libraries can use to approach the design of space and services based on the needs of their patrons first and foremost. This publication is part of a series from Ideo, and offshoot of the Stanford D School, which has made a name for itself in developing a process model for human centered design. The process is largely centered on three steps: Inspiration, Ideation, and Iteration. The publication provides an overview of the process, with case studies and explanations, and a practical toolkit which guides the librarian through the process at their own site.
Analysis:
I've been a fan of Design Thinking as a strong model for rethinking and refashioning systems to make them better from a user's perspective. There is clearly lots of room for reflection on that idea in the library space, as so many times our systems can become the boss of our work, instead of a more empathetic approach to redesign our policies, procedures, programs and spaces to make the patron experience great.
Just like our inquiry learning process we teach in our libraries, the design thinking process begins with a question: How might we......?? (eg. How might we create user friendly web experiences that are on par with the 21st century digital landscape? or How might we create a welcoming ambiance in the library environment that encourages users to linger and stay?) Simply the fact that these questions and search for answers are conducted in a collaborative process that involves many stakeholders and most importantly some patrons, this approach to problem solving can be a powerful opportunity to get to know how others view the library and learn how to make it better.
Several possible solutions emerge in the process and quick experimental implementations, help reveal whether they are effective approaches. Research, communication, visualization, and iteration are all important elements to finding the best answers to the 'How might we' question.
Along with empathy for the patron, the process involved humility for the librarian, and a willingness to listen, look, and respond to the experiences of the people who use the library. Perhaps such an approach is what we need to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant in this shifting information landscape that threatens the very existence of libraries today.
Citation:
Ideo. (2015). Design Thinking for Libraries: A Toolkit for Patron Centered Design. Retrieved May 1, 2017, from Design Thinking for Libraries website: http://www.designthinkingforlibraries.com
Summary:
The Design Thinking for Libraries publication describes a process that libraries can use to approach the design of space and services based on the needs of their patrons first and foremost. This publication is part of a series from Ideo, and offshoot of the Stanford D School, which has made a name for itself in developing a process model for human centered design. The process is largely centered on three steps: Inspiration, Ideation, and Iteration. The publication provides an overview of the process, with case studies and explanations, and a practical toolkit which guides the librarian through the process at their own site.
Analysis:
I've been a fan of Design Thinking as a strong model for rethinking and refashioning systems to make them better from a user's perspective. There is clearly lots of room for reflection on that idea in the library space, as so many times our systems can become the boss of our work, instead of a more empathetic approach to redesign our policies, procedures, programs and spaces to make the patron experience great.
Just like our inquiry learning process we teach in our libraries, the design thinking process begins with a question: How might we......?? (eg. How might we create user friendly web experiences that are on par with the 21st century digital landscape? or How might we create a welcoming ambiance in the library environment that encourages users to linger and stay?) Simply the fact that these questions and search for answers are conducted in a collaborative process that involves many stakeholders and most importantly some patrons, this approach to problem solving can be a powerful opportunity to get to know how others view the library and learn how to make it better.
Several possible solutions emerge in the process and quick experimental implementations, help reveal whether they are effective approaches. Research, communication, visualization, and iteration are all important elements to finding the best answers to the 'How might we' question.
Along with empathy for the patron, the process involved humility for the librarian, and a willingness to listen, look, and respond to the experiences of the people who use the library. Perhaps such an approach is what we need to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant in this shifting information landscape that threatens the very existence of libraries today.
The politics of book buying and weeding
Van Halsema, Pamela
Citation:
The Annoyed Librarian blog Potentially partisan weeding. School Library Journal, February 9, 2017, Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2017/02/09/potentially-partisan-weeding/
Summary:
This article addresses the topic of collection development and weeding in light of a divided political climate and asks questions about how the librarian can make good decisions to serve needs and wants and also provide a balanced collection.
Analysis:
Citation:
The Annoyed Librarian blog Potentially partisan weeding. School Library Journal, February 9, 2017, Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/blogs/annoyedlibrarian/2017/02/09/potentially-partisan-weeding/
Summary:
This article addresses the topic of collection development and weeding in light of a divided political climate and asks questions about how the librarian can make good decisions to serve needs and wants and also provide a balanced collection.
Analysis:
Our country is more politically divided now than it has been for decades, so when deciding what books to purchase for the collection, and what books to get rid of, what side of the aisle should the librarian land? If the region the library serves is conservative, then should the bulk of the collection reflect that interest, or should the library make an effort to purchase books on different sides of the political spectrum in equal measure?
This is the issue that The Annoyed Librarian confronted in a post on February 9 in Library Journal, Potentially Partisan Weeding. When engaged in the decision making process in collection development, hoping to meet consumer demand for popular books, hoping to create a balanced collection, hoping books will circulate and not just sit on the shelf untouched, what's the right balance of books across the political spectrum? The author asks if we should bother stocking 'red' district shelves with books by Michael Moore, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, only to just weed them later due to low circulation. Perhaps, as one commenter on the article suggested, our politics are not as black and white as described. In fact, while conservatives might be a majority in a given area, there are likely still a good percentage of 'blue' readers who might be reading those selections.
Every public library collection, and even school library collection too, needs to listen to the reading preferences of their patrons and to ensure engagement and reader satisfaction, purchase titles that reflect them. But as the Annoyed Librarian notes, there is a professional standard in the Library Bill of Rights stating that "Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.” And if the politically unpopular view books are not getting checked out with the same frequency, maybe it is important to hang onto them for a little while, refrain from weeding, to ensure that the collection is more balanced.
Not sure I ever imagined weeding to be a political act, but in this case it certainly could be viewed that way. This is an even tougher call in a school library--where revisionist history books are potentially dangerous views of our nation's past--leaving out key issues or events that make things look rosier than they actually were in real life. I'm inclined to pass on those sorts of books altogether unless they are retellings of history from new or different perspectives of a repressed class or minority group. What's a school librarian to do with the popularity of Rush Limbaugh's historical fiction series, that even landed him 2014 Children’s Choice Book Author of the Year Award, when the caustic radio personality causes so much political mayhem on the airwaves? Is this the person best suited to teach our kids about history? But maybe its not about providing them with the ONE best suited, but showing that that history and culture are the product of multiple viewpoints of the story, and we are the guardians of making sure each voice gets a chance to tell their version.
We balance all these concerns, of course, with our ethical standards as school librarians. We as professionals have codified these standards, in a Library Bill of Rights, which includes the shared value for Intellectual Freedom that "students and educators should have access to resources and services free of constraints resulting from personal, partisan, or doctrinal disapproval."
I am glad to have a wide range of journals and reviews to help me make selections for library purchases, and will weigh much more than a book's circulation statistics into the decision of whether or not to get rid of a book.
Connecting community to the school library over coffee
Van Halsema, Pamela
Citation:
The article provides and excellent case of an elementary school library reaping the benefits of opening up its doors to the community of parents and local leaders on a regular weekly basis.
Analysis:
Citation:
Phipps-Soeiro, Liz (2015) Turning the school library into a community hub: here's how. School Library Journal April 21, 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2015/04/programs/turning-the-school-library-into-a-community-hub-heres-how
Summary:The article provides and excellent case of an elementary school library reaping the benefits of opening up its doors to the community of parents and local leaders on a regular weekly basis.
Analysis:
I am totally inspired by the example of the library at Cambridgeport School as described in the blog article entitled Turning the school library into a community hub: here's how. Librarian Liz Phipps-Soeiro didn't use any fancy techniques, but instead opened the doors to community members as part of a regular weekly routine, inviting parents and civic leaders to meet in the library to talk on a range of topics over coffee. The series, called Coffee and Conversation, cost next to nothing to get off the ground, and the benefits have been far reaching for the school, the library program and the community in general.
She provides some tips for getting this going at other school sites, including getting buy-in from administrators and the parent organizations affiliated with the school. She notes the importance of sticking to a regular routine time for the gathering, so people can learn the habit of regular attendance.
I did this myself a couple of years ago when I served on my kids' school board. I hosted a weekly early morning coffee time for teachers and parents to talk with their board representative (me). By keeping faithful to the regular schedule for that meet-up I discovered that people counted on me being there, took the opportunity to bring concerns and feedback to me there, and I built trust and understanding between the school board and others in the school community. I can see how that will be a great idea for hosting a general forum in the library. I'm curious if holding a meeting like that at a junior high will still garner an audience, since parents never get out of the car to drop off kids in the morning. Perhaps a survey to determine the best time and day would be wise before starting an event like this in my library.
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