This fall, Knowledge Ontario [...]]]> This September, I will be an intern for AskOntario, a virtual reference service that serves public, college and academic libraries across the province. The service is run by Knowledge Ontario, which provides free online access to a variety of e-resources/digital tools in addition to providing real-time research help and information literacy instruction.

This fall, Knowledge Ontario was set to expand, with a number of institutions planning to join the AskON service.

Additionally, Knowledge Ontario recently won the Canadian Library Association’s Information Today Award for Innovative Technology.

And… Knowledge Ontario recently lost their government funding.

Like all cuts to education and culture, this is a significant loss and one that should not be tolerated by those both within and outside of the library world.

Knowledge Ontario is calling upon others to help them take action. You can do so by:

- Spreading awareness among those at your local library, in your local community and on the Internet (via blogging, twitter, etc.)

- Joining the Knowledge Ontario Matters Facebook group and the AskOntario Facebook page.

- Writing your local MPP, the Premier, & the Ministers of  Education, Training, and Tourism and Culture. (A draft letter has been prepared by Kim Stymest that is available here.)

In the most basic sense, LinkedIn is a social networking site much like Facebook that is geared toward a professional audience. Since a lot of librarians are on there, I thought it might be useful to flesh out some of the advantages and disadvantages of getting [...]]]> Personal branding? Social networking? A waste of time?

In the most basic sense, LinkedIn is a social networking site much like Facebook that is geared toward a professional audience. Since a lot of librarians are on there, I thought it might be useful to flesh out some of the advantages and disadvantages of getting LinkedIn.

Pros:

Stay connected: It’s a way to keep in touch with colleagues whom you may wish to work with on a project in the future or seek advice from on something relevant to your job. Who knows, someone might even see your profile and offer you an opportunity to do something in line with your skill set and interests.

Maintain privacy: By having a LinkedIn account for professional acquaintances and a Facebook profile for friends, you can keep your personal and private lives separate.

Showcase your abilities online: Much like having a blog and an e-portfolio, this is another way you can show people what makes you special, smart, involved and valuable to the profession by way of your interests and experience. It even lets others add recommendations about your abilities, which never hurts.

Increase your search engine results: While looking for a job and once you have one, people are very likely going to look you up online. LinkedIn profiles tend to rank high on search engine results. It can therefore be an easy way for you to represent yourself in a professional manner on the Internet. (I’d also recommend removing your name from any and all personal Web sites you may have created in the past that may not cast you in the most professional light, e.g. Myspace.)

Research an employer: See who works at a given library and what they’re up to. This can be an indication of the level of professional development opportunities a library provides its employees with and what type of people you may find yourself working with. LinkedIn is especially handy if you want to learn a bit about the people who will be interviewing you should you have an interview coming up.

Cons:

LinkedIn can do more harm than good: Like anything you put up about yourself online, make sure it casts you in a positive light. If your profile is sloppy and incomplete or if it makes you come across as wholly lacking experience and/or direction, it might be best to hold off creating a profile. Remember to check your account regularly and keep your information as fresh and current as possible. A friendly, professional photograph of yourself helps as well.

LinkedIn lacks zest: The profiles on LinkedIn are pretty cold and without personality. You cannot dress them up with colour and a variety of visual elements that might better reflect your true self. For some, this is perhaps a blessing in disguise, but for others, traits like creativity and a sense of humour are what can truly impress employers, colleagues and the public.

Privacy concerns: What goes on the Internet often stays on the Internet. Always think twice about revealing too much of your personal information online or things you may regret later, especially if you have your profile set up so that it is completely open to the public.

Additional Resources:

• LinkedIn: Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell You, But Was Too Shy/Modest/Embarrassed to Say… A piece from LIScareer.com about what LinkedIn has to offer LIS professionals

• LinkedIn is *NOT* Facebook for Grownups A slight rant against the impersonal side of LinkedIn

• Robyn Hall- LinkedIn My new LinkedIn account. By all means, feel free to add me as a connection if you’re somewhere out there in the library world and stumble upon this.

• Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn A great list of ways to make LinkedIn work best for you

* Helpful tip: If you want to include bullet points or other symbols that will enhance the organization and aesthetics of your profile, follow these simple directions.

The following are just some of many software and Web applications available on the Internet that are a) [...]]]> Chances are that if you’re looking for work in a library setting, you’re going to be asked about your experiences with new technologies and your thoughts on how those technologies can be successfully integrated into library services.

The following are just some of many software and Web applications available on the Internet that are a) easy to learn, b) free,  c) highly relevant to libraries, and d) pretty fun to play with, all things told.

Web 2.0

Starting with the obvious, Web 2.0 applications are in heavy use by lots of libraries that are looking for ways to connect with their patrons and provide their users with new and effective ways to conduct their research. Some of the most useful applications include:

Blogs (e.g., Blogger, TypePad, WordPress): Updates, news, staff communications… blogs aren’t a new thing by any means, but they haven’t lost their utility.

RSS Feeds (e.g., Google Reader): Stay up to date on blogs, news and various other types of updates on the Internet by having notifications sent to a feed reader on topics of interest… and teach your patrons how to do the same.

Social Bookmarking (e.g., Delicious, CiteULike): This is a way to share Internet bookmarks. I took a class on social software and libraries where Delicious was particularly useful. Everyone in the class tagged their bookmarks about Web 2.0 with the course code (LIS9763) so we could all share sites relevant to the course. Added bonus is that this lets users access their bookmarks from anywhere, not just their personal computers.  (CiteULike is solely for sharing scholarly references with others; it’s definitely a useful site to use and to show faculty and students.)

Twitter: A great way to promote things like library services and special events.You can even include a Twitter presence on a library’s homepage and use Twitter Feed to automatically make a “tweet” whenever you add something new to any blogs your library maintains.

Wikis (e.g., Wikimedia, PBworks, Wetpaint): These are particularly useful for collaborative projects that involve multiple authors and/or resource sharing. On a related note, I’d recommend learning the back end of Wikipedia since it’s a very helpful information literacy learning tool.

Software (free trials)

Most software products offer 15-30 day trials where you can test things out before purchasing them. Particularly since the ability to create content like online tutorials is a highly marketable skill right now, it’s very wise to spend some time learning as much as you can about these technologies.

Camtasia Studio: This is one of the most popular tools used to create online tutorials. It’s screen capturing software that is relatively easy to edit; if you’ve ever used Windows Movie Maker, it’s quite similar. I personally am not a huge fan of screen capture since it limits the possibilities for interactivity and experiential learning, BUT… it gets the point across. (There may also be copies of this floating around in the world of BitTorrents, but you didn’t hear that from me.)

Elluminate Live: If you’ve ever attended a webcast, chances are you’ve already used this software. Elluminate brings participants together from anywhere in the world to participate in a web conference that can include audio, video, chat, PowerPoint and the recording/playback of sessions.

Lectora: Create stylish, interactive online lessons/tutorials with relative ease. The trial is only 15 days and there is a bit of a learning curve, but thus far I am very impressed with the professional quality of this product.

LibGuides: Lots and lots of libraries are using this tool to create research help guides. I find some to be way too cluttered with information, but all in all, this program is very useful to anyone with some basic knowledge of proper information architecture/usability.

SoftChalk: I love SoftChalk! I wish there was more flexibility in modifying the HTML, but all in all, this product is pretty fantastic. You can create online tutorials with built in quizzes and widgets (for things like video clips) without any advanced knowledge of Web design.  The best part is that you can keep whatever you create during the trial period, meaning you can create a tutorial, upload it to SoftChalk Connect, and add it to your portfolio, no strings attached… although, of course, you will suggest your institution purchase this product in return.

Survey Monkey: Want to know what your students know? What they learned after a session you taught? What patrons think about a new library service? Where staff want to hold a holiday party? This tool is great for all things online survey. And the best thing is, you can make a free account where you can create surveys of up to ten questions.

Open Source Software

In short, open source means free and enabled by community support. These products can sometimes be a bit clunky, but they’re also great for libraries (or by extension, patrons) looking for cost effective solutions that meet their computing needs. A few of my favorites include the following:

Content Management Systems (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, Joomla): While these options require a user to pay for server space, the systems themselves are free and utilized by lots of libraries (particularly Drupal in larger libraries and WordPress in smaller ones).

GIMP: This photo editing program does many of the same things as Adobe Photoshop. I personally like Photoshop better for its more advanced options, however, GIMP does the trick.

Linux: This family of operating systems are the gateway into an open source universe where everything is free and Windows is proven obsolete, sort of. Ubuntu is the most popular. Such systems may lead to some compatibility problems and users may have some trouble adjusting to a different interface, but… it’s also an extremely affordable option for libraries facing financial difficulty.

Moodle: This is the open source equivalent to course management systems like WebCT/Blackboard. I’m not very familiar with it, but I have heard great things and a number of libraries are currently converting over to this system, which speaks for itself.

Mozilla Firefox: This is the best, most secure Web browser by far. My favorite feature is Adblock Plus, which blocks advertisements therefore blocking annoyances and the many viruses that tend to linger in the javascript of shady ads.

Open Office: All the things you get from Microsoft Office Suite for $0. It doesn’t run as smoothly, but it does the job and the file types are all MS Office-compatible so you can share files with others.

Pidgin: This is a universal chat service that can be utilized effectively for online chat reference.

Zotero: This is a reference management system that can be added on to Firefox. I don’t particularly like the organization of groups that users can create and share with others, but it’s still a pretty good program, especially for those who do not have access to RefWorks.

Learn More…

• The EDUCAUSE Resource Centre:  An extensive library of publications, presentations, blogs and podcasts on how technology and libraries intersect.
• Information Wants To Be Free: Meredith Farkas’ blog is a great place to learn about how new technologies and libraries intersect. Also check out her 2007 book, Social Software in Libraries: Building Collaboration, Communication, and Community Online.
• Social Software and Libraries (course sites for summer 2009, winter 2009, winter 2010):  These are accessible course sites for a MLIS class offered at Western. Search through the readings and students’ insight to get a sense of trends concerning libraries and Web 2.0.

The responsibilities of volunteering: On the first day of the conference (May 12), I convened an afternoon session: [...]]]> I was very pleased that the Workshop for Instruction in Library Use (WILU) was held in Hamilton, Ontario this year since it made it easy for me to volunteer and therefore attend part of the conference for free.

The responsibilities of volunteering: On the first day of the conference (May 12), I convened an afternoon session: Hybrid Learning: Integrating Online and Offline Activities into an IL Course led by Andrea Cameron and Jennifer Cyr (Concordia). This was my second time convening a session (in February, I convened a session at the Ontario Library Association’s Super Conference). I can now honestly say that convening is a pretty simple, stress-free way to become involved with a conference and gain some professional experience at the same time. I just had to introduce the speakers, keep an eye on the clock to ensure the session did not go too long, thank the speakers when they were done taking questions at the end of the session and collect evaluation forms.

The other part of my volunteer responsibilities at WILU involved ensuring people were directed onto the buses that would take them to the University Librarian’s Reception at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.  Pretty easy.

The perks of volunteering: The greatest part about volunteering at WILU was that it allowed me to attend sessions on the day that I was helping out. This meant that I was able to attend a session led by University of Guelph librarian Peggy Pritchard entitled Innovations in Information Literacy Training in the Sciences: Embedding an Electronic-Journal Project. I enjoyed this session immensely, especially because it related to what is at the heart of my own research interests: How instruction librarians can collaborate with faculty in order to effectively and creatively use technology to teach students information literacy skills relevant to the Twenty-first Century. (I want to spend some time very soon writing a post that reflects more directly on this session and similar initiatives currently underway in the world of academic libraries. For now, I’ll just say that the session was very enlightening and I am glad I had the chance to attend.)

The other session that I attended was the one that I convened, as previously mentioned. I quite enjoyed this session as well, especially since it discussed the practical advantages and disadvantages of using Moodle as part of an integrated information literacy course.  (Again, Moodle deserves its own blog post since it is an amazing open source alternative to WebCT/Blackboard for those of us interested in cost-effective course management systems.)

Finally, I got to end my day at the conference reception. This was a great networking opportunity where I got to meet a number of librarians from across Canada while also getting to reconnect with former classmates from Western and former co-workers from McMaster. Additionally, attendees were able to explore the collection at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, which most notably features  Kim Adams’ Bruegel-Bosch Bus.

I would be remiss to not also mention the opening and closing keynote speakers, each of whom spoke to conference delegates as well as the wider campus community who were invited to attend.

The opening plenary was delivered by Dr. James Paul Gee. Dr. Gee reflected on how Twentieth Century learning models are being surpassed by more technologically advanced initiatives focused on gaming and interactivity, which librarians are in a position to help encourage and support. For those who may be interested in learning more, the following is a brief clip where Gee briefly explains his perspective:

The closing keynote was delivered by Steven J. Bell (Temple University). His engaging talk was entitled Exploring the Instruction Mystery: Designing Our Way Past a Wicked Problem. What I got from this discussion was that learning processes go hand in hand with aspects of ambiguity, mystery and discovery that are inherently difficult to fully understand in librarians’ ongoing quest to prove we are making a difference in students’ lives and reaching our desired outcomes (e.g., fostering critical thinkers and lifelong learners). In library instruction, librarians therefore need to more willingly harness ideas of creativity, risk, technological innovation and exploration in what we teach students and the ways that we teach them. This can help ensure our relevance moving forward, and the relevance of what we teach. Hear, hear!

Moving on to next year: WILU 2011 will be held at the University of Regina. Hopefully I will be fortunate enough to attend once again. Small conferences of this nature are of particular value since they put the focus squarely on a topic of interest to all attendees (in this case, instruction). As well, they afford participants the opportunity to connect and engage with one another, which is not always as easily accomplished at larger conferences organized by the CLA, ALA and OLA, for instance.

* For more on WILU 2010, visit the conference Web site: http://wilu2010.blog.lib.mcmaster.ca. Also try searching for #wilu2010 on Twitter (lots of people were tweeting their reflections as the conference chugged along).

Tomorrow’s webcast is happening from 3PM-4PM (EST). It’s entitled: Everything Librarians and Instructional [...]]]> About a year ago, I attended my first Blended Librarian webcast. I was impressed. These free, virtual events happen every few months and bring information science professionals from all over the place together to discuss  topics pertinent to librarianship, technology and information literacy.

Tomorrow’s webcast is happening from 3PM-4PM (EST). It’s entitled: Everything Librarians and Instructional Technologists Wanted to Know About Each Other and Never Bothered to Ask: An Open Forum

To register, visit: http://blendedlibrarian.org/events.html

In unrelated news, I am happy to report that I will (tentatively) be interning 1-2 hours per week for the AskON online research help service come September. I was also able to attend two days of WILU at McMaster last week, which was soo fantastic it deserves its own post sometime in the near future.

Library Related Conferences is an exhaustive list of conferences taking place worldwide that has been compiled and maintained by Marian Dworaczek (Senior Technical Services Librarian, University of Saskatchewan Library).

Topics like copyright reform, net neutrality, intellectual property and access rights might be complicated, sometimes intimidating, and occasionally dry. However, the issues surrounding these topics are central to librarianship and how resources [...]]]> I was more excited than usual to find a copy of Feliciter in my mailbox today. The topic featured in this issue: Information policy.

Topics like copyright reform, net neutrality, intellectual property and access rights might be complicated, sometimes intimidating, and occasionally dry. However, the issues surrounding these topics are central to librarianship and how resources are disseminated and used, and if misunderstood or abused, can lead to problematic legal ramifications for patrons, librarians and institutions alike. Specifically, these issues effect how things like research is defined (be it for personal or professional gain), what materials are used by faculty in the classroom, how academics go about sharing their published works,  what materials can be photocopied or accessed and shared electronically and who is accountable for the misuse of materials under current copyright policies.

To learn more about copyright matters, check out some of the following helpful resources:

- As mentioned, the latest issue of Feliciter Vol. 56 No. 2 (2010) covers lots of topics central to copyright issues.

- Search Engine This podcast, formerly available through the CBC and now hosted by TVOntario, is about how politics and culture is shaping how we in Canada use the Internet. Older podcasts are available for free through iTunes by clicking here. * I’m a big fan of this one!

- Dr. Michael Geist’s blog. Dr. Geist is the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa. His blog provides a great way to stay on top of copyright policy and reform in Canada as well as internationally.

- Canadian Copyright: A Citizen’s Guide. This incredibly accessible text by Laura J. Murray and Samuel E. Trosow is currently on my nightstand and provides a great introduction to copyright in Canada and how it applies to the sharing of information in a variety of mediums and instances.

- Fair Copyright in Canada and Librarians for Fair Access to Content are both Facebook groups that provide lots of information  well as access to like minded individuals concerned about copyright matters.

- Good Copy Bad Copy This video deals primarily with music production and piracy, but also addresses broader issues of copyright and culture. * I like this one a lot too.

- Librarian’s Guide to Understanding Academic Copyright (just for fun):

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Registration is now open for this conference, which is taking place at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario May 12-14.

I have heard nothing but fantastic reviews of this small, annual conference, where the focus is on library instruction and information literacy.

This year, keynote speakers [...]]]> Workshop on Instruction in Library Use (WILU) 2010 is right around the corner.

Registration is now open for this conference, which is taking place at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario May 12-14.

I have heard nothing but fantastic reviews of this small, annual conference, where the focus is on library instruction and information literacy.

This year, keynote speakers will include Steven J. Bell (Temple University) and James Paul Gee (Arizona State University) and sessions will primarily focus on instructional design and gaming.

A few sites that provide examples of interview questions include:

What is it, exactly? Well…

According to Transliteracy.com, “transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.”

Bobbi Newman has put together a slide show presentation that illustrates this meaning [...]]]> Transliteracy is an emerging buzzword.

What is it, exactly? Well…

According to Transliteracy.com, “transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.”

Bobbi Newman has put together a slide show presentation that illustrates this meaning and the concept’s important relationship with librarianship:

My only problem with this, and the established concept of “information literacy” for that matter, is that each posit linear, positivist theories of how people should access, understand and use information. Both concepts are defined independent of cultural specificity and the idea that one does not simply become “literate” but rather must continue to accustom one’s self as the channels through which information travels change and transform.

With this criticism in mind, the term “fluency” has crept in attempting to compliment, or perhaps replace, “literacy.” 21st Century Fluencies have been defined in varying ways to describe proficiencies people use to interpret information across various media types.

Semantics aside, however, developing new means of helping library patrons find, use and understand information across the print and digital landscape is an important, exciting area for further investigation. And I’ve got some ideas of how to go about this. Stay tuned…