Showing papers by "Loriene Roy published in 2016"

Information literacy: key to an inclusive society: 4th European Conference, ECIL 2016, Prague, Czech Republic, October 10-13, 2016 : revised selected papers

Abstract: The relationship of student teachers’ attitudes towards disability, social inclusion and technology’s role in that process was investigated in this study. Results are situated in the context of current literature on social inclusion in the modern technological society, emphasizing people’s ability to use tech‐ nology in order to engage in meaningful social practices. The student teachers’ attitudes towards social inclusion, perceived information literacy, self-efficacy, and perceived attributes of information and communication technologies (ICT) usage were the focus of this survey study. The questionnaire was administered to 300 future teachers studying at the graduate level in Croatia’s university system (University of Zagreb and University of Split). The data collected from the repre‐ sentative sample indicated a high correlation between student teachers’ attitudes towards disability and social inclusion, the self-assessment of information literacy and perceived attributes of ICT access and usage.

Public Library Services for Veterans: Selected Brief Case Studies

Abstract: Public libraries across the country design and deliver programs for military veterans and their families, often collaborating with other organizations and agencies. The examples were assembled from both general and specialized interviews with librarians, and literature and Internet searches, with summaries of programs assembled and written by multiple researchers. The specific limitations on the listing in this article are clearly outlined in the first section. Overall, however, the article provides a good introductory overview of what’s going on in veteran’s programs and services in America’s public libraries in over seventy libraries in forty states. We hope this list of what public libraries have organized or are doing will supply other public librarians with ideas on how to provide new services or enhance their existing ones.

Helping LIS Students Understand the Reference Librarian's Teacher Identity

Abstract: The library and information science (LIS) classroom setting for reference education is complex and busy. In a semester-long class, students are taxed with understanding concepts and acquiring skill...

Tradition and Transition: The Journey of an iSchoolDeep in the Heart of Texas

Abstract: The School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin (iSchool at UT-Austin) has evolved to be a unique program within the larger discipline of Library and Information Studies by incorporating traditional educational delivery while expanding the interdisciplinary nature of its faculty and curriculum. This article places our iSchool’s experiences within the narrative of the iSchool movement and points to various aspects of change, loss, and opportunity within the school’s history. The past and present status of both the graduate and undergraduate curricula at the iSchool at UT-Austin is described. We offer this story of the UT-Austin iSchool’s development as an example that helps deepen an understanding of the impact of such programs and their transformations on their students and faculty, as well as on the field of Library and Information Science (LIS).

Presenting Oral Content: For Students in Classes and Beyond

Abstract: In previous columns, I have looked at how students in reference can understand the process of asking questions of information providers and can gain experience in answering questions from the public. I have also written about the increasingly important role of instruction within the reference scenario. Students in graduate-level reference classes should also practice providing content through formal presentation settings, from point-of-need instruction to conference presentations. This column provides an example on how to incorporate such presentation skill preparation into graduate reference courses. I never predicted that my professional life would involve teaching, much less giving talks at professional meetings. Now, having delivered more than 600 presentations (and counting) in locations from Durban, South Africa, to Jokkmokk, Sweden, and with appearances on national television and interviews for national radio, presenting is part of my professional everyday life. My mistakes have been numerous: I have arrived rushed to a venue, failed to use an available microphone, spoken too quickly, and followed poor time management. Being a little on the shy side, I still wonder what prompts me to accept invitations to give presentations. I remain more nervous than is obvious at each speaking engagement and I avoid listening to any recording, podcast, or YouTube video that I am featured in. I have learned that I sometimes do an excellent job and leave audiences both informed and entertained; at other times I feel that I revert to a beginner’s presentation style and should learn anew how to better share content and satisfy audience needs. Still, I tend to accept any invitation to speak and seek gatherings where I may share what I am learning and expand my professional network. Although such engagements have become central to my career, I received little preparation for these tasks in either my master’s or doctoral education; I therefore pay special attention to providing opportunities for my students to gain such experience. Graduate reference classes give faculty an ideal situation for introducing and refining presentation skills that will help students

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling and its Place in the Teaching of Reference

Abstract: Reference is about storymaking. Each reference interaction is a lived experience in a moment of time. The moment includes two or more characters, dialog, action, suspense, and resolution. Some reference encounters are now legendary, often for their unique or humorous elements. Take, for example, the story of the student who requested a book titled Oranges and Peaches when he was actually assigned to read Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (Dewdney & Michell, 1996). Fleeting and evaporating, each story adds to the experiences of the reference provider and also to the satisfaction of the questioner. They provide humility to the art and science of reference and remind us that our work is important at the personal level. In this column I examine the potential of using such stories and narratives in reference classes. The stories of reference encounters offer valuable case studies that can help illustrate the nature and importance of reference service. Murphy (2005) referred to reference as a complex narrative wherein “three texts essentially intersect to form the reference narrative: the patron text, the professional text, and the institutional text” (p. 247). Devine, Quinn, and Aguilar (2014) similarly wrote about two main types of narrative used in library instruction: macro-narratives (folklore, myth, and fables) and micro-narratives (stories created by groups and/or for use in specific environments). Stories about reference are important vehicles for knowledge, but they also carry with them the responsibility of privacy, especially in guarding the privacy of the person who asks the questions. When done with care, however, storytelling can serve several meaningful functions within a reference course. Storytelling, for me, is not simply an approach to illustrate a point in the classroom. As an indigenous person, I use the act of storytelling to affirm my cultural identity. In Decolonizing Methodologies, Smith (1999) recognized story telling as a format/method for indigenous-based research. She pointed out both what makes storytelling attractive and how it serves as a tool for learning and teaching: “Intrinsic in story telling is a focus on dialogue and conversations amongst ourselves as indigenous peoples, to ourselves and for ourselves” (p. 145). Vizenor, a well-known author from my own reservation, the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota, likewise described the importance

The Searching Circle: Library Instruction for Tribal College Students

Abstract: In spring 2016, students enrolled in a face-to-face graduate “Library Instruction and Information Literacy” (LIIL) class in the School of Information (iSchool) at the University of Texas at Austin created a suite of instructional videos for librarians at TCUs to use with their students. Over the past twenty years, librarians at the TCUs have attended a five-day Tribal College Librarians Professional Development Institute (TCLPDI), usually held on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. The iSchool students presented their work at the TCLPDI in June 2016, inviting feedback from patrons including projections on how the videos might be used at TCUs.