The Distant Librarian

Trends in e-learning: What does it mean for libraries?

From Stephen's Lighthouse:

Upcoming free SirsiDynix Institute Event

Trends in e-learning: What does it mean for libraries?
Date : May 21, 2008
Start Time : 11 a.m. Eastern
Length : 1 hour

While in some sectors e-learning may seem "old hat", the world of e-learning continues to change at a rapid pace. With newer technologies such as mobile devices, technologies such as Second Life, litigation in the e-learning vendor arena, and evolving standards, e-learning remains a dynamic area that we have to keep our eye on. And while many libraries have fully developed e-learning environments, many are just getting beginning to explore the possibilities. This workshop will focus on issues related to how availability and interoperability are changing the way e-learning is being delivered as well how developments in open source and open access as well as social networking are changing the way e-learning occurs.

Frank Cervone —Professor of Education and Director of the Library, Information, and Media Studies program, Chicago State University

The author of numerous articles and four books on topics related to information technology, he writes a regular column for OCLC Systems and Services: International Digital Library Perspectives and has been an invited speaker at library conferences in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Brazil. He was a member of the NISO working group on metasearch and is the past chair of the CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) Learning Objects Task Force. He has a MSEd with a specialization in online teaching and learning from the California State University, an MA in Information Technology Management from DePaul University and a Ph.D. in Management and Information Systems from Northcentral University.

Register here.

CARL E-learning Research and Development Grant

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) E-learning Research and Development Grant is designed to support research and the development by librarians actively involved in the development and delivery of e-learning.

Two grants of $1,000 are awarded annually, when merited, primarily to members of CARL libraries.

The objectives of the grant are:

• to support research and development in the field of e-learning and libraries
• to encourage and support research and development undertaken by practitioners in the field of e-learning and libraries
• to promote research and development in the field of e-learning and libraries by and/or about Canadians

Criteria for Evaluation

Proposals for funding are judged on:

1. originality or importance of research or development;
2. relevance of the project to the goals and objectives of the Canadian Association of Research libraries;
3. cost-effectiveness of research in terms of the expected influence and ramifications of the results (pertaining to research or development only);
4. timeliness of the research (primarily for research or development) must be less than two years;
5. appropriateness of the proposed research method and development process;
6. comprehensiveness of application;
7. proof of effective management and control of the project;
8. indication of other funding sources to match the $1,000 CARL grant resulting in a $2,000 research or development project.

Preference will be given to submissions from practitioners in CARL libraries. However, years in which no suitable applications from practitioners are received, applications of suitable quality and content from other sources will be considered.

Submission of Proposals
Proposals should be submitted via e-mail as a Word document. The proposal should be in the form of a letter which explicitly addresses the criteria for evaluation listed above and also containing:

• name and address of applicant, mailing address and date of application;
• a reasonable description of the research or development project identifying methodology and development process;
• duration of the project, including a detailed project timetable;
• assessment of the potential utility of research results to the Canadian research library community;
• detailed assessment of costs and statement of other grants/awards received;
• a current Curriculum Vitae

Conditions of the Grant:

• the grant must be acknowledged in any promotional activity relating to the research or development accomplished through the CARL E-learning Research & Development Grant
• a report will be filed with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries within two months of the completion of the project or two years after receiving the grant, whichever is the shorter time period.

Deadline
Proposals should be submitted via email by midnight June 15 annually. Submissions by fax or post will not be accepted.

All proposals should be emailed to:

broe@uottawa.ca
Subject Line: CARL E-learning Research & Development Grant
c/o Brent Roe, Executive Director

Social Networking in the Academy

I had the pleasure this morning of speaking on a keynote panel at our annual Faculty Technology Days here at the U of Calgary.  My fellow panelists were D'Arcy Norman, Dr. Maria Bakardjieva, and Todd Andre, and we were billed as "experts" on social networking as a communication and learning tool.  You can see the outline of D'Arcy's intro to Social Networking and my brief outline for how libraries are using Facebook specifically on the wiki page dedicated to this talk.  I found the session really interesting - we'd structured it to get a lot of audience participation (72 or so registered), and we did, including interesting thoughts from students (Todd) and teaching faculty.  I hadn't realized how overburdened some of them feel w/o having to learn about new social networks and how to work them into their curriculum.  Not that I'd recommend sitting through the whole thing as the quality of the recording is low, but I created an account with ustream.tv and we streamed the session live, and recorded it as well.  It's here if you want to give it a crack:

Open Doors and Open Minds: What faculty authors can do to ensure open access to their work through their institution

SPARC and Science Commons have released "Open Doors and Open Minds: What faculty authors can do to ensure open access to their work through their institution." The new white paper assists institutions in adopting policies that ensure the widest practical exposure for scholarly works produced, such as that adopted by the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences in February. Full Press Release.

Survey on the use of IM Widgets

Danielle Dennie at Concordia University asks for your assistance in a survey she's running on your use of Instant Messaging Widgets:

Dear all,

I will be conducting a study to learn about and compare usage of IM widgets on online subject/research guides from different North American academic libraries. I would like to see the types of users that use IM widgets on a librarians subject guide and the type of questions that are asked. The survey is short (it should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete). Here is the link to the survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Lk5nkzDRP_2bUOh2NEdgU2YQ_3d_3d

If you (or someone you know) have an IM widget on your subject guide, I would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out the short survey.

Thanking you in advance,
Danielle Dennie


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Danielle Dennie
Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry and Physics Librarian
Concordia University
Vanier Library Building
7141 Sherbrooke St. W.
Montréal (QC) H4B 1R6
Office: VL-127-3
Tel: 514.848.2424 ext. 5237
Email: danielle.dennie at concordia.ca

Technorati Tags: IM, Reference, Widgets, Surveys

SUNY Press allows you to choose - $75 or $20

Sue Polanka at No Shelf Required notes that SUNY Press is now allowing customers to download frontlist titles as PDFs for only $20. Check her link for more details.

My piled-up reading list

Getting pretty far behind on my reading list, but here are some recent titles that may also be of interest to you:

Personality traits of individuals in different specialties of librarianship DOI: 10.1108/00220410810858056
Journal of Documentation
Volume 64, Issue 2, 2008, Pages 273-286

Abstract
This paper aims to investigate whether academic reference librarians, archivists, catalogers, distance education librarians, public librarians, records managers, school librarians, special collections librarians, and systems librarians differ in personality traits measured by the Personal Style Inventory: i.e. adaptability, assertiveness, autonomy, conscientiousness, customer service orientation, emotional resilience, extraversion, openness, optimism, teamwork, tough-mindedness, visionary/operational work style, and work drive. It also aims to investigate whether personality traits of those in person-oriented library specialties differ from those in technique-oriented (technical) library specialties. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 2,075 librarians/information professionals were surveyed in non-random sample. The Personal Style Inventory is a normal personality inventory assessing important traits for the world of work. It was used in a two-step cluster analysis for the data analysis. Findings - The paper finds that distinct personality traits were associated with the different types of librarians. There was also a "unadaptive" cluster composed of individuals from all specialties. There were distinguishing traits associated with person-oriented and technique-oriented specialties. Research limitations/implications - Results were not generalizable due to the non-random sample. Gender was not collected. The research has implications for career counseling. Originality/value - There have been few studies of personality traits in library specialties, none measuring both narrow work trait and broad personality trait variables.

Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students Within Florida' s Community College System.
Community & Junior College Libraries; 2007, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p35-61, 27p DOI: 10.1300/J107v14n0106

Abstract:
The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery. Digital reference services appeared to be one of the more significant services proffered by academic libraries although these services were developed often without forethought to goals and assessment. Previous studies evaluated traditional and telephone reference service; however, the literature lacked studies addressing asynchronous digital reference service.

Utilizing WebQuests for Information Literacy Instruction in Distance Education. DOI:10.1300/J106v14n03&#x201703
College & Undergraduate Libraries; 2007, Vol. 14 Issue 3, p45-62, 18p

Abstract:
The increasing use of problem-based learning in higher education affords librarians new avenues for promoting the development of information literacy skills among students. Information literacy instruction supports problem-based learning activities by providing students with skills to locate relevant resources for developing solutions to these exercises. The author created three WebQuests (together with tutorials) aimed at promoting faculty-librarian partnerships to deliver information literacy instruction through a problem-based learning approach in the context of course work in a distance learning environment. These problem-based learning WebQuests can be adapted to various disciplines as well as to traditional learning environments. Lastly, these WebQuests promote the development of information literacy skills in students as well as increase their exposure to problem-based learning.

Course Reserves: Using Blackboard for E-Reserves Delivery. DOI: 10.1300/J474v18n01-09
Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserves; 2007, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p79-91, 13p

Abstract:
Jacksonville State University's (JSU) Houston Cole (HCL) Library has always provided access to required course readings through a reserve system. In the past, this service was only available in print. Now, as JSU's programs move to the online arena, the Library is making its presence felt strongly in this new online environment. Along with providing access to required course readings through an electronic reserve system, Docutek's ERes, HCL also offers faculty the option of using their course-management software, such as Blackboard, to deliver the e-reserves to their students. This article details the technical implications of adding reserves to Blackboard courses.

U. of Houston Study: Students in 'Hybrid' Course Got Better Grades
Wired Campus

Students who took the hybrid class earned, on average, a letter grade higher than students in the traditional class. A report of Mr. McFarlin’s findings, collected over the course of six semesters, was published in Advances in Physiology Education.

Why Copyright? Michael Geist at the University of Calgary

Earlier this week, Dr. Michael Geist spoke here at the University of Calgary, on copyright, of course.  The title of his talk was Why Copyright? and was a discussion of both why copyright is a hot topic in Canada right now, and why it should be a hot topic.  With his permission, I recorded the talk using the same setup I did for the Prentice video, and here it is.

You can also download an mp3 of the talk, which is actually what I'd recommend.  There's really not anything vitally important visually in the talk, and my "camerawork" was particularly bad with the lighting and the angle.

Sorry for no added commentary from me here, just so damn busy these days :-/  D'Arcy has some thoughts at his place.  (thanks for the use of the Mic, D'Arcy)

Preliminary Program for WILU 37 announced

This year, the 37th Workshop on Instruction in Library Use (WILU) is held in Kelowna, BC at UBC Okanagan, from May 14-16.  The preliminary program has just been announced.


Technorati Tags: WILU08, InfoLit

Schedule now available for 13th Off-Campus Library Services Conference

The schedule has been posted, as has workshop info and registration.  Looks like some really good stuff!


Technorati Tags: OCLSC, OCLSC08

Harvard faculty votes to post research online

"Harvard University's arts and science faculty voted unanimously yesterday to post their scholarly articles and research online, where they would be available for free to the public, despite concerns that the move would affect the quality of research." - full story from the Boston Globe.

Some interesting quotes in the article, like this one from a VP at the Association of American Publishers, "This is a vendor-customer dispute over price," Adler said. "It doesn't surprise us that all libraries feel their budgets are far less than desirable, but that's a reality the educational community faces."


Technorati Tags: Open_Access, Harvard

CANHEIT 2008 Call for Participation

The Canadian Higher Education and Information Technology Conference (CANHEIT) is a unique event, focusing on those IT issues that are of Canadian significance and of primary interest to universities and community colleges. This annual conference brings together senior administrators, managers, and staff who are responsible for the management and evolution of their campus information systems, learning systems, and infrastructure.

This year, the University of Calgary has the privilege of hosting the sixth annual CANHEIT conference to be held in Calgary, Alberta from June 15 to 18, 2008. "On the EDGE" is the theme for CANHEIT 2008.  It allows for fellow technological trailblazers to share their adventures, and help each other to safely traverse new frontiers in the field of Information Technologies.  It is our hope that “On the EDGE” will encourage innovative thought and discussion among IT colleagues at CANHEIT 2008.

We invite you to present at the CANHEIT 2008 conference. There are three presentation formats to suit your topic and style: standard presentations, panel sessions, and "birds-of-a-feather" (BoF) forums. First-time presenters are always welcome!

The program streams are:
- Security and Infrastructure
- Innovative Technologies and Methods
- Support Models in Today’s Environment
- Management and Strategy
- Research and Learning

To submit your proposal, please visit the CANHEIT 2008 website: http://canheit.ucalgary.ca/proposalsubmission

To review the proposal guidelines see http://canheit.ucalgary.ca/guidelines

The deadline for submitting your proposal abstract (maximum of 100 words) is Friday, February 29, 2008.

Additional Conference Information

- Conference Registration will begin on March 15, 2008.  Check the website for further details: http://canheit.ucalgary.ca/registration
- If you are interested in volunteering at the 2008 CANHEIT Conference, please send an email to canheit.2008@ucalgary.ca

Thank you, from your CANHEIT 2008 Program Committee.

Criteria for tenure and promotion: a review of practices among members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries

Just posted to our institutional repository is a brief report (13 pages plus an appendix) entitled Criteria for tenure and promotion: a review of practices among members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries.  The abstract reads as follows:

This study reviews current practice relating to tenure and promotion to the highest rank by examining those libraries closest to our situation, the members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. A search of the literature indicates that reviews of tenure and promotion criteria and practices for Canadian academic libraries are rare. In 1995 Gloria Leckie and Jim Brett undertook a review of the key terms and conditions for librarians found in collective agreements of libraries belonging to the Canadian Association of University Teachers. Their findings indicate that practices vary widely with no consistent approach across the board. A number of factors exerting upward pressure on criteria and promotion for University of Calgary librarians led me to investigate whether this upward pressure was a widespread phenomenon, and therefore whether criteria and processes for tenure and promotion had subsequently been affected. Results from this investigation are compared to the initial 1995 survey. For comparison purposes, a literature survey was conducted and findings are summarized.

Technorati Tags: Tenure, Libraries, Canada

Innovation in a book about Innovation

OK, I'm sure it's not really an innovation, but it was the first time I'd ever seen it, and it makes so much sense!  I just finished reading The myths of Innovation, by Scott Berkun, and instead of offering the standard semi-useful bibliography, at the end of this book he provides a ranked bibliography.  The bibliography shows the books from which he took the most notes first.  What a great idea!

It's a really quick read, only 150 pages of actual text, and it did a really good job of sparking some ideas as I was reading.  The colophon is not to be missed either ;-)

Technorati Tags: Innovation, Berkun, bibliographies

Library 2.0 Initiatives in Academic Libraries and wiki

Just learned that the new ACRL book Library 2.0 Initiatives in Academic Libraries has an accompanying wiki.  And of course Meredith has a website where she constantly refreshes links for her book, Social Software in Libraries.  Neat ways to keep traditional print current!

Bibliography on Mobile Devices in Distance Education

Michele Reid posted the attached bibliography from the Midwinter Discussion Group session to the OFFCAMP list, and it's reposted here with permission.

 

Incorporating Screencasts In Online Teaching

From The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 8, No 3 (2007),   ISSN: 1492-3831 - Incorporating Screencasts In Online Teaching by Elaine Peterson.

I'm linking to the abstract page instead of the full text because from there you can choose HTML, PDF, or to listen to the article as an mp3, which sounds surprisingly good to me - neat option!

Abstract
Despite success in teaching the class ‘Organization of Information in a School Library Media Center’ (EDCI 545) online, one component continued to be a problem for students, the Dewey Decimal Classification System. To supplement the instruction, a set of simple screencasts was developed to assist distance education students. Benchmarks were established and a beta test conducted. It is expected that the next online class of students will have increased success because of the addition of screencasts. It is suggested that screencasts be considered as an additional tool for online learners across other disciplines, particularly when using databases that have layered sets of information, requiring multiple mouse clicks.

Interesting to me that while the author used links to the websites of the products she mentioned, the literature review only looked for traditional print literature, despite the fact that there's plenty of evidence in the blogosphere of libraries using screencasts for instruction...



Technorati Tags: screencasting, distance_education

Online Workshop: Building a Community that Values Academic Integrity

You might be interested in this online workshop from the Center for Intellectual Property at UMUC ($150)

Building a Community that Values Academic Integrity
Dates: February 25 - March 7, 2008 (early registration by February 8 )
Moderators: Gary Pavela, M.A., J.D., Director of Judicial Programs and Student Ethical Development, University of Maryland -- College Park & Kimberly Bonner, J.D., Executive Director, Center for Intellectual Property, University of Maryland University College

Studies show that establishing a community of shared academic values fosters academic integrity in the classroom. However, establishing that community may be more difficult when students adopt the values of a digital "remix" culture that challenges the traditional understanding of authorship. How do institutions foster academic integrity values in light of changing cultural norms? Are there special techniques and tools required? Are the best tools to use in preventing academic dishonesty "technical" like Turnitin.com? And are there additional legal and ethical issues involved when using technical measures to prevent academic dishonesty?

Goals for the course:

• Examine faculty and student attitudes about academic integrity
• Examine several strategies to foster academic integrity and discourage dishonesty in teaching and learning
• Evaluate the importance of building trust in academic environments and identify key factors in achieving and sustaining trust online and face-to-face
• Review some of the currently available online tools helpful in discouraging academic dishonesty
• Evaluate the legal issues involved in using those tools to foster academic integrity
• Consider the educational tools that can be used to remediate students after academic dishonesty occurs

Utilizing WebQuests for Information Literacy Instruction in Distance Education

Haven't actually looked at this article myself...

Author: Blummer, Barbara
Source: College & Undergraduate Libraries, Volume 14, Number 3, 18 December 2007 , pp. 45-62(18)

Abstract:
The increasing use of problem-based learning in higher education affords librarians new avenues for promoting the development of information literacy skills among students. Information literacy instruction supports problem-based learning activities by providing students with skills to locate relevant resources for developing solutions to these exercises. The author created three WebQuests (together with tutorials) aimed at promoting faculty-librarian partnerships to deliver information literacy instruction through a problem-based learning approach in the context of course work in a distance learning environment. These problem-based learning WebQuests can be adapted to various disciplines as well as to traditional learning environments. Lastly, these WebQuests promote the development of information literacy skills in students as well as increase their exposure to problem-based learning. doi:10.1300/J106v14n03_03

Call for Proposals for Access 2008

Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Date: October 1-3, 2008 (Hackfest: Oct 1; Conference: Oct 2-4)
CFP Deadline: Friday, February 22, 2008
URL: http://access2008.mcmaster.ca

Access is Canada's premier library technology conference, featuring a single stream of sessions that deal with technology planning, development, challenges and solutions. We are now accepting proposals for prepared talks on the following topics (other ideas are more than welcome):

    * customized web applications and search interfaces
    * open source software
    * national and provincial/state-wide consortia technology initiatives
    * information policy
    * digital and social media
    * library catalogue innovations
    * digitization projects
    * institutional repositories
    * end-user searching behaviours
    * protocols and metadata

...or anything else suitably geeky, innovative and/or awe-inspiring! Sessions are usually 45 minutes or 1 hour in length. Proposals should include:

    * your name, title, institutional affiliation, contact information, blog/website URL
    * 100 word (max) abstract describing your proposed presentation
    * co-presenters you will (or hope to) present with

Submission Procedures:

    * deadline for submission is February 22, 2008.
    * send your proposal to Amanda Etches-Johnson, Program Chair, at etchesa AT mcmaster.ca
    * each submission will be acknowledged and all presenters will be notified of the status of their proposal by April 15, 2008.
    * if you'd simply like to recommend topics and/or speakers (other than yourself), feel free to get in touch!

Depending on the number of submissions, we can't promise that every proposal will be accepted. However, we will have sessions set aside for Lightning/Thunder talks, which provide an informal opportunity to share your ideas with your peers.

For more information about Access, see the Access 2007 website. Alternatively, feel free to get in touch with the members of the Program Planning Committee:

Amanda Etches-Johnson
User Experience Librarian, McMaster University
etchesa AT mcmaster.ca

Jenn Horwath
Virtual Branch Manager, Hamilton Public Library
jhorwath AT hpl.ca


Technorati Tags: ACCESS2008, Access2008, Access08

Information Literacy Programs in the Digital Age: Educating College and University Students Online

A new book from ACRL: Information Literacy Programs in the Digital Age: Educating College and University Students Online.

Information Literacy Programs in the Digital Age: Educating College and University Students Online describes significant and innovative online instruction programs in a straightforward, narrative way, focusing on the development, implementation, and assessment of each institution’s online information literacy instruction effort. By pooling the experiences of a variety of institutions and programs, this book provides a bank of knowledge that serves as a resource to other institutions currently teaching IL online and a guide to those contemplating it.

Price: $48.00
ALA Member Price: $43.20
278 pages
Softcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-8444-4
ISBN-10: 0-8389-8444-4
© 2007

TOC is here (I co-wrote a chapter on WISPR with my colleagues Shauna Rutherford and Alix Hayden).

Survey of Library Services for Distance Learning Students

Posted to the Web4Lib mailing group:

Primary Research Group (http://www.primaryreserch.com/) is planning to publish a survey of college libraries that provide library services to distance learning students. This survey is open to accredited colleges from all countries. Participants receive a free PDF copy of the estimated 100-page report. Data is broken out by type and size of institution for easier benchmarking. Participants are listed but responses are confidential. To take the 40-question survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yX6WslbR6pWYfSaTsDC0Qg_3d_3d

James Moses, Research Analyst
Primary Research Group Inc.

Took me about 10 minutes to complete...

Evaluating Remote Reference Service: A Practical Guide to Problems and Solutions

From the most recent issue of portal: Libraries and the Academy (Volume 8, Number 1, January 2008):

Pomerantz, Jeffrey.
Mon, Lorri M.
McClure, Charles R.

• Evaluating Remote Reference Service: A Practical Guide to Problems and Solutions
  [Access article in HTML] [Access article in PDF]

  Subject Headings:
  

  • Electronic reference services (Libraries)  -- United States -- Evaluation.
  • Academic libraries --  Reference services -- Evaluation.
  
  Abstract:
  

  This paper identifies key methodological issues affecting quality of
  data in the evaluation of remote reference services. Despite a growing
  number of studies in this area, no comprehensive effort has been made
  to identify potential problems and suggest solutions. The strategies
  proposed in this paper offer practical ways in which libraries can
  improve the overall quality and usefulness of data gathered in remote
  reference evaluation studies.

LITA Distance Learning Interest Group at ALA Midwinter

From the DLIG Blog:

You are invited to the LITA Distance Learning Interest Group discussion!

Saturday, January 12, 10:30-12:00pm, Courtyard Downtown, Salon III #3 on the map (PDF).

The LITA Distance Learning Interest Group will meet at the 2008 ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia to discuss current issues in distance learning and some of the exciting things the interest group has planned. Here are a few of the things we’d like to discuss:

• Our program, If we don’t call it distance learning, does it exist?, for Annual 2008.
• A possible LITA webinar on distance learning issues.
• A possible online course.
• Uses for our blog at http://dlig.wordpress.com/ .
• General issues in distance learning such as integrating library resources with course management systems.

Are there other topics you’d like to discuss?  Please feel free to email Karen Wetzel or Lauren Pressley and we’ll add them to our list.

All are invited! Please bring your experiences and ideas to share in an informal setting. We hope that you will join us for a lively and useful discussion.

Technorati Tags: ALA, DLIG, LITA

AAAS Says Science Will Remain in JSTOR

No real details, but Library Journal reports that:

Under pressure from libraries for its 2007 decision to pull its flagship publication, Science, from JSTOR, the popular electronic journals database, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) said today that it has reversed course, and that Science will remain in JSTOR. Citing a confidentiality agreement, AAAS officials issued only a brief comment: “AAAS and JSTOR are pleased to announce that we have concluded an ongoing discussion and have been able to reach an agreement to continue what has been a very productive relationship between JSTOR and the journal Science."

Yay.


Technorati Tags: JSTOR, Science, AAAS