Silly Photos of Serious Writers

Flavorwire just published this post of the gravest in literature coasting on the goofiest of grooves.  I've included my favorite, this literary study in irony.

Was Proust getting all Proustian for a more carefree time?  Could you ever imagine him this goofy?

Information Literacy Summit

“Learning how to learn.”

Best way to describe it, as detailed by Charlet Key of Black Hawk College in one of today's sessions noted below.  Picked up a lot of good, usable information here, such as how to help students with their projects and increase information literacy at the same time.  It doesn't necessarily happen in a normal classroom setting......this appeals to this public librarian.  Also, screencasting is easy and fun.  And e-reading doesn't engage in the same way as p-reading.  Lots of passion, good information, and a lot of it directly applicable to the everyday reference transaction.

Check It Out: Paper vs. Electonic Learning

Dorothy Mikuska (ePen & Inc Oak Brook, IL)

Marti Seaton (Glenbard South HS)

Laura Broderick (Glenbard East HS, Lombard IL)

eBooks are Best..?

The brain reads the words differently on paper than on an ebook.  We read 16% of words online, F-shape.  Rereading doesn't happen.  We distract to other sites.  IGA.  Information excess blocks focus.  Slow reading beats fast every time, like Aesops Tortoise.   

Screenagers

Will they grow up to read deeply.  HS syllabi are filled with digital texts, blogs, facebook pages, etc.  Over 3 million freshmen in 2008, 43% at 2 yr and 29% at 4 year unable to do basic work, more likely to drop out.  They cost society.  Can't comprehend complex texts.  Able to do main idea, word meaning, and supporting evidence, though...

Decelerate

Uninterrupted thinking vs multitasking.  Focus on values, perspectives, why's, over skimming, poor comprehension. 

Receptivity

Modesty is a precondition to learning vs. Youtube's "broadcast yourself" 

Kaiser Family Fdtn study 1/2010

Develop Habit of Slower Reading
Reading is learned -- develop new connections & pathways.  Plasticity can re-adapt back to slow reading.  The end of the author's wisdom is the beginning of ours (Proust).

Brain Changes from eReading

Grey cells over-activated.  Leads to shallow reading/thinking.  Decode rather than interpret.  

Read: Maryanne Wolf - Proust and the Squid

Imposition and superimposition of digital reading technology the academic...

pBook reading habits don't work with ebooks.  Fewer distractions so stay focused.  Better for reading entire book.  Easier to memorize, on eyes.  Kids prefer real books.  Less than 10% use ebooks.  Postits are easier than kindle highlights.     

Future Thoughts

Reading in depth, ereading is incomplete.  Will the economic consequence of today's narcissistic poor learners be felt tomorrow? 

However...can't stop a runaway train...e is happening.  We need to move p practices to e!!

The One Minute Mentor

F Elizabeth Nicholson, Lizzie Matkowski
Phillips Library
Aurora University by Jing (tm)

Tutorials
Offered to be quick, easy to understand, reference services to students who can't come to campus, answers FAQ's, short alternatives to live instruction.

Best Practices
Short, simple, learnable chunks.  Start with one, continue to others.  They build.  Consistent visual identity makes them easily identifiable, findable (same intro, outro).
  
Tools
Free, text based tutorials (students like to print), video, all led to Jing (free, 5 min, easy to use, and tracks #'s of views).  Can be used on the fly to send an example of question answer to patron via chat.

Topics
Make list of FAQ under 3 categories: getting articles, finding books, citations and formatting.  Avoid complex IL issues like narrowing a topic, plagiarism, etc.

Best Practices
Use a script, Match PowerPoint/screencast as closely as possible.  May be best to make PP first as script. Get away from desk noise to record.   Headphone/mic sets are $20.

Marketing
Mount on website page, include in email blasts, topic of "what's new" at library, post at point of need, mention during instruction sessions, demonstrate in off-campus student orientations.

Adjustments
Libguides are another good way to host.  Camtasia is something they're going to move up to.

Liberating Information Literacy: Inspiring Critical Thinking

Charlet Key, Black Hawk College keyc@bhc.edu

Background

Readers Guide to Periodical Lit is a thing of the past...a common interface.  Now we do Newsbank, LexisNexis, Ebscohost, JStor, Brittanica.  No common interface these days.

Experience leads to knowing search terms.  Kids show up with no research skills.  No Child Left Behind gives them Google experience.  Adult learners are terrified, intimidated that a younger person is showing them.

Microfilm, microfiche, etc. no longer used.  Now Phone has library app. which reads to them.

EasyBib Trends in Info Lit: 66% of students struggle with developing thesis.  57% of forms of literacy instruction are one-shots.  Sufficient?  Ready for the information age??  Must expand it.

Typical Research Assignment
Number of pages, type/number of resources, limits access to some formats, documentation requirements (shuts down learning), scant on topic management (little space left to do this).  When it’s online, teachers won’t often allow it.  A dissertation found online would not work, while the same paper in-person was OK.  Drove to Iowa to find out it didn’t check out.

Topic Challenges

“I need an article that’s pro police brutality.”  “My topic is food.”  Brains connect in different ways.  Topic has potential, but needs to be scoped.

Citation Project
Very clear they don’t know how to analyze their sources.  They often just cut and paste.

Intervention Needed
86,000 seconds in a day.  Most squandered. 

New approach

Topic brainstorming – Give choices.  Personal stuff works, engages them in the research even though it’s not usually allowed to use “you,” “I,” or “me.” Fills up Presentation Content.

Research Support – Show what you’ve got, then they have to say why they used it.  Or what they didn’t use.  If they care about it, they’ll put more work in.

Topics…College Core Values, Internet overexposure, Problem-Solution-2^nd Gen Problem. Hawaii rat problem, bring in mongooses, nothing kills the mongoose.  Red light cameras with increased front/back-end accidents.

Faculty Perspective

Consistence from 101/102 Students

Student responses to past & present topics

Alternate topic available (suggested by previous students)

Some students have not written a research paper by the time the get to english 101.  They have no familiarity with MLA or citing sources.

Librarian Perspective

It’s not information literacy but…

Connections are valuable

More time w/students allows for reinforcing the message about the process.  WebMD is run by Big Pharma.  Medline Plus is better, in Spanish.  Be on tumblr, meet them where they are.

Accept that some topics are duds

Engage engage engage.

How Do We Make Them Care / Be Passionate About Their Education

Make it a contest that's about them?  Part of education is learning the value of education.  It will come to those that are open to it.  Should be subtly worked into the curriculum.  Connect it to something they can relate to.  Need to persuade them that learning determines the world, makes the biggest difference.  They put the effort in and care.

Information Literacy in Ghana: Perspectives on a Growing User Education Program

Merinda Hensley

Balme Library University of Ghana

Upgrade from card catalog to Milcirc.  Improve bandwidth.  Automation.  Etc.

But also ask users what they need...a new approach.

Perception was off...they thought that librarians bought books, shelved them, but didn't answer questions.  And the library wasn't meant for anything else, like a cultural center.  Only old books.  No online resources.  A student was there, but acted bothered by questions.  Theft is a big issue, suspension for stealing books.

Access is different -- only 6 books for 2 weeks, vs 9,999 for 3 years at other schools.

Grant to upgrade research commons -- Had to beat rules like "do not read in this room."  Bought high-tech digitization equipment.  Local history items need metadata added to them. Study spaces, huge room.  Unlocking reference materials...?

Institutional Repository -- Also set this up at the same time.