LibWorm: Information Literacy

Arsenic bacteria: example of a case for information literacy teaching

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Since early December there has been a lot of controversy about an article published in Science about bacteria using arsenic in their DNA. A number of people pointed out that this was a useful case to use for an information literacy article. For example, Bonnie Swoger, a Science and Technology Librarian, did a post on 10 December about using the arsenic bacteria story as a teaching moment for undergraduates. As well as the original article there is much online commentary and other pieces of evidence, for example an interview with the first author of the paper, published later in the month, also in Science.Pennisis, E. (2010) "Exclusive Interview: Discoverer of Arsenic Bacteria, in the Eye of the Storm." Sciencenow, 20 December. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/12/arsenic-researcher-asks-for-time.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: roses at Christmas. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

University librarian (director of rebecca crown library) (dominican university, illinois)

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:20:02 +0100

University Librarian (Director of Rebecca Crown Library) (Dominican University, Illinois) Dominican University invites applications for the position of University Librarian for the Rebecca Crown Library. Housing approximately 250,000 volumes, more than 150 electronic databases and additional access to 30,000 plus periodicals, Crown Library is a partial depository for U.S. government publications and maintains special collections, archives and a media center. The University Librarian is expected to bring innovative, entrepreneurial and seasoned leadership to Crown Library. Reporting to the Associate Provost, the University Librarian serves the Provost’s Cabinet and University Planning Committee. ...

Access services librarian - kemp library #2010000318 (east stroudsburg university -- esu, pennsylvania)

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:20:02 +0100

Access Services Librarian - Kemp Library #2010000318 (East Stroudsburg University -- ESU, Pennsylvania) University seeks an experienced Access Services Librarian to supervise and coordinate the areas of Circulation, ILL, Stacks Maintenance, Reserves, and Document Delivery in the Kemp Library. This is a full-time, nine month, continuing tenure track faculty position within Kemp Library and reports directly to the Library Dean. As part of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), we offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package. Kemp Library has a staff of 9 Full-time library faculty and 13 staff. The general collection consists of over 564,000 books, serial back-files and government documents in print, and more than 1. ...

Follow-up: transliteracy, theory, and scholarly language

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:01:26 +0100

I was bit surprised at the response to my post about Libraries and Transliteracy. As long as I’m spouting off opinions on topics that have little substance other than opinion, I may as well go whole-hog and respond to some of the reponses. Marcus Banks writes: “…David goes too far in his highly conservative defense of the English language…this idea that we need to keep a tight lid on the language, or even that this is possible, is foolhardy.” I’m not attempting to defend the English language. A beast as powerful as the English language doesn’t need me to defend it. Besides, I happily torture the language when it suits me. I use silly semi-words like ‘geekery’ and ‘libraryfolk.’1 This comment from Marcus, though, underlines a problem I saw in the post shortly after I published it. It isn’t the word, it’s the way the word is used I didn’t intend to say that the word “transliteracy” has no place in the world2, just that I have yet to see libraryfolk using it in a way that adds something previously missing from discussions in librarianship and LIS3. Thus far, it seems to me that the (admittedly cool-sounding) term is thrown around by libraryfolk who (1)admit that they can’t define it, (2)define it so vaguely and variously that it fails to have any coherent meaning, or (3)define it in a way that makes it redundant to a wide assortment of existing terms. What I find baffling is that librarians would use words they cannot define. I had thought (perhaps mistakenly) that librarians tended to be lovably pedantic and semantic nitpickers. I’d like to see some clear indication that libraryfolk are talking about this word for any reason other than novelty or self-promotion. ...

Director of the university library (norwich university, vermont)

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:20:01 +0100

Director of the University Library (Norwich University, Vermont) Norwich University invites applications for the position of Director of the University Library. The Director is the chief academic and administrative officer of the Kreitzberg Library, including the University Archives, with responsibility for coordinating programs, scholarship, and service activities. The mission of Kreitzberg Library is to develop and provide the information resources, services, and environment that support Norwich University's academic and administrative goals. The Kreitzberg Library assumes an important role as the provider and preserver of institutional heritage and memory and as a resource for all those with an interest in Norwich University history. ...

Upgrade

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Upgrade is a tutorial site from City University Library "working with the Careers Service, Learning Success and the Student Centre". It covers a number of information literacy and study skills areas, for example: information searching, critical thinking, exam techniques, "Using your personal information safely", interview preparation. The site includes exercises and videos: http://www.city.ac.uk/upgrade/index.htmlPhoto by Sheila Webber: Christmas bauble, 2010. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Merry christmas

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Merry Christmas to all readers of the Information Literacy weblog.Photo by Sheila Webber: the Christmas wreath I made 2010 (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Goblin game

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A plagiarism game from Lycoming College, USA, Goblin Threat, involves finding goblins and defeating them by answering plagiarism-related questions correctly. This is a nice idea that has been implemented well, so worth checking out. If you clear the goblins from all the rooms you get a certificate. My only little quibble would be that (as with most plagiarism quizzes) I think with a few of the questions the answer is not as black-and-white as is implied (it could also be to do with differences in national and institutional practices). http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/plagiarismgame.htmlI discovered this game because it was a Primo site of the month: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/sections/is/projpubs/primo/site/2010october.cfm. In this interview the game's creator explains how the game arose, how it was tested, and how it is used now, so it is also worth readng.Photo by Sheila Webber: Winter branches, December 2010, photoshopped (neon glow) (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Alles einfach sofort: service in medizinbibliotheken: jahrestagung der arbeitsgemeinschaft für medizinisches bibliothekswesen (agmb) e.v. vom 27. bis 29.9.2010 in mainz

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:00:48 +0100

Eike HENTSCHEL und Anja KAISER: alles – einfach – sofort: Service in Medizinbibliotheken: Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Medizinisches Bibliothekswesen (AGMB) e.V. vom 27. bis 29.9.2010 in Mainz Zusammenfassung: Vom 27.29.9.2010 fand an der Universität Mainz die Jahrestagung der Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Medizinisches Bibliothekswesen (AGMB e.V.) statt. Auf der zentralen Fortbildungsveranstaltung für das medizinische Bibliothekswesen in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz konnten sich die Teilnehmer unter anderem über folgende Themen informieren: Zunehmende Digitalisierung der wissenschaftlichen Kommunikation und deren Auswirkungen, innovative Services in Hybridbibliotheken (Virtuelle Lehrbuchsammlung und E-Books On-Demand), Ausbildung (Weiterbildungs-Masterstudiengang Informations- und Wissensmanagement in Hannover), Neubau der Fachbibliothek Medizin O.A.S.E. an der Universität Düsseldorf, Qualitätsmanagement nach ISO 9001, subito (neue Dienste auf der Basis von § 52a+b UrhG), Zukunft der Nationallizenzen und Allianz-Initiative der deutschen Wissenschaftsorganisationen, Informationskompetenz am Beispiel von Blended-Learning, Public Relation sowie neue Kommunikations- und Servicestrategien, Zukunftskonzepte für Medizinbibliotheken, Dienstleistungen der Bibliothek an einem Forschungsinstitut in Großbritannien, Literaturverwaltung, Web 2.0 und andere Emerging Technologies, BibNet.org, Cochrane Library, MedPilot, PubMed. In einer begleitenden Firmenausstellung präsentierten alle für medizinische Bibliotheken wichtigen Verlage und Dienstleister neue Produkte und Services. Schlüsselwörter: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Medizinisches Bibliothekswesen (AGMB e.V.), Jahrestagung 2010 in Mainz, Fortbildung Eike HENTSCHEL & Anja KAISER: all simply immediately: service in medical libraries: Annual Meeting 2010 of Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Medizinisches Bibliothekswesen (AGMB e.V. ...

12 ways libraries are good for the country

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org By Leonard Kniffel A gift from American Libraries magazine of one dozen ideals toward which libraries strive. 12/21/2010 Americans love their libraries, and advances in technology have multiplied the ways in which libraries enrich the quality of life in their communities. Whether they are in an elementary school or a university, a museum or a corporation, public or private, our nation’s libraries offer a lifetime of learning. To library supporters everywhere—Friends, trustees, board members, patrons, and volunteers—American Libraries magazine offers this gift of 12 ideals toward which librarians strive as they provide comprehensive access to the record of human existence. It will take all of us, in a spirit of pride and freedom, to maintain libraries as a living reality in a free nation through the 21st century. 1. Libraries sustain democracy. Libraries provide access to information and multiple points of view so that people can make knowledgeable decisions on public policy throughout their lives. With their collections, programs, and professional expertise, librarians help their patrons identify accurate and authoritative data and use information resources wisely to stay informed. The public library is the only institution in American society whose purpose is to guard against the tyrannies of ignorance and conformity. 2. Libraries break down boundaries. Libraries of various kinds offer services and programs for people at all literacy levels, readers with little or no English skills, preschoolers, students, homebound senior citizens, prisoners, homeless or impoverished individuals, and persons with physical or learning disabilities. Libraries rid us of fences that obstruct our vision and our ability to communicate and to educate ourselves. 3. Libraries level the playing field. ...

Information literacy in our future careers

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

There is an exhibition with posters from this exercise with my students in Second Life (which I blogged about here), and this video has snippets from the session held on 8th December in which I talked about the activities. If you have a Second Life avatar you can visit it at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/230/35/28/ (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Director of library services (lenoir-rhyne university, north carolina)

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:10:01 +0100

Director of Library Services (Lenoir-Rhyne University, North Carolina) The Carl A. Rudisill Library of Lenoir-Rhyne University seeks applications for its Director of Library Services. The successful candidate must be able to begin appointment on or around June 1, 2011. The appointment is continuing, subject to annual review. The position reports directly to the University Provost and carries faculty status, including privileges associated with Faculty Assembly. Additional information on the library may be viewed at: http://library.lr. ...

Cfp: 3rd qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries international conference (qqml2011)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

CFP: 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011) URL: http://www.isast.org/qqml2011.htmlWe invite you to submit a paper /abstract /poster /workshop to the 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011), 24 - 27 May 2011, Athens Greece . First Call of Proposals QQML2011 Dear Colleagues, It is our great pleasure to announce the 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011) at 24 - 27 May 2011, Athens Greece . Since 2009 QQML has provided an excellent framework for the presentation of new trends and developments in every aspect of Library and Information Science, Technology, Applications and Research. The 3rd QQML2011 was scheduled during the previous 2nd QQML2010 Conference. It was also decided that the 4th QQML 2012 International Conference will be organized in Limerick Ireland . QQML2009 and QQML2010 were successful events both from the number and quality of the presentations and from the post conference publications in Journals and Books. QQML2011 will continue and expand the related topics. Papers are invited for this international conference. ...

Project information literacy's autumn report

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A couple of months ago Project Information Literacy published another report on US students' information behaviour. This included findings from 8,353 respondents from students on 25 campuses in the USA. "Respondents reported taking little at face value and were frequent evaluators of Web and library sources used for course work, and to a lesser extent, of Web content for personal use. Most respondents turned to friends and family when asking for help with evaluating information for personal use and instructors when evaluating information for course research. Respondents reported using a repertoire of research techniques—mostly for writing papers—for completing one research assignment to the next, though few respondents reported using Web 2.0 applications for collaborating on assignments. Even though most respondents considered themselves adept at finding and evaluating information, especially when it was retrieved from the Web, students reported difficulties getting started with research assignments and determining the nature and scope of what was required of them. Overall, the findings suggest students use an information-seeking and research strategy driven by efficiency and predictability for managing and controlling all of the information available to them on college campuses, though conducting comprehensive research and learning something new is important to most, along with passing the course and the grade received."http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_Fall2010_Survey_FullReport1.pdfPhoto by Sheila Webber: Rowan tree, December 2010 (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Incorporating failure into library instruction

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Failure is what’s getting a fair amount of attention right now, especially when the conversation turns to learning. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as a growing consensus, but I’m hearing and reading more about the importance of allowing students to learn through authentic practice, what some call experiential learning, that puts them into situations where they can succeed or fail – and learn by doing so themselves or from the experiences of their fellow students. Educators have known for many years that students have better learning experiences when there is a hands-on component which enables them to learn through their own mistakes and by coming to their own conclusions; what then need is less lecturing and demonstration. Think back to the days when the vast majority of trades were learned through apprenticeships. It was all about having authentic practice, and learning from one’s own mistakes. One good example that promotes the value of failure for learning is a TED Talk by Diana Laufenberg on the topic of “How to Learn? From Mistakes.” In this talk Laufenberg, who is a teacher at a progressive school in Philadelphia, describes how she creates projects that promote constructivism in the classroom. Traditional education, as she describes it, is focused entirely on getting things right – and never being wrong. How do you get an A grade? You always give the right answers on tests. The problem associated with test taking is that it rarely results in real learning (a permanent change in behavior/thinking). I really like the point that the traditional methods are based on a world of information scarcity when you had to sit in a classroom to have an expert pour it into your head. In a world of information abundance, the answers and possibilities are all around contemporary students. They know how to find it. ...

K-8 media specialists (2 positions), methuen public schools

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:10:02 +0100

1.Initiates, develops, and implements procedures for efficient operation and use of the media center. 2. Prepares and administers media budget; evaluates, selects, orders, and catalogs all media center resources. 3.Develops, administers, and maintains a balanced collection in accordance with the district's materials selection policy. 4.Provides literature appreciation, reference, and readers' advisory services to a diverse student population; serves as an information resource to staff and as a link to resources outside the media center. 5.Trains and supervises adult and student volunteers. 6.Works cooperatively with teachers to plan and implement lessons and projects that make use of media center resources; collaboratively plans instructional units incorporating content-area and information literacy skill objectives. 7.Develops and deliver lesson plans for teaching information literacy skills, the information search process, and literature appreciation. 8.Participates in curriculum development and implementation through service on building and district committees; demonstrates knowledge of the Massachusetts State Frameworks. (Source: MBLC Job Listings)

Research/information literacy librarian (washington college, maryland)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:05:02 +0100

Research/Information Literacy Librarian (Washington College, Maryland) Washington College invites applications for the position of Research and Information Literacy Librarian. The College seeks an enthusiastic and motivated librarian who can provide leadership in research and information literacy instruction. The successful candidate must be experienced in providing research services at the academic level, information literacy instruction and design, assessment in student learning, demonstrated ability in creating web-based instructional tools, and have earned a Masters degree from an ALA accredited program. For more information, please go to: http://hr.washcoll.edu/ (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings)

Head of public services

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:30:02 +0100

State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an experienced, innovative, and energetic leader to work closely with librarians, library staff, faculty, students, administrators, and the community to continue to develop the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities Reporting to the Dean of Helmke Library, the Head of Public Services provides leadership in managing library services and programs to support teaching, learning and research at IPFW. Specific responsibilities include: • Coordinating and supervising the Information and Instruction Services unit within a team environment • Coordinating between other public access service units such as the Service Desk and Document Delivery Services • Promoting collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons partners in developing, implementing and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW • Expanding partnerships with faculty to integrate and assess information literacy competencies across the curriculum • Empowering staff, encouraging innovation, and embracing new technologies that enhance instruction, learning, and research • Engaging the university community with digital scholarship and scholarly communication issues • Developing strategic directions for the library’s Information and Instruction Services unit Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master's degree in library or information science is required. An additional graduate degree is preferred. ...

Information and instruction services librarian

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:30:02 +0100

State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Walter E. Helmke Library (http://www.lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an energetic, knowledgeable, and collaborative individual to work independently and in a team environment to provide high-quality, innovative, and effective information and instructional services and programs to a diverse university community. Librarian will provide liaison services to the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Public and Environmental Affairs, and Labor Studies. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities: Successful candidate will contribute substantially to the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. As part of the IPFW Learning Commons team, will promote collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons’ partners in developing, implementing, and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW. Within liaison-area assignments, is responsible for providing research-consulting services; developing innovative information services and programs; teaching and assessing information literacy competencies in partnership with faculty; developing outreach activities for students and faculty; evaluating, selecting, and using printed and electronic resources; and contributing to IPFW's digital initiatives. Other duties may be assigned. Qualifications: An A.L.A.-accredited master's degree in library or information science is required. Preference given to candidates with experience in academic library settings, especially liaison-area assignments. ...

New library world current issue

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

New Library World journal has published the 11/12th issue of its 111 Volume. The following papers appeared in this issue.Public libraries as impartial spaces in a consumer society: possible, plausible, desirable?Social networking in academic libraries: the possibilities and the concerns,Library design, learning spaces and academic literacy,Implementation of the Finnish University Libraries National Information Literacy Recommendation into academic studies at the Kumpula Science Library, University of Helsinki,Customizing an open-source tool to enhance information literacy,Reference tools in Second Life: implications for real life libraries,Project management in the library. (Source: The Invisible Web Weblog)

Best practices for credit-bearing information literacy courses

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

A new book is:Hollister, C.V (Ed) (2011) Best Practices for Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses. ACRL. ISBN: 978-0-8389-8558-8. $48.00 "the work is a collection of previously unpublished papers in which contributing authors describe and recommend best practices for creating, developing and teaching credit-bearing information literacy (IL) courses at the college and university level." There is a USA focus. More information at http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3222Photo by Sheila Webber: ice: a way of diagnosing leaks (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Reference service and instruction librarian (university of guam library, guam)

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:05:02 +0100

Reference Service and Instruction Librarian (University of Guam Library, Guam) The University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Library in Mangilao, Guam USA seeks a dynamic and enthusiastic reference librarian who will provide information services to students, faculty and staff; provide leadership in developing next generation reference services, including assessment of current practices, policies and procedures, and the creative use of appropriate technology; take a leadership role in working with faculty in the development of curriculum for information literacy, including face-to-face and online formats; be responsible for reference services, bibliographic instruction, management and collection development of reference resources and library display coordination. ...

First-year engagement librarian/lecturer (university of north carolina wilmington, north carolina)

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:05:02 +0100

First-Year Engagement Librarian/Lecturer (University of North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina) University of North Carolina Wilmington, Randall Library is accepting applications for a First-Year Engagement Librarian/Lecturer. This librarian will coordinate the design, development, delivery and assessment of a full complement of instructional services for this population. First-year students are primarily freshmen, but also include transfer students, early college students, and other students in transition to the university setting. Special attention is given to preparing students to meet the beginning level information literacy requirements of the UNCW University Studies curriculum to be implemented by fall 2012. ...

Education: affordable training – and the professional development award

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:40:27 +0100

The American Library Association is offering several e-Courses, including Time Management, Innovation in the Workplace, Customer Service, Project Management and Communicating with Power. Check them out at: http://link.ixs1.net/s/ve?eli=v1168020&si=i191468986&cfc=3html The NN/LM MCR still encourages applicants for the Professional Development award and will be awarding approximately 25 Professional Development subsidies (up to $1,500 each) to support health science or hospital librarians who wish to attend a conference, or take a training or workshop of their choice by the end of April 2011. Priority will be given to professional development in the areas of emergency preparedness, personal and electronic health records, health information literacy, or library advocacy, and would include online training opportunities. Applicants are encouraged to think about areas of interest so that learned information can be shared with MCR members. For more information and application information see: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/funding/ (mm) (Source: Midcontinental Region News)

All types of libraries invited to join “money smart week @ your library” national initiative

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:00:49 +0100

Posted by Robert J. Lackie American Library Association logo The American Library Association (ALA) has announced in October 2010 a partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to make “Money Smart Week @ Your Library” a national initiative from April 2-9, 2011, and things are beginning to heat up now in late December—at least for this national initiative! Money Smart Week logo Celebrating its 10th year in 2011, Money Smart Week’s mission is to promote personal financial literacy (Note: Money Smart Week is a registered service mark of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago). Throughout the 10-year history of Money Smart Week, libraries have been instrumental in facilitating and hosting quality Money Smart Week events. For instance, libraries of all types in Illinois (and Chicago), Indiana, Iowa (and Quad cities), Michigan, West Virginia, and Wisconsin participated in Money Smart Week in 2010, partnering with community groups, financial institutions, government agencies, educational organizations, and other financial experts to help consumers learn to better manage their personal finances. ALA and the Federal Reserve hope that even more librarians and their libraries will be participating in the first ever national Money Smart Week this spring, from April 2-9, 2011. Events will take place at member libraries across the country and will and cover topics from learning how to apply for a mortgage to teaching young people about credit. We all, librarians included, can benefit from that! Watch this site ( http://www.chicagofed.org/webpages/education/msw/index.cfm ) for information on joining the initiative, for news, and for important links you can use right now. I will be posting again later this week requesting info from all Library Garden readers on programming ideas, as I am now, as of this month, on the Academic Money Smart Week @ Your Library Committee for ALA. (Source: Library Garden)

Faculty award for il: a nice idea

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The University of Alberta Augustana Campus Library has a Teaching Faculty Award for the Support of Information Literacy since 2005. It is given to an Augustana Campusteaching faculty member who has contributed consistently and notably to the promotion of information literacy, and has been nominated by staff or students.Dr. Roger Epp, Dean of Augustana Faculty and Professor of Political Studies at Augustana, is the winner this year. There is a picture and short video here: http://www.library.ualberta.ca/augustana/infolit/awards/#faculty"Roger has really supported the teaching culture in the Augustana Library and enabled librarians to take a lead on Information Literacy initiatives both in and outside the classroom. He encourages and recognizes the innovation on the part of the librarians" noted Nancy Goebel, Augustana Head Librarian and Chair of the Award Committee.This seems a good idea to encourage non-librarians to take information literacy seriously. They also have a Student Award for Library Research.Photo by Sheila Webber: Snow a couple of weeks ago, Sheffield. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Commensurable nonsense (transliteracy)

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 02:47:30 +0100

It is entirely possible that I’m just dense, but everything I’ve read recently about libraries and “transliteracy” seems like nonsense to me. Here’s how I’ve been thinking about it. Literacy Very briefly, the term literacy1 refers to either: 1. The ability to read and write or 2. Knowledge of, skill in, or competence in an specific area or subject. The former is a very real concern if the university professors and academic librarians I know are to be believed.2 Still, I think we’re mostly concerned with the latter. Sorts of Literacies: My wife and I frequently talk about our aspirations for the cultural literacy of our children. We think that they need to hear stories from Mother Goose, the Brothers Grimm, Aesop’s Fables, and (to the surprise of some who know us) both the Hebrew and Christian bibles. We’re atheists, but we know that stories from the bible(s) are frequently referenced in literature and in life- and that knowledge of these stories will enhance their understanding of the world around them. Plenty of people tell me that they need help with something because they are not computer literate. I don’t know that I much like this term (I think that lack of confidence is a more frequent problem than actual incapability), but the popularity of its use can’t be denied. People know that to be “computer illiterate” is to be unskilled in the use of computers. ...

Embedded librarians

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Thanks to Simon Hart for alerting me to the presentations from the LIANZA conference held in Dunedin, New Zealand, 28 November - 1 December. The proceedings page is http://www.conference.co.nz/lianza10/full_papers_and_powerpointsIn particular Simon highlighted the powerpoint of David Shumaker on Succeeding with embedded librarianship (here is the presentation). David Schumaker has an Embedded Librarian blog at http://embeddedlibrarian.wordpress.comI will also mention the presentation at LIANZA by Jesus Lau on Information Literacy.Photo by Sheila Webber: Winter branches, December 2010 (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Visiting librarian (new college of florida, florida)

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:05:01 +0100

Visiting Librarian (New College of Florida, Florida) The Jane Bancroft Cook Library, a shared service of New College of Florida and the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, is seeking innovative and energetic librarians for two visiting positions. These non-tenure track faculty positions will help to lead Cook Library in the development of 21st-century library services. The incumbents will be motivated, service-oriented individuals with a strong commitment to facilitating the use of technology and library resources in the communities we serve. Visiting Technical Services Librarian Oversees library acquisitions and manages electronic resources. Contributes to the development of the library digital repository. ...

Articles on learning to teach & school children's information seeking & transfer

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Library and Information Research (Volume 34 Number 107, 2010) has two interesting articles.Eveline Houtman: “Trying to figure it out”: Academic librarians talk about learning to teach"This qualitative research study explores, through the experiences of eight academic librarians in Ontario, Canada, how librarians learn to teach in the classroom. It uses narrative inquiry to study and share these experiences, an approach that is in the mainstream of teacher research, although little used in the library and information literature. Areas explored include the librarians‟ expectations of librarianship; what they learned at library school; teaching as learning; support from colleagues; continuing education; teacher identity; talking about teaching." http://www.lirg.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/246/303James Edward Herring: School students, information retrieval and transfer."This study sought to examine the views of students, teachers and teacher librarians on students’ attitudes to, use of, and reflections on, information retrieval, when completing curricular assignments. A second element of the research was to investigate the views of students, teachers and teacher librarians on the extent to which students might transfer information retrieval skills across time and across subjects. The research was carried out in three rural Australian schools. ... Findings from the study indicated that a minority of students both valued and would transfer information retrieval skills; the majority of students valued information retrieval skills but were unlikely to transfer skills without prompting; and a very small minority of students could not understand the concepts of information retrieval and transfer. The study also found that the schools lacked a culture of transfer."http://www.lirg.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/242/301Photo by Sheila Webber: a snowman from last week (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Science liaison librarian (columbus state university, georgia)

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 03:05:02 +0100

Science Liaison Librarian (Columbus State University, Georgia) Columbus State University Libraries invites well qualified candidates with energy, initiative, and vision to apply for the position of Science Liaison Librarian. ...

Happy birthday you tube!

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:50:17 +0100

You Tube was 5 years old on 15th December. In May this year (2010) it was receiving approximately 2 billion hits a day! Currently the site has over 5,100 videos about school libraries world wide, 3,800 about many aspects of information literacy and another 5,100 about children reading.It may be worth browsing some of them to update yourself on what is available and to see whether they could be useful for library sessions or to use as advocacy tools with senior management. How about adding a video of your work in your school library to raise its profile and disseminate some more good practice? Do let us know if you do. (Source: SLA Weblog)

Librarian "teachmeet"

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

There is a free Librarian TeachMeet at the University of Huddersfield, UK, 14.00 -16.30 on 9 February 2011. "This will be a really informal opportunity for librarians who teach to get together to share tips and experiences. If you come, be prepared to give a short (5 min at most) talk to share an aspect of your teaching. There will be "speed dating" to share tips and a lucky dip of teaching goodies to rummage through for inspiration." Go to http://hudteachmeet.blogspot.com/ or http://bit.ly/eN32GF for more information and email library.learn@hud.ac.uk if you want to attend.Photo by Sheila Webber (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Cfp: the importance of information literacy for multicultural populations

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

There is a call for papers for a session at the World Library and Information Congress: 77th IFLA General Conference and Assembly, which takes place 13-18 August 2011, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The topic is The Importance of Information Literacy for Multicultural Populations: Needs, Strategies, Programs, and the Role of Libraries. The session is organised by the Library Services to Multicultural Populations Section, the Information Literacy Section and the SIG on Indigenous Matters.Subjects for this three hour session include: How do we identify the needs of multicultural population in the field of the information literacy? How can librarians, through information literacy programs, help develop understanding and tolerance for cultural diversity? How have you overcome obstacles to introducing information literacy strategies among cultural diverse societies? What are the benefits of offering information literacy programs to diverse populations and which strategies have worked best in your library? What unique or interesting ways have libraries reached out to diverse communities to provide information literacy?Proposals should include an abstract of paper (approximately 500 words) and a summary of the author(s)' details (name, institution, position) and brief biographical statement of no more than 50 words.Submit proposals electronically to ifla2011.il.multiculturality@gmail.com by 25 January 2011 and put “IFLA proposal” in the subject line. For more information, please contact Stephen Stratton (stephen.stratton@csuci.edu) or Zuza Wiorogórska (z.d.wiorogorska@uw.edu.pl)Photo by Sheila Webber: Helicopter, light and branches, December 2010 (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

From common craft: project based learning

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 14:44:00 +0100

The Common Craft blog presented a new video yesterday, Project Based Learning - Explained: A Custom Video Project with BIE. It is a great resource for understanding what PBL is and what it can do for students in any classroom. The online education technology course I work with is project based and focuses upon 21st Century Skills for students as pre-service teachers. This is something that could be incorporated with information literacy instruction, especially when paired with active learning. (Source: Library Cloud)

Cilip trustee biography

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:29:23 +0100

Jill Lambert (to serve until 31 December 2011) Postnominals: BSc MA FCLIP Email: Jill.Lambert@cilip.org.uk Biography Jill Lambert began her career as a weekend assistant at Ilkeston Public Library in Derbyshire. After a science degree at Bristol University, she worked for the Paint Research Association, subsequently taking a post graduate diploma in librarianship at Liverpool John Moores University.Her first professional post was with the University of Westminster, followed by the appointment as Science and Technology Librarian at Northumbria University. During a career break for two children, Jill studied for an MA in Librarianship. For several years, she was a visiting lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies at Birmingham City University. On returning to academic libraries, she worked at Birmingham City and Staffordshire Universities, before moving to Aston University. In the Library & Information Services (LIS) at Aston she was responsible for public services and academic liaison for life science and engineering for 10 years until retiring as Assistant Director in autumn 2007. She is a Fellow and Life Member of CILIP. Her interests centre around 3 areas: • Developing and managing services to users. This has included implementing an access control system, improving services for users with additional needs, and introducing “walk-in” access for visitors. She was instrumental in achieving Charter Mark, a government award for customer excellence, for LIS at Aston University in 2007. • Incorporating IT developments into practice. She was involved in the early development of CD-Rom, beta testing databases for OCLC Europe, later publishing a review on the management of CDs in academic libraries. In 2001 she initiated the first e-book service at Aston University, also greatly expanding the provision of e-journals. • Scientific, technical and medical information. ...

Cilip trustee biography

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:19:08 +0100

John Crawford (to serve until 31 December 2012) Postnominals: BA MA PhD FCLIP FRSA Email: John.Crawford@cilip.org.uk BiographyJohn Crawford has worked in public, school and academic libraries. He was formerly the director of the Scottish Information Literacy Project. He became interested in information literacy in 2002 and it has been his main focus of activity since then. He served on the Concil of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) from 2002 to 2007 and during this time served as chair of its Professional Practice Committee and was a member of its Executive Board. He also serves on the CILIP Disciplinary Committee. He is former chair of the Library and Information History Group, is still a committee member and has a strong interest in membership activism. He has written extensively in professional and academic journals and has authored two books. He serves on the editorial board of two scholarly journals and regularly referees journal submissions to a number of refereed journals. Read John Crawford's 2010 Candidate Election Manifesto. (Source: CILIP – Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals)

Cilip trustee biography

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:45:57 +0100

Katy Wrathall (to serve until 31 December 2013) Postnominals: BA (Hons) Email: Katy.Wrathall@cilip.org.uk Biography Prior to entering the library and information profession Katy had over 15 years experience in the IT industry, working in local and central government and as a consultant. She progressed from programmer to Project Manager. Latterly she led mixed economy teams of civil servants, consultants and private sector staff delivering IT systems for DSS. This gave her a lasting interest in management issues. Katy then went to Manchester Metropolitan University, undertaking the BA (Hons) Library and Information Management degree. After graduation she worked in the Lancashire County Schools Library service as temporary Project Loans Team Leader. The opportunity arose to return to Manchester Metropolitan for one semester as a lecturer on Information Users and Providers. This renewed Katy’s interest in LIS education and the changes in the profession brought about by advances in technology. Katy then moved to Herefordshire College of Technology where she remained for several years, becoming Learning Resources Centres Manager. She became increasingly involved in information literacy teaching for students at all levels . She believes everybody needs these skills as information is more easily available in a wider range of media than ever before and that librarians and information professionals are ideally skilled and trained to deliver training in, and development of, these skills. Katy was Project Manager for the Study Methods and Information Literacy Exemplars blended learning project at University of Worcester, part of the JISC RePRODUCE programme. She is currently completing a consultancy with Glasgow Caledonian University on SMILE. She believes there is a growing need for advocacy and a strong unifying presence on behalf of a varied and diverse profession and wants that to be CILIP. For that reason she decided to stand for Council. ...

Teaching lis students to teach: an “unconference” session at ala conference

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I think this is only of use to people going to the American Library Association conference (January 7-11 2011). Teaching LIS Students to Teach: An “Unconference” Session is on 7 January 2011 in San Diego, USA. It is a session aimed at people (like me) who leach library and information students how to teach information literacy. It is facilitated by James Elmborg, Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Megan Oakleaf, and Melissa Wong.I have been teaching the Education for Information Literacy module for the first time this semester here in Sheffield (and we do cover teaching aspects in a coupleof other modules, notably Educational Informatics), but I won't be able to get to San Diego, unfortunately...Photo by Sheila Webber: Canwatch is over (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Exploring information literacy on infolit ischool

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

In this 5 minute video (produced a few days ago) I introduce some of the places on Infolit iSchool (in Second Life, a trademark of Linden Lab) where you can learn more about what information literacy means to you and to others. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Librarian 3 (assistant director for research services) (southern methodist university, texas)

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:05:01 +0100

Librarian 3 (Assistant Director for Research Services) (Southern Methodist University, Texas) www.smu.jobs Job ID# 1501 Central University Libraries/ Scholarly Resources & Research Services Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Fondren Library Center at Southern Methodist University seeks a strong, creative and energetic leader to serve as Assistant Director for Research Services. The Assistant Director will provide leadership and expertise in developing programs for effective and innovative delivery of reference services and instruction. The position directly supervises six professional subject specialists who provide collection development, reference and instructional services for academic departments, as well as one support staff. ...

Thinking out loud: a service for topic exploration and presearching

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:34:37 +0100

I just finished reading the Project Information Literacy Report called “T R U T H B E T O L D: How College Students Evaluate and Use Information in the Digital Age” (pdf link). In reading reports such as this, I try to reflect upon the information presented and how we might use the findings at my library. While I pulled a lot of quotes and statistics out of the article in my note taking, the main point that I took away from the article was that nearly two-thirds of all the students surveyed said the hardest part of doing research was selecting an adequate topic to research. The article notes that students felt like they had plenty of topics to choose from, but many were unsure that the topic would meet the professor’s standards for the class assignment. As the article states: for many students we interviewed, course-related research was difficult because it was more akin to gambling than completing college-level work. Yes, gambling. The beginning of research is when the first bets were placed. Choosing a topic is fraught with risk for many students. As one student acknowledged in interviews: either a topic worked well or it failed when it was too late to change it. Add in the constraints of timing, grades, and too much available information to scour—and the difficulties with beginning research are put into high relief. The odds of “winning” this bet are significantly compromised when these factors come into play. Another troubling statistic, from a librarian’s perspective, is that “Students relied on librarians infrequently, if ever, whether they were conducting research for course work or for personal use. Moreover, students in this yearʼs sample reported using librarians less often than they reported in the 2009 survey results. ...

Systems librarian

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: New York Job Title: Systems Librarian Staff: Full-time Faculty: Non Tenure Track Division/School: School of Arts & Sciences Department: Library Lavery Library at St. John Fisher College invites applications for the position of Systems Librarian. The Systems Librarian provides leadership in library technology as part of a team providing reference, instruction and liaison services to the campus community. It is a 12 month, full-time position with some evening and weekend hours required. Job Responsibilities: Systems Responsibilities: coordinates the development, implementation and management of the library's technology. Reference, Instruction and Liaison Responsibilities: Teaches Information Literacy to students and faculty in liaison areas, learning communities and other programs as needed. Participates in reference desk services to the Lavery community including evening and weekend rotations. Participates in collection development. Participates in professional development activities. Serves on library, campus, and professional committees. Ability to act as a bridge between departments with different styles and goals. ...

Reference & instruction librarian (two positions)

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: Washington (State) For online notice of vacancy, see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/about/employment/ NOTICE OF VACANCY December 1, 2010 TITLE: Reference & Instruction Librarian LOCATION: University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College Campus Library TWO positions available The University of Washington Libraries seeks two creative and energetic librarians to participate in a collaborative team at the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College Campus Library. The successful candidates will be committed to providing a range of services at a growing institution, including, but not limited to, instruction and reference services. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Under the general direction of the Head of Reference Services, and in consultation with the Head of Instruction Services, provides reference service and information literacy instruction to the students, faculty and staff of Cascadia Community College and the University of Washington Bothell. These individuals will partner with colleagues within the Library and the campus to integrate information literacy learning objectives into the curricula of both institutions. The successful candidates will join a team of librarians, faculty and academic support staff committed to innovation in teaching and learning. The Reference & Instruction Librarian will serve as a liaison to undergraduate and graduate faculty and students in subject areas within the humanities, social sciences, and/or sciences, to be determined based on experience and current needs of the unit. General responsibilities include cultivating and sustaining collaborative relationships with faculty, students and staff in support of campus teaching and learning. Given the sustained growth and interdisciplinary nature of the curricula at both institutions, this requires active and ongoing collaboration among librarians across all subjects and levels. ...

Electronic resources librarian

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: California Title: Electronic Resources Librarian Department: University Library Class: Full-Time Position Type: Exempt Staff Salary: Commensurate with experience. Upon eligibility, employees may participate in the benefits plans available to employees, such as medical/dental/vision coverage, 403(b) retirement plan, tuition remission, paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation. Post-Date: 2010-12-06 Deadline: Open until filled. BASIC FUNCTION AND SCOPE OF JOB As a member of the University Library Team, this librarian will: ● Coordinate the selection and acquisition of electronic resources; assist in negotiating cost/funding issues with library selectors and external partners; manage database trials. ● Configure and maintain all library technologies that support e-resource management. ● Solicit, maintain, and disseminate usage statistics for all licensed online resources. ● Track developments of new and changing online services and resources. ● Provide reference and instruction to University students, faculty, staff, corporate members and alumni onsite and those affiliated with the University via Cybercampus. ● Work with other library staff and faculty to evaluate, select, and deselect materials in all media. ● Participate in library planning, assessment, and evaluation. ● Collaborate with other staff in peer training and staff development. ● Serve as the library's subject specialist and liaison for assigned disciplines (to be determined based on candidate's experience and organizational needs) and maintain effective communication with faculty in liaison areas. Schedule includes evening reference shifts, and one or more weekend days per month. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS This librarian oversees all University Library electronic resources. ...

Reference & instruction librarian / online learning coordinator

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: Washington (State) For online notice of vacancy, see: http://www.lib.washington.edu/about/employment/ NOTICE OF VACANCY December 1, 2010 TITLE: Reference & Instruction Librarian / Online Learning Coordinator LOCATION: University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College Campus Library The University of Washington Libraries seeks a creative and energetic librarian to participate in a collaborative team at the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia Community College Campus Library. The successful candidate will be committed to providing a range of services at a growing institution, including, but not limited to, instruction and reference services, in person and online. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Under the general direction of the Head of Reference Services, and in consultation with the Head of Instruction Services, provides reference services and information literacy instruction to the students, faculty and staff of Cascadia Community College and the University of Washington Bothell. The Reference & Instruction Librarian / Online Learning Coordinator will partner with colleagues within the Library and the campus to integrate information literacy learning objectives and instruction into the curricula of both institutions. The successful candidate will join a team of librarians, faculty, and academic support staff committed to innovation in teaching and learning. Coordinator responsibilities include contributing to the development of online learning services, tools, and pedagogies in support of an integrated information literacy program serving students both on campus and online through hybrid and distance programs; assessing, implementing and promoting learning technologies, including course management systems, tutorial software, and emerging technologies; communicating best practices in online and hybrid pedagogy and providing ongoing training and support to a team of instruction librarians. ...

Urban and public affairs librarian

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: Oregon Position Number: D98796 Job Title: Urban & Public Affairs Librarian Department: Library FTE: 1.0 benefits eligible Job Type: Tenure Track Posted Date: 12-3-10 Position Summary The Urban & Public Affairs Librarian provides reference and information services for the University’s students and faculty as well as members of the general public, participates in a dynamic instructional program, consults and collaborates with scholars in specific academic units, including classroom and online instruction, and possibly for-credit courses, and selects information resources to support the instructional and research needs of a diverse institution. Some evening and weekend reference duty and/or instruction is required. Portland State faculty members contribute to faculty governance activities within the Library and the University, engage in community and professional service, and pursue an active publication and research agenda, seeking grants as appropriate. This full-time, 12-month, tenure-track faculty position reports to the Assistant University Librarian for Public Services. Specific Responsibilities Provide reference and information services for the University’s students and faculty as well as members of the general public through work at the reference desk and through various information and communications technologies. Includes work during some evening and weekend hours. Participate in the Library’s information literacy and general instruction program. Supports the instructional and research needs of Portland State’s innovative College of Urban and Public Affairs, including the departments of Administration of Justice, Political Science, Public Administration, Community Health, and Urban Studies & Planning. Select books, serials, databases, and other information resources and collaborates with these departments in assessing information needs and cultivating bridges for service and teaching. ...

Digital services librarian

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: Pennsylvania Digital Services Librarian (Dickinson College Library, Pennsylvania) Dickinson College Library is seeking an innovative, enthusiastic, and service-driven librarian to join us in shaping services and collections for 21st century learners, educators, and scholars. Our merged division of Library and Information Services encourages and rewards creative approaches to traditional services, the development of innovative programs, and the application of technology to enhance the research and learning experiences of our users. Active engagement in the library and information science profession as a whole is encouraged and supported. The Digital Services Librarian will lead the Library in identifying and incorporating innovative uses of technology in all areas of library services. The ideal candidate is a librarian with 3-5 years of relevant experience who is equally comfortable with both traditional academic library services and with new and emerging technologies for libraries and higher education. We are seeking someone who enjoys experimenting with technology and who can envision and articulate innovative uses of technology in an academic library setting. The ideal candidate will possess the enthusiasm for exploring new products and processes in a rapidly changing environment; the ability to implement them; the analytical skills to critically assess their effectiveness; and the flexibility to adapt them as needed. Of necessity, this role requires someone who is a strong collaborator and who is able to communicate effectively with librarians, IT professionals, faculty, students, and staff. The ideal candidate will be proactive in recommending improvements in library services and resource delivery, and be effective in leading project teams. A well-established liaison librarian program underpins our strong information literacy and collection development initiatives. ...

Information and instruction services librarian

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 11:00:02 +0100

State: Indiana Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Walter E. Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an energetic, knowledgeable, and collaborative individual to work independently and in a team environment to provide high-quality, innovative, and effective information and instructional services and programs to a diverse university community. Librarian will provide liaison services to the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Public and Environmental Affairs, and Labor Studies. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. Responsibilities: Successful candidate will contribute substantially to the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. As part of the IPFW Learning Commons team, will promote collaboration and effective working relationships with IPFW Learning Commons’ partners in developing, implementing, and assessing an integrated approach to student academic success at IPFW. Within liaison-area assignments, is responsible for providing research-consulting services; developing innovative information services and programs; teaching and assessing information literacy competencies in partnership with faculty; developing outreach activities for students and faculty; evaluating, selecting, and using printed and electronic resources; and contributing to IPFW's digital initiatives. Other duties may be assigned. Qualifications: An ALA-accredited master's degree in library or information science is required. Preference given to candidates with experience in academic library settings, especially liaison-area assignments. ...

Cfp: 3rd qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries international conference (qqml2011)

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

CFP: 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011)We invite you to submit a paper /abstract /poster /workshop to the 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011), 24 - 27 May 2011, Athens Greece. First Call of Proposals QQML2011Dear Colleagues, It is our great pleasure to announce the 3rd Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2011) at 24 - 27 May 2011, Athens Greece. Since 2009 QQML has provided an excellent framework for the presentation of new trends and developments in every aspect of Library and Information Science, Technology, Applications and Research. The 3rd QQML2011 was scheduled during the previous 2nd QQML2010 Conference. It was also decided that the 4th QQML 2012 International Conference will be organized in Limerick Ireland. QQML2009 and QQML2010 were successful events both from the number and quality of the presentations and from the post conference publications in Journals and Books. QQML2011 will continue and expand the related topics.Papers are invited for this international conference. ...

50 library/information blogs

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I was contacted by someone from the Master of Library Science blog to say that I had been included in a list of 50 excellent library science blogs. A quick scan showed that their blog is essentially a promotional tool to publicise some online masters degrees, mainly in the IT/Education field. Still, it is quite a nice list of blogs, so I will go ahead and publicise it ;-) (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Part-time assistant librarian, north shore community college, lynn campus

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:05:01 +0100

The part-time Assistant Librarian provides individual reference services to students, faculty and staff; information literacy instruction for classes, as needed; circulation back-up; and other related tasks. The successful candidate will supervise the library and one support staff member two evenings a week, Wednesday and Thursday, from 4-8:30 PM, during Fall and Spring semesters, and will be responsible for closing on those evenings. Starting date is January 24. (Source: MBLC Job Listings)

Librarian - educational support faculty (pima community college district, arizona)

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:00:02 +0100

Librarian - Educational Support Faculty (Pima Community College District, Arizona) Closing Date/Time: Wed. 01/19/11 11:59 PM Mountain Time Pima Community College Education Support Faculty Librarians support students, employees, and the general public on topics such as: searching for and retrieving information from a variety of sources, conducting and documenting academic research, and teaching information literacy and research skills. Librarians are expected to provide services during College operating hours: days, evenings, and weekends. SALARY: Initial salary placement is based on education and experience. ...

Urban & public affairs librarian (portland state university, oregon)

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 08:00:02 +0100

Urban & Public Affairs Librarian (Portland State University, Oregon) Position Summary The Urban & Public Affairs Librarian provides reference and information services for the University’s students and faculty as well as members of the general public, participates in a dynamic instructional program, consults and collaborates with scholars in specific academic units, including classroom and online instruction, and possibly for-credit courses, and selects information resources to support the instructional and research needs of a diverse institution. Some evening and weekend reference duty and/or instruction is required. ...

Nordic journal of information literacy in higher education

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The latest issue of the Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education (volume 2 no. 1, 2010) is a special issue containing informative abstracts of papers (in Norwegian) from the conference held in Stavanger 2010, focusing on IL in higher education. It can be accessed at https://noril.uib.no/index.php/norilRune Brandshaug, Hege Faber, Almuth Gastinger, Tove Knutsen : Fagreferentenes rolle under nye rammebetingelser Pål Magnus Lykkja: Samarbeids- og innovasjonskultur i fagbiblioteketTove Rullestad, Anne Sissel Vedvik Tonning: Fagreferentens rolleMariann Løkse: Undervisning i informasjonskompetanse: Hva gjør vi og hva synes studentene? Eystein Gullbekk, Maria-Carme Torras: Det nasjonale kvalifikasjonsrammeverket: muligheter og utfordringer for bibliotekets undervisningSusanne Mikki : Bibliometri og forskningsstatistikk ved Universitetsbiblioteket i Bergen Jan Engh: Elektronisk sikring? Hege Faber, Solveig I. Taylor: Er søking i google nok?Ellen Nierenberg: En liten høyskole som tenker stort: tiltak mot fusk og plagiat ved Høgskolen i Hedmark Sigrid Gimse: Business information literacy: informasjonskompetanse ved Handelshøyskolen BI Alexandra Angeletaki: Which educational role can Libraries play in a University learning environment? Tone Gadmar: Å lære å kommunisere vitenskap: et innblikk i et masterkurs ved kjemi ved universitetet i Oslo. Utfordringer og erfaringerHege Folkestad: Modulbaserte kurs for PhD-studentar ved Matematisk-naturvitskapleg fakultet, UiBSolveig Greve: Hva med de gjenstridige dokumentene? Fagreferentrollen i spesialsamlingerIngunn Rødland: Fagreferenten – arbeidsoppgaver og forventninger Photo by Sheila Webber: Sheffield University under the snow 10 days ago. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Promoting information literacy for end users

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The TFPL course Promoting Information Literacy for end users is run by Elisabeth Goodmanon 10th March 2011 in London, UK (£350) http://www.tfpl.com/training/courses/coursedesc.cfm?ID=TR1531&cid=lim (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Uk information literacy practitioner of the year 2011

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The Librarians' Information Literacy Annual Conference (LILAC) has announced that the call for nominations for the Information Literacy Practitioner of the Year 2011 award (offered by the CILIP CSG Information Literacy Group) is now open. They welcome nominations from individuals in all sectors. Individuals may self-nominate or may be nominated by a colleague. The award is open to all IL practitioners working within the United Kingdom. The closing date is 28th February 2011. For full information on the nomination process see: http://lilacconference.com/WP/awards/Photo by Sheila Webber: University of Sheffield, last week (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Cfp: "information literacy instruction for science & health care students" - indiana libraries

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

CFP: "Information Literacy Instruction for Science & Health Care Students" - Indiana LibrariesYou are invited to contribute articles for an issue of Indiana Libraries with the theme “Information Literacy Instruction for Science & Health Care Students”.Description: The Fall 2011 issue of Indiana Libraries will feature articles about successful and innovative information literacy instruction to students of all branches of science or health care. Articles will be edited and will not be peer reviewed. Indiana Libraries is an open access journal and is indexed in Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts and Library Literature & Information Science Index.Timeline: The journal issue will be published in the fall of 2011. Draft articles will be accepted until May 1, 2011. General information about Indiana Libraries and instructions to authors can be found athttp://www.ilfonline.org/resources/publications/. Questions or proposals may be directed to the issue editor.Editor contact informationMaribeth SlebodnikBiomedical Sciences Information Specialist &Assistant Professor of Library ScienceLife Sciences Library, Lilly Hall L-32Purdue University LibrariesPhone: 765.494.2917slebodnik@purdue.edu (Source: A Library Writer's Blog)

Digital services librarian (dickinson college library, pennsylvania)

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 03:30:02 +0100

Digital Services Librarian (Dickinson College Library, Pennsylvania) Dickinson College Library is seeking an innovative, enthusiastic, and service-driven librarian to join us in shaping services and collections for 21st century learners, educators, and scholars. Our merged division of Library and Information Services encourages and rewards creative approaches to traditional services, the development of innovative programs, and the application of technology to enhance the research and learning experiences of our users. Active engagement in the library and information science profession as a whole is encouraged and supported. ...

Awards and education: professional development award

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:30:05 +0100

Thinking about what you want to learn in the new year? Need some funding to attend a class or conference? The NN/LM MCR still encourages applicants for the Professional Development award and will be awarding approximately 25 Professional Development subsidies (up to $1,500 each) to support health science or hospital librarians who wish to attend a conference, or take a training or workshop of their choice by the end of April 2011. Priority will be given to professional development in the areas of emergency preparedness, personal and electronic health records, health information literacy, or library advocacy, and would include online training opportunities. Applicants are encouraged to think about arenas so that learned information can be shared with MCR members. For more information and application information see: http://nnlm.gov/mcr/funding/ (mm) (Source: Midcontinental Region News)

Three librarian positions (southwest baptist university, missouri)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:02 +0100

Three Librarian Positions (Southwest Baptist University, Missouri) Electronic/Media Services Librarian – College Liaison Information Literacy Librarian – College Liaison Reference Services Librarian/University Archivist – College Liaison Each position is a twelve-month, tenure-track position with an eligible rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor. Rank and salary are dependent upon qualifications. Each position is available June 1, 2011. Responsibilities Each position will have three major responsibilities – functional services, liaison services, and reference services. ...

Information and instruction services librarian (indiana university-purdue university fort wayne, indiana)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:02 +0100

Information and Instruction Services Librarian (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana) Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Walter E. Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an energetic, knowledgeable, and collaborative individual to work independently and in a team environment to provide high-quality, innovative, and effective information and instructional services and programs to a diverse university community. Librarian will provide liaison services to the Richard T. Doermer School of Business, Public and Environmental Affairs, and Labor Studies. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. ...

Head of public services (indiana university-purdue university fort wayne, indiana)

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 14:30:02 +0100

Head of Public Services (Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Indiana) Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Helmke Library (http://lib.ipfw.edu) seeks an experienced, innovative, and energetic leader to work closely with librarians, library staff, faculty, students, administrators, and the community to continue to develop the library's initiatives to integrate information literacy programs across the curriculum, provide expert information and research services, expand digital initiatives, build physical and electronic collections, and conceptualize the future of academic library public services within a rapidly changing information landscape. Interviews will be conducted for a 12-month, tenure-track position to begin July 1, 2011. ...

Webinar gratuito sulla lettura in epoca digitale

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:42:36 +0100

Grazie a Elena per averci segnalato questo evento di formazione interessante e gratuito (previa registrazione) per chi sa un po’ di americano. Si tratta di Children’s reading trends in digital age ovvero un webinar della durata di un’ora nel corso del quale si parlerà di: - The impact of digital trends on how much children [...] (Source: biblioragazzi)

Blakeman and bradley on search, at online 2010

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I always recommend Karen Blakeman's and Phil Bradley's websites etc. as they are expert information people who keep up-to-date and share valuable advice and news. They were both speaking at the Online 2010 conference in London last week and have presentations on Slideshare:Phil Bradley: Presentation with audio commentary on social media search at http://www.slideshare.net/Philbradley/onlinemasterclass-finalKaren Blakeman has two presentations (slides only, but packed with information):Google’s New Search Features: has it gone too far? http://www.slideshare.net/KarenBlakeman/googles-new-search-features-has-it-gone-too-far and The challenges of finding quality business information in a rapidly changing world http://www.slideshare.net/KarenBlakeman/the-challenges-of-finding-quality-business-information-in-a-rapidly-changing-worldPhoto by Sheila Webber: Playing in the snow last week (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Journal of information literacy - vol 4, no 2 (2010)

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:13:50 +0100

The Journal of Information Literacy is an international, peer- reviewed journal that aims to investigate information literacy in all its forms to address the interests of diverse IL communities of practice. JIL welcomes contributions that push the boundaries of IL beyond the educational setting and examine this phenomenon as a continuum between those involved in its development and delivery and those benefiting from its provision - Vol 4, No 2 (2010) now available (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog)

12/9/2010-information literacy librarian â college liaison, southwest baptist university, bolivar, missouri

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:01:00 +0100

Information Literacy Librarian â College Liaison (Source: Combined Library Job Postings - Lisjobs.com and Library Job Postings on the Internet)

7 things you should know about android

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I'm blogging this since I didn't even know one thing about Android, but I see Android is being used for various library apps e.g. by Peter Godwin. This is a new white paper from EDUCAUSE in their "7 Things" series. I now know that "Android is a Linux-based, open-source operating system designed for use on cell phones, e-readers, tablet PCs, and other mobile devices."EDUCAUSE. (2010) 7 Things you should know about Android. Educause.http://www.educause.edu/Resources/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutAndro/219427Photo by Sheila Webber: status report on my watering can (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

New issue (full text/open access): journal of information literacy (4.2)

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:04:40 +0100

Issue 4.2 is Now Available Direct to Table of Contents The Journal of Information Literacy (JIL) is an international, peer- reviewed journal that aims to investigate information literacy in all its forms to address the interests of diverse IL communities of practice. Articles Include: + "The awareness and use of [...] (Source: ResourceShelf)

So you want to be a law librarian?

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:00:21 +0100

A SLAW hat-tip to Brenda Wong and her co-blogger Karen Sawatzky at Library Technician Dialog for making me aware of the following online slideshow called If you Want to Work in Libraries, Here are 10 Things You Need to Know by Ned Potter. I think the author nicely captures some of the opportunities for working in the information field (e.g., working with people and technology) along with some of the challenges (e.g., constant change and tough competition). Many of these topics arose in my regular guest lecture to the FIS 2133 Legal Literature and Librarianship class earlier this week at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, taught by John Papadopoulos and Sooin Kim, especially in our discussion in response to the Debates on the Value of Law Firm Librarians summarized on SLAW. Eve Leung, a Research Librarian at the Ontario Legislative Assembly Library, was also a guest participant in the discussion. However, I am not sure I was entirely satisfied with my answers to the class on the role of law librarians and why I think there remains a need for them in the age of Google and relatively easy online access to information. What follows here, then, is an attempt to better articulate the role of law librarians and why I see a positive future for this role. And although I take responsibility for the comments that follow, I have most certainly benefited from the group discussion at the session and have likely incorporated snippets from the various speakers and students in the class. 1) Specialized knowledge/skills: What separates most law librarians from lawyers is that librarians have specialized knowledge of sources of law and the skills necessary to efficiently and effectively search those sources of law, integrating both print and online sources. ...

Environmental scanning: an application of information literacy skills at the workplace

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The business environment is increasingly becoming uncertain and complex. Environmental scanning is a systematic way for organizations to detect changes, and hence formulate adaptive strategies for coping with uncertainties. Information literacy skills are required to conduct effective and efficient environmental scanning activities as it is an information intensive process. Moreover, the development of information technology and telecommunication provides various channels and applications for accessing, processing and distributing information, which also proposes higher requirements of information literacy skills for dealing with environmental information. However, despite the number of studies undertaken to investigate the role of information literacy at the workplace, few have integrated information literacy skills with a specific business management activity or have tried to evaluate the impact of information literacy on real business applications. This paper provides an overview of environmental scanning and information literacy skills. A refined model, showing the relationship between environmental uncertainty, information literacy skills and environmental scanning, is also presented. (Source: Journal of Information Science current issue)

New issue of journal of information literacy

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Volume 4, Number 2 (2010) of the Journal of Information Literacy, open access at http://jil.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JILThere are book reviews plus the articles:- Susie Andretta: Looking at the evidence: reflections on the need for, and impact of, Information Literacy Education (ILE)- Consolata Angello: The awareness and use of electronic information sources among livestock researchers in Tanzania - Jeanne M. Brown, Carrie Gaxiola. Why would they try: motivation and motivating in low-stakes information skills testing.- Elizabeth Gadd, Andrew Baldwin, Michael Norris: The citation behaviour of Civil Engineering students- Stephanie Rosenblatt: They can find it but they don't know what to do with it: describing the use of scholarly literature by undergraduate students- Jodi Tyron, Emily Elizabeth Frigo, Mary Kathleen O'Kelly: Using faculty focus groups to assess information literacy core competencies at a university level - Ned Fielden, Mira Foster: Crossing the Rubricon: evaluating the Information Literacy instructor- Daniel Beck: The role of Information Literacy in the provision of virtual reference services at the enquiry desk.Photo by Sheila Webber: trees around St Mary's church, Hailsham, November 2010. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Reference/instruction librarian – sciences, app 187 (rutgers university libraries, new jersey)

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:25:01 +0100

Reference/Instruction Librarian - Sciences, APP 187 (Rutgers University Libraries, New Jersey) Will provide general and specialized reference and research assistance locally and, through Rutgers’ virtual reference services. Responsibilities include collection development and faculty liaison activities, in collaboration with one other science librarian, for a range of science subject areas, including undergraduate and graduate programs in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Neurosciences, and Physics. Will develop and offer user-centered, subject-specific instruction sessions, and develop Web-based and/or Learning Management System subject-specific courseware. ...

Digital/web services librarian

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:30:02 +0100

State: Michigan The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine has immediate openings for a librarian to join us in launching a new medical library. *Digital and Web Services Librarian* This position will be responsible for planning, implementing, and managing the library’s electronic resources and services, including the web site. Integrating emerging technologies into library curriculum and services will be a strong focus. This librarian will also participate in the providing information literacy instruction and reference services and will serve as liaison to specific departments within the School of Medicine. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to participate in the creation of a new and innovative medical school. Required qualifications: • ALA-accredited MLS degree • Strong skills in web design and content development • Experience with mobile devices and health sciences applications for PDAs and smartphones • Experience with using social media for enhancing and promoting library services and resources • Expertise in the use of PubMed and other major medical databases • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including good teaching and presentation skills • Ability to work independently and as part of a team and to work with diverse faculty, staff, and students • Potential to meet the requirements for promotion and tenure, which require research and publication Desired qualifications: • Experience working in a health sciences library • General knowledge of scholarly communication issues • Experience teaching information literacy skills • Scholarly publications, participation in professional organizations • AHIP certification Rank, Salary, Benefits: This is a tenure-track, 12-month faculty appointment that reports to the Director of the Medical Library. Attainment of tenure is dependent upon job performance, scholarship, and service. ...

Information literacy/elearning librarian

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:30:02 +0100

State: Michigan The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine has immediate openings for a librarian to join us in launching a new medical library. *Information Literacy and eLearning Librarian* This position will be responsible for planning and implementing an integrated information literacy curriculum that will incorporate classroom, small group, and online learning components. The design of online instruction, including web-based tutorials and content modules for delivery through learning management systems, will be a strong focus, as will supporting faculty in incorporating library resources into their instruction. This librarian will also participate in providing reference service, in collection development, and will serve as liaison to departments within the School of Medicine. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to participate in the creation of a new and innovative medical school. Required qualifications: • ALA-accredited MLS degree • Experience providing information literacy instruction • Demonstrated ability to create web-based instructional tools and other web-based resources • Expertise in the use of PubMed and other major medical databases • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including good teaching and presentation skills • Ability to work independently and as part of a team and to work with diverse faculty, staff, and students • Potential to meet the requirements for promotion and tenure, which require research and publication Desired qualifications: • Experience working in a health sciences library • Experience teaching evidence-based practice concepts including EBM resources and critical appraisal • Web design and web page creation • Scholarly publications, participation in professional organizations • AHIP certification Rank, Salary, Benefits: This is a tenure-track, 12-month faculty appointment that reports to the Director of the Medical Library. ...

Digital/web services librarian

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:30:02 +0100

Information literacy/elearning librarian

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:30:02 +0100

Emerging technologies librarian

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:30:02 +0100

State: West Virginia Library-Track Faculty Fairmont State University invites applications for Emerging Technologies Librarian. Position will begin September 1, 2011 and includes creation and implementation of innovative, digital course and curriculum related instructional and information delivery tools and programs to help students meet University information literacy standards. Other responsibilities will be management and oversight of the Library’s social networking and research assistance for onsite and virtual library users. For complete information and to apply, visit http://www.fairmontstatejobs.com (Position # 20110053). To learn more about the institution, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu. AA/EOE Submitted on 2010-12-03 (Source: SLIS Careers Feed)

Reference services review latest issue

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Volume 39 issue 1 (2011) of Reference Services Review is available in preview online- Jennifer Hoyer: Information is Social: Information Literacy in Context- Michelle Kathleen Dunaway, Teague Orblych: Formative Assessment: Transforming Information Literacy Instruction- Sarah Park, Lori Mardis, Connie Jo Ury: I’ve Lost My Identity - Oh, There It Is... in a Style Manual: Teaching Citation Styles and Academic Honesty- Andrea G Stanfield,Anne C Barnhart: When Coming to Campus Is Not an Option: Using Web Conferencing to Deliver Library Instruction- Brook Stowe: "I Can't Find Anything": Towards Establishing a Continuum in Curriculum--Integrated Library Instruction- Yvonne Mery, Jill Newby, Ke Peng: Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Locally Developed Information Literacy Test Items- Cynthia M. Akers: ESULA: Changing Perceptions of the Academic Library through Student Activism- Nancy Snyder Gibson,Christina Chester-Fangman: Librarian’s Role in Combating Plagiarism- Scott Collard, Kara M. Whatley: Virtual Reference/Query Log Pairs: a window onto user need- David Ward: Expanding the reference vocabulary: a methodology for applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to increase instruction in the reference interview.Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn trees, Hailsham, November 2010 (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Informe apei sobre alfabetización informacional

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Earlier in the year the Asociación Profesional de Especialistas en Información published a free 100 page book about information literacy, concepts and models, competencies needed by librarians etc. It is in Spanish.Calderón Rehecho, Andoni . (2010) Informe APEI sobre alfabetización informacional. Asociación Profesional de Especialistas en Información. http://eprints.rclis.org/19154/"The purpose of this report is to analyze the concepts related to information literacy (IL), introducing its main norms and standards, discuss issues on the evaluation and marketing of information and provide resources to have all the necessary information to know what the Information Literacy and how it can be implemented in libraries.""El objetivo de este informe es analizar los conceptos relacionados con la alfabetización informacional (ALFIN), exponer sus principales normas y modelos, analizar cuestiones sobre evaluación y marketing de información, así como ofrecer recursos para disponer de toda la información necesaria para conocer en qué consiste la ALFIN y cómo se puede poner en práctica en bibliotecas."Photo by Sheila Webber: another view of the igloo, today. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Assessing information literacy competency of information science and library management graduate students of dhaka university

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

The aim of this study is to assess the information literacy competency of Information Science and Library Management (ISLM) graduate students at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and to determine their strengths and weaknesses. In general it was found that students had limited skills in the area of information literacy, as it is not discussed extensively in their academic course curriculum. This study urges the incorporation of an information literacy programme in the course curriculum, and more writing, discussion and other relevant issues that will make the students more information literate. (Source: IFLA Journal current issue)

3 great safe search engines

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 10:20:32 +0100

To find what you need on the Web, your search engine of choice sifts through enormous amounts of information on your behalf and comes up with a list of search results. Now your job starts: To sift through the search results for the most reliable information. Depending on your query, this can include wading through not only irrelevant sites, but objectionable material of fraudulent sites. Here are three search engines that have solutions to this and some advice on information literacy. Duck Duck Go My favorite search engine is the quaintly named Duck Duck Go. It is a fully fledged little competitor to the search giants and it gives priority to privacy and safety. Go to the settings to switch on safe search — it’s right at the top of the settings page. While you are there, you might also want to enable Web of Trust (WOT) ratings. WOT maintains reputation ratings on over 30 million sites. They crowd-source these trust scores from their community of over 15 million users of their tools, which help people stay safe when browsing the Internet. Once enabled, you will see a traffic light style symbol next to each item of the search results indicating if the site is to be trusted or not. This works especially well for shopping and download sites. SweetSearch SweetSearch has a radical approach to safe search. It searches only 35,000 Web sites evaluated and approved by a staff of research experts and librarians and teachers. The search results are fine-tuned them by increasing the ranking of Web sites from organizations such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, PBS and university Web sites. Google Safe Search If you prefer to stick with what is familiar, Google has a safe search option. You set safe search mode in your Google Preferences and you can choose between moderate filtering (filters explicit images only), which is Google’s default setting and strict filtering (filters both explicit text and explicit images). ...

Information literacy feeds

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

I am starting to reconstruct my page of information literacy feeds from blogs etc. at http://www.netvibes.com/sheilawebber#Information_Literacy_feeds I've got about 20 feeds so far (in English, Spanish, one in Swedish & English and one each in German and Polish) and will be adding more. Feel free to suggest feeds to go on it.Photo by Sheila Webber: someone made an igloo (about 5 feet high) at the end of the road! It has survived the thaw so far. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

What information literacy means to our future careers

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Event in the virtual world, Second Life, on Wednesday December 8th 12 noon SLT (8pm UK time, see http://tinyurl.com/35d8lf2 for times elsewhere): What information literacy means to our future careers. This takes on Infolit iSchool in Second Life http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/230/35/28/. You need a SL avatar and the SL browser on your computer to participate. I will talk about an exercise with Masters students which involves them in creating posters about how they feel information literacy will be useful to them in their future careers, including displaying some of the posters. There are about 90 students in the class this year, with a majority of students from outside the UK. I did a short blog post about the exercise here. This session will be in text chat. The picture shows the venue for the presentation/discussion. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Nativi, immigranti e saggi digitali

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:08:23 +0100

Abbiamo parlato spessissimo in questo blog di nativi e immigranti digitali. Ora il papà di questa definizione, Marc Prensky, ci ripensa e passa da una distinzione puramente generazionale a una di tipo differente basata sull’uso critico e consapevole che lo porta a parlare di saggi digitali (non vi sembra pane per bibliotecari questo?) Il ripensamento [...] (Source: biblioragazzi)

New from acrl – best practices for credit-bearing information literacy courses

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:15:25 +0100

"ACRL announces the publication of Best Practices for Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses. Edited by Christopher Hollister, the work is a collection of previously unpublished papers in which contributing authors describe and recommend best practices for creating, developing and teaching credit-bearing information literacy (IL) courses at the college and university level. Contributors include academic librarians from universities, four-year colleges and community colleges to demonstrate successful IL course endeavors at their respective institutions (Source: Peter Scott's Library Blog)

Final call for proposals workshop for instruction in library use - deadline dec 17, 2010

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

FINAL Call for Proposals Workshop for Instruction in Library Use - deadline Dec 17, 2010Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) 2011 - ‘Learning Under Living Skies’June 1-3, 2011Regina, Saskatchewan URL: http://www2.uregina.ca/wilu2011/aboutwilu2011CFP URL: http://www2.uregina.ca/wilu2011/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WILU2011_CFP_form1.pdfThe tri-institutional WILU Committee from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), the University of Regina, and the University of Saskatchewan invites you to submit proposals to be considered for presentation at WILU 2011. We are very pleased and excited to bring WILU to our province – for the first time ever!This is also a special year because this will be the 40th annual WILU! Over the decades, it has grown to encompass all aspects of library instruction and the emerging role of librarians as educators. Please visit About WILU 2011 for more information.The sky looms large over Saskatchewan. It is bold, active and constantly changing - just like learning in libraries. And, as we all know, learning can happen anywhere…the sky's the limit… Suggested Topics:-Learning Spaces. Tell us about where learning takes place.-Who Learns? Tell us about who learns from you. -Today’s Tools. Tell us about the tools you use.-Why Teach? Tell us what motivates you to educate others.Session Types:Session Presentation45-minute sessions, preferably grounded in formal research or applied practice, which include a 35-minute presentation and 10-minute discussion or question period.Lightning Strike Session (with a Display Poster)5-minute "quick hit" presentations on any topic related to information literacy or library instruction. A poster must accompany the presentation to create a lightning strike display circuit for all attendees.Hands-on Tools 45-minute or 90-minute computer lab sessions where participants can interact with various online or electronic tools. ...

Wilu final call for proposals

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

December 17th is the deadline for proposals fr the 2011 Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) 2011, Learning Under Living Skies, June 1-3, 2011 (in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada). For information about WILU go to http://www2.uregina.ca/wilu2011/aboutwilu2011 To submit proposals so to http://www2.uregina.ca/wilu2011/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/WILU2011_CFP_form1.pdf You may also submit your proposal directly by email following these instructions http://www2.uregina.ca/wilu2011/program/call-for-proposals/email-submissionsPhoto by Sheila Webber: Seated snowman, yesterday (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Library instruction coordinator/reference librarian (university of pittsburgh, pennsylvania)

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:10:02 +0100

Library Instruction Coordinator/Reference Librarian (University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Owen Library University Library System University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Faculty librarian provides coordination of librarian instruction and provides reference service in a regional campus library. Reports to the Director of the ULS Johnstown Campus Library. Coordinates and participates in library instruction/information literacy program, actively promoting the program and marketing it to faculty and the campus community through outreach and publicity. Works closely with other instruction librarians, offering assistance in the incorporation of information literacy into instruction efforts and facilitating improvements in response to faculty and student evaluations. ...

Emerging technologies librarian (fairmont state university, west virginia)

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:10:02 +0100

Emerging Technologies Librarian (Fairmont State University, West Virginia) Library-Track Faculty Fairmont State University invites applications for Emerging Technologies Librarian. Position will begin September 1, 2011 and includes creation and implementation of innovative, digital course and curriculum related instructional and information delivery tools and programs to help students meet University information literacy standards. Other responsibilities will be management and oversight of the Library’s social networking and research assistance for onsite and virtual library users. For complete information and to apply, visit http://www.fairmontstatejobs.com (Position # 20110053). To learn more about the institution, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu. AA/EOE (Source: Latest ALA Job Listings)

Inform tutorial

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

An information literacy tutorial mentioned in a recent posting on the lis-infoliteracy list is InfoRM Information Research Modules, a much revised version of the TILT (Texas Information Literacy) tutorial. It is used as a basis for a credit bearing class at Liberty University, USA: http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=19914Photo by Sheila Webber: my watering can this morning (cf 2 previous pictures). Fortunately I don't see a need to use it anytime soon. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Reference and instruction librarian (bowling green state university libraries, ohio)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:10:01 +0100

Reference and Instruction Librarian (Bowling Green State University Libraries, Ohio) Reference and Instruction Librarian (2 positions available) Provides general reference services and serves as the university libraries' subject expert for specialized reference, instruction, and collection development services in assigned subject areas. Minimum qualifications: ALA-accredited master’s degree; knowledge of reference and collection development practices in academic libraries; knowledge of information literacy and teaching practices in higher education; excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Tenure-track, 12-month faculty position. Assistant Professor. Salary competitive and commensurate with peer institution libraries for rank and position in keeping with candidate’s experience and credentials. ...

Instructional design technologist (atlanta university center, georgia)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:10:01 +0100

Instructional Design Technologist (Atlanta University Center, Georgia) POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT Library Instructional Design Technologist The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center (RWWL-AUC), Inc. is an organization undergoing dynamic transformation. Our uniqueness among academic libraries is our service to four historically black institutions in the Atlanta University Center – Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and the Interdenominational Theological Center. Our mission is to serve as the center of the Atlanta University Center academic village to provide the highest level of information resources and services in support of teaching and learning, scholarship and cultural preservation. ...

Information literacy and elearning librarian (oakland university, michigan)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:10:01 +0100

Information Literacy and eLearning Librarian (Oakland University, Michigan) The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine seeks an innovative, collaborative, flexible, and service-oriented librarian to join us in launching a new medical library. This position will be responsible for planning and implementing an integrated information literacy curriculum that will incorporate classroom, small group, and online learning components. The design of online instruction, including web-based tutorials and content modules for delivery through learning management systems, will be a strong focus, as will supporting faculty in incorporating library resources into their instruction. ...

Director, graduate, research, and online library services (the national hispanic university, california)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:10:01 +0100

Director, Graduate, Research, and Online Library Services (The National Hispanic University, California) The National Hispanic University offers the following degrees and certificates: Bachelor of Arts in Business, Child Development, Computer Information Systems, and Liberal Studies; Single and Multiple Subject Credentials; Master of Arts in Education, and certificates in Translation and Interpretation. The University is seeking a professional to join our team as a Director, Graduate, Research, and Online Library Services. The Director reports to the Vice Provost. The location of this position is San Jose, CA. ...

Digital and web services librarian (oakland university, michigan)

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:10:01 +0100

Digital and Web Services Librarian (Oakland University, Michigan) The Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine seeks an innovative, collaborative, flexible, and service-oriented librarian to join us in launching a new medical library. This position will be responsible for planning, implementing, and managing the library’s electronic resources and services, including the web site. Integrating emerging technologies into library curriculum and services will be a strong focus. This librarian will also participate in the provision of information literacy instruction and reference services and will serve as liaison to specific departments within the School of Medicine. ...

12/1/2010-information literacy and elearning librarian, oakland university william beaumont school of medicine, rochester, michigan

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 06:01:00 +0100

Information Literacy and eLearning Librarian (Source: Combined Library Job Postings - Lisjobs.com and Library Job Postings on the Internet)

Media and information literacy resource

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Andrew Whitworth has announced an interesting open educational resource, based on material that he uses on the MA: Digital Technologies, Communication and Education at Manchester University "This resource was developed as a collaboration between the School of Education and John Rylands University Library at the University of Manchester, and funded by the Higher Education Academy (Information and Computer Science subject centre)." "The original course was written by Andrew Whitworth (see links below). The conversion took place with the help of Steven McIndoe and Ian Fishwick of the John Rylands University Library, and Clare Whitworth, who worked to convert the Moodle materials." The Media and Information Literacy for Postgraduate researchers resource has an introduction, and the rest of it has used Bruce, Edwards & Lupton's Six frames of information literacy for the focus of the learning materials. http://madigitaltechnologies.wordpress.com/infoliteracy/Photo by Sheila Webber: watering can yesterday (cf previous photo). Today you can't actually see it under the snow. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

First wednesday il discussion on facebook

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Later today is the Science Information Literacy Wiki First Wednesday IL discussion on Facebook (it's at 2pm USA Eastern time, which is 7pm here in the UK), sponsored by the ACRL Science and Technology Section's Information Literacy Committee. "To join the discussion, logon to Facebook and search for Science Information Literacy Wiki, then go to the SILW page Discussions tab. Today's discussion will be a Post-Thanksgiving Feast of thankful tips and tricks ... Please, share your bright ideas or just come and learn from others." The actual wiki is at http://wikis.ala.org/acrl/index.php/Science_Information_LiteracyPhoto by Sheila Webber: Snowman deciding whether to sit down, taken yesterday. (Source: Information Literacy Weblog)

Analysis of library associated information needs of staff in a specialist palliative and gerontological care centre in mid-west ireland.

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Analysis of library associated information needs of staff in a specialist palliative and gerontological care centre in Mid-West Ireland.

Health Info Libr J. 2010 Dec;27(4):286-94

Authors: Callinan J, McLoughlin K, McCarthy P

Background: Milford Care Centre is a major centre for specialist palliative and gerontological care in the Mid-West of Ireland. In August 2008, a Librarian was employed to support the information, research, teaching and professional development needs of staff and students. In planning associated with this role, it was necessary to undertake an analysis of the information needs of staff. Objectives: (1) To understand the information needs of staff with regard to the new Library and Information Service. (2) To identify current access to and levels of skill in information literacy and ICT. (3) To ascertain the need for training in those skills. Methods: A web-based questionnaire was disseminated in November by email and printed copies were left at other locations. Results: Assistance with obtaining journal articles was rated most highly by respondents as being an important service. Eighty-three per cent indicated that they did not have access to online health databases. Small group classes were considered the preferred method of providing training. Afternoons were also considered more convenient for visiting the library. ...

LibWorm: Information Literacy

Arsenic bacteria: example of a case for information literacy teaching

University librarian (director of rebecca crown library) (dominican university, illinois)

Access services librarian - kemp library #2010000318 (east stroudsburg university -- esu, pennsylvania)

Follow-up: transliteracy, theory, and scholarly language

Director of the university library (norwich university, vermont)

Upgrade

Merry christmas

Goblin game

Alles  einfach  sofort: service in medizinbibliotheken: jahrestagung der arbeitsgemeinschaft für medizinisches bibliothekswesen (agmb) e.v. vom 27. bis 29.9.2010 in mainz

12 ways libraries are good for the country

Information literacy in our future careers

Director of library services (lenoir-rhyne university, north carolina)

Cfp: 3rd qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries international conference (qqml2011)

Project information literacy's autumn report

Incorporating failure into library instruction

K-8 media specialists (2 positions), methuen public schools

Research/information literacy librarian (washington college, maryland)

Head of public services

Information and instruction services librarian

New library world current issue

Best practices for credit-bearing information literacy courses

Reference service and instruction librarian (university of guam library, guam)

First-year engagement librarian/lecturer (university of north carolina wilmington, north carolina)

Education: affordable training – and the professional development award

All types of libraries invited to join “money smart week @ your library” national initiative

Faculty award for il: a nice idea

Commensurable nonsense (transliteracy)

Embedded librarians

Visiting librarian (new college of florida, florida)

Articles on learning to teach & school children's information seeking & transfer

Science liaison librarian (columbus state university, georgia)

Happy birthday you tube!

Librarian "teachmeet"

Cfp: the importance of information literacy for multicultural populations

From common craft: project based learning

Cilip trustee biography

Cilip trustee biography

Cilip trustee biography

Teaching lis students to teach: an “unconference” session at ala conference

Exploring information literacy on infolit ischool

Librarian 3 (assistant director for research services) (southern methodist university, texas)

Thinking out loud: a service for topic exploration and presearching

Systems librarian

Reference & instruction librarian (two positions)

Electronic resources librarian

Reference & instruction librarian / online learning coordinator

Urban and public affairs librarian

Digital services librarian

Information and instruction services librarian

Cfp: 3rd qualitative and quantitative methods in libraries international conference (qqml2011)

50 library/information blogs

Part-time assistant librarian, north shore community college, lynn campus

Librarian - educational support faculty (pima community college district, arizona)

Urban & public affairs librarian (portland state university, oregon)

Nordic journal of information literacy in higher education

Promoting information literacy for end users

Uk information literacy practitioner of the year 2011

Cfp: "information literacy instruction for science & health care students" - indiana libraries

Digital services librarian (dickinson college library, pennsylvania)

Awards and education: professional development award

Three librarian positions (southwest baptist university, missouri)

Information and instruction services librarian (indiana university-purdue university fort wayne, indiana)

Head of public services (indiana university-purdue university fort wayne, indiana)

Webinar gratuito sulla lettura in epoca digitale

Blakeman and bradley on search, at online 2010

Journal of information literacy - vol 4, no 2 (2010)

12/9/2010-information literacy librarian â college liaison, southwest baptist university, bolivar, missouri

7 things you should know about android

New issue (full text/open access): journal of information literacy (4.2)

So you want to be a law librarian?

Environmental scanning: an application of information literacy skills at the workplace

New issue of journal of information literacy

Reference/instruction librarian – sciences, app 187 (rutgers university libraries, new jersey)

Digital/web services librarian

Information literacy/elearning librarian

Digital/web services librarian

Information literacy/elearning librarian

Emerging technologies librarian

Reference services review latest issue

Alles einfach sofort: service in medizinbibliotheken: jahrestagung der arbeitsgemeinschaft für medizinisches bibliothekswesen (agmb) e.v. vom 27. bis 29.9.2010 in mainz

12/9/2010-information literacy librarian â college liaison, southwest baptist university, bolivar, missouri