Seven groups were asked to prepare information on seven topics and present it in seven minutes or less. We had five days to do it. The key is that those five days also included one or two lectures per day, three discussion group sessions requiring follow up reporting and two papers to be written as well, including the brutal tracking paper assignment. So, time was a bit limited.
The presentations will be linked here, for your viewing pleasure (Only one for now). This was easily the best night of theweek, and the entertainment factor was huge. What is attached does not include the acting in skits and demonstrations done in the classrom, so you will have to use your imagination. It was way cool in context. It loses something now.
Net Neutrality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW37phe7M4o
Library as Third Place/Community Space:
Is the Digital Divide still relevant?:
Creative Commons:
Privacy:
WTO/GATTS: http://people.lis.illinois.edu/~bloch2/GATTS_Group_Project
Social Spaces/Social Networks: http://people.lis.illinois.edu/~temple3/networking_resources.html
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Day Eight
I awoke at 4:22 am with yesterday's group discussion failure still tormenting me. As I lay there, without any memory of the readings, I decided to get up and force myself to review each one and try to determine what we should have taken away from the discussion group exercise.
The six hours of sleep must have helped, because it worked. The essence of the three authors points of view came back to me and then suddenly it made sense why we read these three articles about scholarly publishing. The process is broken, according to them. It requires some fixing and these three authors each have a unique take on what can be done to improve the process of scholarly research and publishing. Well, that made my day (that I overcame being brain dead, I guess) and I got over the "torment" and went back to work. I also learned a lesson about preparation for group discussions.
Our lecture (picture) of the day set the foundation for copyright and intellectual freedom discussions. If I had known I would be blogging, I would have brought a camera, but I'll just have to settle on an over abundance of text in this blog. That's more me anyway.
For group discussion this afternoon the three of us in my small group went down to ground level in GSLIS and found some cushy chairs and a sofa in the Children's Book Center. Besides the extra comfort, I enjoyed my discussion partners and their insights. Doug, Carla and I discussed the readings about the ways librarians are sometimes put in the position of dealing with social issues, when patrons are homeless or mentally ill . The articles were great and several ideas came out of our discussion that could develop into concrete ideas on solving some of the challenges facing libraries in dealing with these communities.
In particular, I will remember the idea to involve the community itself in addressing the issues. Thanks Doug and Carla for an enjoyable and insightful conversation, which I intend to put to use someday.
The six hours of sleep must have helped, because it worked. The essence of the three authors points of view came back to me and then suddenly it made sense why we read these three articles about scholarly publishing. The process is broken, according to them. It requires some fixing and these three authors each have a unique take on what can be done to improve the process of scholarly research and publishing. Well, that made my day (that I overcame being brain dead, I guess) and I got over the "torment" and went back to work. I also learned a lesson about preparation for group discussions.
Our lecture (picture) of the day set the foundation for copyright and intellectual freedom discussions. If I had known I would be blogging, I would have brought a camera, but I'll just have to settle on an over abundance of text in this blog. That's more me anyway.
For group discussion this afternoon the three of us in my small group went down to ground level in GSLIS and found some cushy chairs and a sofa in the Children's Book Center. Besides the extra comfort, I enjoyed my discussion partners and their insights. Doug, Carla and I discussed the readings about the ways librarians are sometimes put in the position of dealing with social issues, when patrons are homeless or mentally ill . The articles were great and several ideas came out of our discussion that could develop into concrete ideas on solving some of the challenges facing libraries in dealing with these communities.In particular, I will remember the idea to involve the community itself in addressing the issues. Thanks Doug and Carla for an enjoyable and insightful conversation, which I intend to put to use someday.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Day Seven
That was nice! A fifteen hour semester break can do a body (and a mind) good. So, could a couple more hours of sleep, but that just isn't in the cards this week. Much of the break time was used to catch up on the group presentation for Thursday night.
The best news of the day is, the wretched tracking paper assignment is over!
Sitting "brain dead" through a lecture and a group discussion left me feeling mad at myself for not preparing better for each. The discussion was pitiful. Five people staring at each other wondering what we read only a few weeks ago in 3 important readings about scholarly publishing. I kept hoping someone would save us, but alas, not one of us could think of anything interesting, or even descriptive of the readings we were supposed to be discussing.
After starting my group process paper late tonight, just to get a brief outline going, I'm exhausted and going to bed early, before 10! And, that's about all I can say for Day Seven.
The best news of the day is, the wretched tracking paper assignment is over!
Sitting "brain dead" through a lecture and a group discussion left me feeling mad at myself for not preparing better for each. The discussion was pitiful. Five people staring at each other wondering what we read only a few weeks ago in 3 important readings about scholarly publishing. I kept hoping someone would save us, but alas, not one of us could think of anything interesting, or even descriptive of the readings we were supposed to be discussing.
After starting my group process paper late tonight, just to get a brief outline going, I'm exhausted and going to bed early, before 10! And, that's about all I can say for Day Seven.
Day Six
Six already! Time is flying by, which, of course, is helped by the fact that there hasn't been more than 5 spare minutes in those six days! We're using all hours of the day. Forum posts start at 5:30 in the morning and usually don't end until well past midnight.
The biggest events of day six are the Tracking Paper is due at 11:55 pm., after which the 15 hour Semester Break begins. Having submitted my paper with a measly hour to spare, I reflect on the rest of the day.
The lecture this morning covered scholarly publishing and communication issues. This is an area that I have not experienced much in my life. It is about to become much more significant to me than it has been. Like everything else in our lives, scholarly works are impacted by technological and economic changes and advances that apply pressure on the way things have always been done and leave traditionalists questioning the value of the new way.
We need traditionalists to question. They are our safeguard to make certain we don't throw out the good and valuable principles that have developed through experience over a long period of time. We also need innovators, who envision how it could be better. Working together, traditionalists and innovators bring improvements that make lives better and fuller. Technological advances usually save time and money, which enhances productivity and at the same time, convenience.
There is more to be said on this, but I will save it for one of my assigned papers yet to be writtten after the break. Today, I managed to get a photo of the back of the class during the lecture.
The biggest events of day six are the Tracking Paper is due at 11:55 pm., after which the 15 hour Semester Break begins. Having submitted my paper with a measly hour to spare, I reflect on the rest of the day.
The lecture this morning covered scholarly publishing and communication issues. This is an area that I have not experienced much in my life. It is about to become much more significant to me than it has been. Like everything else in our lives, scholarly works are impacted by technological and economic changes and advances that apply pressure on the way things have always been done and leave traditionalists questioning the value of the new way.
We need traditionalists to question. They are our safeguard to make certain we don't throw out the good and valuable principles that have developed through experience over a long period of time. We also need innovators, who envision how it could be better. Working together, traditionalists and innovators bring improvements that make lives better and fuller. Technological advances usually save time and money, which enhances productivity and at the same time, convenience.
There is more to be said on this, but I will save it for one of my assigned papers yet to be writtten after the break. Today, I managed to get a photo of the back of the class during the lecture.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Day Five
The spotlight is on!
The lectures today centered on "Major professional challenges: the case of intellectual freedom and censorship" and "The Current Information Environment", which covered the social and economic forces that shape the environment.
We discovered first hand that very complex issues surrounding intellectual freedom and censorship will confront us in our work. One example was a little episode in which we reviewed three situations and had to determine if we would allow certain books into a collection or if a controversial panel discussion at an ALA conference should proceed.
The first case involved adding a book to a Public Library Children's collection, titled "Its Perfectly Normal". The book teaches children or young adults about sexuality and reproduction. It uses illustrations of naked bodies and includes descriptions and labels for parts, which illustrations were displayed for us to get a sense of the content.
We were asked, by show of hands, who would without hesitation add it to the collection; who would, with some qualms, add it to the collection; and who would not add it to the collection. I had the privilege of voting singularly in the last category, to the apparent shock of my classmates. But, I am not unfamiliar with being the only one of my opinion in such groups on social issues like this one.
I had several conversations throughout the day and have modified my position a bit, based on the concepts we learned in lecture and discussed in groups. I acknowledge the value of the book genre, that was presented today, in assisting parents in teaching children about the concepts. I also acknowledge my obligations as a librarian to not censor collections based on personal biases. While I now take the position that I would add the book to a collection for any age group, I retain the caveat that I want to honor a parent's rights to make the determination on children's access to the book. My suggested solution would be to retain the book in a parenting section, from which parents could borrow the book, but minors could not access it without parental consent.
The other issues will have to be discussed at a later date, because my time is short tonight. Too many papers and assignments to deal with at the moment.
The TA's assisting with the instruction and discussion groups are quite helpful and I've finally acquired a picture of them from a classmate's blog, which I include tonight.
The lectures today centered on "Major professional challenges: the case of intellectual freedom and censorship" and "The Current Information Environment", which covered the social and economic forces that shape the environment.
We discovered first hand that very complex issues surrounding intellectual freedom and censorship will confront us in our work. One example was a little episode in which we reviewed three situations and had to determine if we would allow certain books into a collection or if a controversial panel discussion at an ALA conference should proceed.
The first case involved adding a book to a Public Library Children's collection, titled "Its Perfectly Normal". The book teaches children or young adults about sexuality and reproduction. It uses illustrations of naked bodies and includes descriptions and labels for parts, which illustrations were displayed for us to get a sense of the content.
We were asked, by show of hands, who would without hesitation add it to the collection; who would, with some qualms, add it to the collection; and who would not add it to the collection. I had the privilege of voting singularly in the last category, to the apparent shock of my classmates. But, I am not unfamiliar with being the only one of my opinion in such groups on social issues like this one.
I had several conversations throughout the day and have modified my position a bit, based on the concepts we learned in lecture and discussed in groups. I acknowledge the value of the book genre, that was presented today, in assisting parents in teaching children about the concepts. I also acknowledge my obligations as a librarian to not censor collections based on personal biases. While I now take the position that I would add the book to a collection for any age group, I retain the caveat that I want to honor a parent's rights to make the determination on children's access to the book. My suggested solution would be to retain the book in a parenting section, from which parents could borrow the book, but minors could not access it without parental consent.
The other issues will have to be discussed at a later date, because my time is short tonight. Too many papers and assignments to deal with at the moment.
The TA's assisting with the instruction and discussion groups are quite helpful and I've finally acquired a picture of them from a classmate's blog, which I include tonight.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Day Four
Today was cool, and I don't just mean the weather (which is lovely, by the way)!
We started the day learning to design web pages. It was a 1 hour session that, by the time all the housekeeping stuff was announced, ended up to be only 48 minutes for the designing lesson. I had never designed a web page before and was eager to learn how.
After downloading the software, we created two pages, which I haven't finished or uploaded to the internet yet, but I plan to use them in support of this blog before all is said and done.
Most of the day was spent in my spacious quarters researching for a tracking paper assignment which is due on Tuesday night. I have chosen the topic of Education Trends in Library and Information Science. The format of the
assignment is to prepare a report to a fictitious boss bringing her up-to-date and outlining how she can keep current on this issue. I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to find a wealth of information on the topic. Consolidating it down to the most relevant will take more time and then reporting it concisely will be another challenge.
Since so much of my day was in the dorm room, I thought you should see it, but I didn't bring a camera, so the angle from the laptop computer's camera will have to do. Everything the college student needs for warmth and comfort is right here in about 80 square feet, not counting the bathroom, which is behind closed doors at the moment, or closet.
We had our fourth lecture meeting this morning and discussed the current information environment. This led into some lengthy discussions about librarianship and information services as a profession. A key point of the discussion was that it is an absurd question to even ask if librarians or information workers are professionals. One, because of course they are, and two, why should we waste time and enrgy considering such a rediculous question.
Whatever other professionals think of us is really immaterial to our mission. This same question confronts all other well-educated or trained workers. The so called "credentialed" proessionals in Law and Medicine will always maintain an air of superiority (in general, not necessarily individually). There is nothing we can do about that. In my view the best answer to this issue is to act professionally, do the very best for patrons and they will recognize professional service and expert solutions. What more could one desire than to have happy patrons?
By acting the part, the recognition will come, through diligent self-monitoring of the professionals who work side by side and holding ourselves, personally, to a higher standard. In this way, the whole profession is naturally lifted up in respect and recognition, one librarian at a time.
We started the day learning to design web pages. It was a 1 hour session that, by the time all the housekeeping stuff was announced, ended up to be only 48 minutes for the designing lesson. I had never designed a web page before and was eager to learn how.
After downloading the software, we created two pages, which I haven't finished or uploaded to the internet yet, but I plan to use them in support of this blog before all is said and done.
Most of the day was spent in my spacious quarters researching for a tracking paper assignment which is due on Tuesday night. I have chosen the topic of Education Trends in Library and Information Science. The format of the
assignment is to prepare a report to a fictitious boss bringing her up-to-date and outlining how she can keep current on this issue. I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to find a wealth of information on the topic. Consolidating it down to the most relevant will take more time and then reporting it concisely will be another challenge.
Since so much of my day was in the dorm room, I thought you should see it, but I didn't bring a camera, so the angle from the laptop computer's camera will have to do. Everything the college student needs for warmth and comfort is right here in about 80 square feet, not counting the bathroom, which is behind closed doors at the moment, or closet.
We had our fourth lecture meeting this morning and discussed the current information environment. This led into some lengthy discussions about librarianship and information services as a profession. A key point of the discussion was that it is an absurd question to even ask if librarians or information workers are professionals. One, because of course they are, and two, why should we waste time and enrgy considering such a rediculous question.
Whatever other professionals think of us is really immaterial to our mission. This same question confronts all other well-educated or trained workers. The so called "credentialed" proessionals in Law and Medicine will always maintain an air of superiority (in general, not necessarily individually). There is nothing we can do about that. In my view the best answer to this issue is to act professionally, do the very best for patrons and they will recognize professional service and expert solutions. What more could one desire than to have happy patrons?
By acting the part, the recognition will come, through diligent self-monitoring of the professionals who work side by side and holding ourselves, personally, to a higher standard. In this way, the whole profession is naturally lifted up in respect and recognition, one librarian at a time.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Day Three
I've finally caught up with writing these posts on the day they are named. The day's activities are more fresh in my mind.
Our second and third meetings, or lectures, were held today. An interesting question arose in our evening session which really got me thinking. Dr. Estabrook asked, "Do you think the purpose of libraries and museums is to encourage people to be critical (willing to evaluate and judge: not accept things automatically as they are) of the world as they find and experience it?" We discussed this in small groups, and then with the entire class.
While opinions were somewhat divergent, I got the sense that a majority felt, rather strongly in some cases, that encouraging critical thinking was not the purpose of a library or museum. At first, I was in this camp. Many of us expressed our view in this way: the library's purpose should be to afford the opportunity for patrons to gain the information they seek and if that encourages them to activism or critical thinking at least, then so be it. But if it doesn't, that is okay, too, and the library has still accomplished its purpose of providing the information.
I did say "at first", because the more time I spent noodling this thought, I turned my thinking more on the side that suggests the library's very purpose and existence ought to be based on encouraging citizens of the community to think as citizens, evaluating between positions, good and bad, and judging between what is right and wrong.
The thought that sparked my change of position was this: What is the purpose of a school? Obviously, to me anyway, a school's purpose is to encourage students (citizens), to learn to discern between good choices and poor choices, or even between right and wrong. Why else would we have a school if it were not to teach people how to think and evaluate options? Or, in direct response to the question, to teach them to think critically.
In my mind, a library is ensconced in the realm of education and the same can be said of museums, for that matter. We go there to gain information or knowledge. That is education, self-education if you will, but education none-the-less. And, the core aim of gaining an education must be to learn to think critically.
There is no doubt that some patrons may exit from their experience without having been encouraged to think critically. But, let that not be the fault of the library, but the indifference or slothfulness of the patron.
A good day of thoughtful discussion throughout all sessions and activities.
Our second and third meetings, or lectures, were held today. An interesting question arose in our evening session which really got me thinking. Dr. Estabrook asked, "Do you think the purpose of libraries and museums is to encourage people to be critical (willing to evaluate and judge: not accept things automatically as they are) of the world as they find and experience it?" We discussed this in small groups, and then with the entire class.
While opinions were somewhat divergent, I got the sense that a majority felt, rather strongly in some cases, that encouraging critical thinking was not the purpose of a library or museum. At first, I was in this camp. Many of us expressed our view in this way: the library's purpose should be to afford the opportunity for patrons to gain the information they seek and if that encourages them to activism or critical thinking at least, then so be it. But if it doesn't, that is okay, too, and the library has still accomplished its purpose of providing the information.
I did say "at first", because the more time I spent noodling this thought, I turned my thinking more on the side that suggests the library's very purpose and existence ought to be based on encouraging citizens of the community to think as citizens, evaluating between positions, good and bad, and judging between what is right and wrong.
The thought that sparked my change of position was this: What is the purpose of a school? Obviously, to me anyway, a school's purpose is to encourage students (citizens), to learn to discern between good choices and poor choices, or even between right and wrong. Why else would we have a school if it were not to teach people how to think and evaluate options? Or, in direct response to the question, to teach them to think critically.
In my mind, a library is ensconced in the realm of education and the same can be said of museums, for that matter. We go there to gain information or knowledge. That is education, self-education if you will, but education none-the-less. And, the core aim of gaining an education must be to learn to think critically.
There is no doubt that some patrons may exit from their experience without having been encouraged to think critically. But, let that not be the fault of the library, but the indifference or slothfulness of the patron.
A good day of thoughtful discussion throughout all sessions and activities.
Day Two
Talk about a religious experience. A librarian's dream might be visiting the Main library at the University. How about a library holding 11 million items?
Or, the fifth largest research library in North America?
Our tour of the "stacks" was impressive - five levels of old (and some new) library stacks, but more powerful was the shear majesty of the entry lobby and stairway off the quad and the central reading room. This is the feeling I've always had in large libraries like this one. Perhaps that is what has drawn me to this course of study and new profession.
The tour began in the undergraduate library, which is built below ground. This picture is taken from the quad (or the roof), above the atrium of the UG Library. The building space is adjacent to the Morrow Plots, which are agricultural experimentation gardens and fields which require unobstructed sunlight. So, the library goes down three levels, with a below ground connecting tunnel to the main library.
Our tech training continued, but most importantlty, we held our first meeting. Dr. Leigh Estabrook guided us through significant history of the field of librarianship and information science and established the setting for today's environment.
The discussion with TA's following the lecture caused quite a stir as we finally received the punch to the gut identifying the workload for the week. I left feeling woefully inadequate to accomplish all that was outlined. In fact, I'm having a hard time sleeping tonight and will have to "refresh" my page in the morning. One thing on my mind was the need to build this blog, and now that I've done that (next morning), the pressure is starting to subside - but only slightly because we've just begun the real course work and learning activities. It won't be getting any easier from here.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Day One
Our first day was filled with clinics, sessions, discussions, meetings and, of course, introductions. We are the first summer cohort of 70 students, with another cohort (70+ more) arriving next Thursday, entering the "bootcamp" experience of the LEEP on-line format. This being the fourteenth year of the LEEP program, we are referred to as 14.1
With a considerable number of English Majors in the room, I feel inferior to their prowess in writing and assume they are more well read than I. Perhaps my only hope in catching up in that respect, is that I have a few years on them! The introductions of classmates lead me to believe there is much to learn from them, perhaps as much as from the course instruction. Looking forward to it!
The amount of technology training, computer orientation and set-up required is not surprising, considering it is a distance learning program. But, the day seemed to be especially full of dealing with computing issues.
If we can keep all these laptops going, about 70 in the room at once, we'll make it through. I can't imagine what my undergraduate work would have been like with a computer. My experience was lined paper and pencils. Now, it is all contained in this little device that is no bigger than some of the textbooks I lugged around years ago.
The Dorms, of course, are another major topic of discussion. Too many memories of undergraduate living come flooding back.
Concrete walls, sharing bathrooms, narrow beds and bedrooms, small desks with no reading table by the bed, all seem to bring a negative memory. Yet, it is not so bad. The pace of this course desn't allow for much other than the studying, researching, reading and writing. So the dorm situation is tolerable.
To the right, is Sherman Hall, a graduate student residence hall just across the street from the GSLIS building, where most of us are staying. So, the "to and from" classes is about 2 minutes, room to room. Wouldn't we "Chicagoans" like that commute every day!
Good night.
With a considerable number of English Majors in the room, I feel inferior to their prowess in writing and assume they are more well read than I. Perhaps my only hope in catching up in that respect, is that I have a few years on them! The introductions of classmates lead me to believe there is much to learn from them, perhaps as much as from the course instruction. Looking forward to it!
The amount of technology training, computer orientation and set-up required is not surprising, considering it is a distance learning program. But, the day seemed to be especially full of dealing with computing issues.
If we can keep all these laptops going, about 70 in the room at once, we'll make it through. I can't imagine what my undergraduate work would have been like with a computer. My experience was lined paper and pencils. Now, it is all contained in this little device that is no bigger than some of the textbooks I lugged around years ago.
The Dorms, of course, are another major topic of discussion. Too many memories of undergraduate living come flooding back.
Concrete walls, sharing bathrooms, narrow beds and bedrooms, small desks with no reading table by the bed, all seem to bring a negative memory. Yet, it is not so bad. The pace of this course desn't allow for much other than the studying, researching, reading and writing. So the dorm situation is tolerable.To the right, is Sherman Hall, a graduate student residence hall just across the street from the GSLIS building, where most of us are staying. So, the "to and from" classes is about 2 minutes, room to room. Wouldn't we "Chicagoans" like that commute every day!
Good night.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Blogging
Blogging is not something I expected to ever be doing in my lifetime. It just isn't me. Opening up private thoughts goes against everything in my being. I would rather hear scratches on the chalkboard (we used to have those in schools and churches, but now . . .) than reveal my inner self.
However, as I launch a new phase in my life, I suppose it makes perfect sense to change my thinking in this regard, too, since I am changing almost everything else in my personna.
More importantly, this choice I've made to return to Graduate School after all these years has put me in a class that will eventually require me to write more than ever before and specifically to write about this class experience and how it impacts me. So, I will attempt to keep a running "BLOG" to document that as we go. It is my first attempt at such an enterprise and I will be learning about blogging amidst the rest of all this new stuff. See you in the Posts.
However, as I launch a new phase in my life, I suppose it makes perfect sense to change my thinking in this regard, too, since I am changing almost everything else in my personna.
More importantly, this choice I've made to return to Graduate School after all these years has put me in a class that will eventually require me to write more than ever before and specifically to write about this class experience and how it impacts me. So, I will attempt to keep a running "BLOG" to document that as we go. It is my first attempt at such an enterprise and I will be learning about blogging amidst the rest of all this new stuff. See you in the Posts.
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