Showing papers in "Journal of Education for Library and Information Science in 2014"

Learning Portals: Analyzing Threshold Concept Theory for LIS Education.

Abstract: IntroductionThreshold concept theory is a relatively new framework (Meyer & Land, 2003) that deepens our understanding of critical learning experiences. The theory provides a framework of characteristics for identifying crucial conceptual knowledge that represents learning portals within a subject area or discipline. These learning portals are considered to be threshold concepts as their mastery involves learning to see some aspect of the world in a totally new, transformative, and often counter-intuitive manner. Following such transformed understanding, continued and profound learning associated with the concept becomes possible. This article argues that much may be gained by viewing core curricula, learning objectives and LIS competencies through such a theoretical lens.As LIS educators, we are often confronted with the question of what is required to make learning possible, a question given center stage by Marton and Booth (1997), who framed it broadly and epistemologically: "How do we gain knowledge about the world?" (p.l). They described epistemology itself as presenting an inherent paradox between the knowledge gained and the "truth value of the knowledge gained," explaining that "education has norms-norms of what those undergoing education should be learning" (p. 2). Threshold concept theory represents an approach to identifying necessary learning outcomes, the concepts critical to deep understanding-a high truth value of knowledge-for a domain or discipline. Other early research includes the work of Donald Schon (1983; 1987) who wrote about deep disciplinary understandings when describing a stark contrast between knowledge acquisition and learning at a level he called 'professional artistry'. Schon stated thatArtistry is an exercise of intelligence, a kind of knowing, though different in crucial respects from our standard model of professional knowledge. It is not inherently mysterious; it is rigorous in its own terms; and we can learn a great deal about it-within what limits, we should treat as an open question by carefully studying the performance of unusually competent performers. (1987, p. 13)As educators, our responses to questions about what makes learning possible are shaped by the learning theories we adopt. Cognitivists may establish the kinds of mental models they would like learners to adopt; behaviorists may identify the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to curricula; constructivists may frame the learning experiences desirable to foster particular outcomes (Bruner, 1960). Adopters of the variation theory of learning (Marton & Booth, 1997) would respond in terms of seeking to understand learners' different ways of seeing key constructs and bringing about awareness of these ways of seeing. For example, Edwards (2006) adopted the variation theory of learning (in practice) in her research that resulted in the Net Lenses model for describing variation in the ways university students experience web-based searching. Theoretical models such as these have formed an important part of the repertoire of tools available to LIS educators. Threshold concept theory gives us a new lens through which to consider fundamental aspects of our discipline, as well as education for that discipline and its associated professions. The transformative properties of threshold concepts resonate with Marton and Booth's characterization of the learning experience as seeking meaning and involving "changing as a person" (1997, p. 38) and with Schon's depiction of professional artistry (1987).The theory of threshold concepts is introduced next and studies relevant to how it is being used in higher education are described. Following this, new research, into learning experiences integral to leamingto-search, forms a case illustration of what threshold concept theory may contribute to LIS education. The leaming-to-search research is presented, followed by its implications for search expertise and search education specifically. …

What Do We Mean by Library Leadership? Leadership in LIS Education.

Abstract: IntroductionLeadership is an often-misunderstood word, especially in the context of libraries. With a plethora of definitions for the word 'leadership', it can be difficult to identity what exactly is meant when discussing library leadership. Much of this definitional confusion comes from the misidentification of leadership as simply 'management' (Riggs, 2001). Management and leadership are two related, but distinct, concepts. Both are important in the day-to-day experiences of professional librarians; yet, it is leadership that has been recognized as "the most important competency when hiring" (Hicks & Given, 2013, p. 7). Undoubtedly, leadership is an area that deserves attention and promotion in library and information studies (LIS) education. For this literature review, the definition of LIS curriculum includes professional association leadership programs (e.g. Special Library Association's (SLA) Diversity Leadership Development Program). In reality, LIS education and curriculum covers more than only what is taught in MLIS programs. Regional, state, national, and association based leadership programs provide continuing education for MLIS students and professional librarians. Additionally, in this review the discussion of library leadership comes from a North-American context.This literature review compiles 10 years of scholarly research on leadership as it relates to North-American LIS education. Some of these articles are geared towards the practitioner, while others concentrate on how iSchools and LSchools are using their curricula to teach and encourage leadership skills in MLIS students. Instead of focusing on leadership within the context of a particular LIS school or type of library, this review draws together literature on LIS schools, public libraries, law libraries, school libraries, and international libraries. As a result of this evaluation of the literature, a more holistic understanding of 'leadership' as a concept in LIS education can be better understood.MethodThe articles for this literature review have been compiled through database searches on the Library Literature and Information Full Text, Academic Complete Search, and Google Scholar. The keywords used to find relevant articles from these databases are 'leadership', 'LIS education', 'mentorship', 'curriculum', and 'library'. The majority of the 28 retrieved articles have been published within the past 10 years. Older articles were briefly reviewed as a historical reference on the way in which library leadership has previously been studied.Defining 'Leadership'Numerous articles in this literature review point out the abundance of definitions for leadership (Hicks & Given, 2013; Mason & Wetherbee, 2004; Mullins & Linehan, 2006; Riggs, 2001; Winston & Hazlin, 2003). With over 100 definitions of leadership available and even more styles of leadership, it can be difficult to understand exactly where leadership fits within North-American LIS education and librarianship (Riggs, 2001). What does 'library leadership' mean? Should leadership development be included in LIS curriculum? Or should education on leadership take place as part of professional development in the workplace?Management vs. LeadershipOften in the literature and professional communication, the terms management and leadership are use synonymously. This is particularly true among library administration and library staff that frequently view leadership as solely a role of those in management positions. However, management and leadership are two very distinct terms. Managers regularly "work within defined bounds of known quantities, using well-established techniques to accomplish predetermined ends" (Riggs, 2001, p. 6). In contrast, leaders maintain an understanding of what the mission and goals of an organization are and how these can be fulfilled (Riggs, 2001).Management and leadership are both necessary for the survival and growth of a library. …

Real Learning Connections: Questioning the Learner in the LIS Internship

Abstract: The focus of literature on the role of internship has been on whether and how such activity benefits the student. A model is proposed that examines what happens for both the practitioner supervisor and the LIS educator during an internship experience. Is it possible that all participants learn from the experience and how can that learning be characterized? The results from a three year-long case study are shared.

Information Anxiety from the Undergraduate Student Perspective: A Pilot Study of Second-Semester Freshmen.

Abstract: IntroductionMany researchers in the field of library and information science in education have explored different ways that undergraduate students experience the information seeking process (Belkin, 1980; Dervin, 1999; Jiao, Onwuegbuzie, & Lichtenstein, 1996; Kuhlthau, 1991; Williamson, 2005). Most particularly, many of these researchers have endeavored to understand more about information seeking from the undergraduate student perspective, such as when searches relate to specific information needs (e.g. looking for information to write an academic paper). Of the literature available on information seeking and undergraduate students, something appears to be fairly consistent in the findings, particularly in recent research: undergraduate students experience a great deal of information anxiety when seeking information in a formal (i.e. library) setting, particularly if the process relates to an academic need (Becker, 2003; Gross & Latham, 2007; Gross & Latham, 2009; Kuhlthau, 1991; Van Kampen, 2004). Researchers in library and information science have discovered that such anxiety can be deleterious to both information-seeking and the academic performance of undergraduate students in the long run (Kuhlthau, 1991; Kwon, 2008; Kwon, Onwuegbuzie, & Alexander, 2007; Nicholas, Huntington, Jamali, Rowlands & Fieldhouse, 2009; O'Brien, & Symons, 2007).Despite scholarly awareness of the situation described above, little is known about triggers for such anxiety, or specific areas within the concept of information anxiety that are experienced most strongly by undergraduate students. Therefore, there is a need to understand more about specific elements within information anxiety that have an effect on undergraduate students so that academic librarians may be more effective in addressing these effects in working with undergraduate students, particularly in terms of information literacy instruction. This pilot study aimed to build a foundation for further study in the area of specific triggers of information anxiety from the undergraduate student perspective.Study Background and PurposeOne of the authors became interested in the role of information anxiety on student performance with information literacy tasks when teaching freshmen students in an orientation class at a four-year state university. It was observed that many students became anxious about the library orientation portion of the class, and some of the reasons they gave for such nervousness had to do with not understanding how the library and research tools work. Research into the literature on the topic revealed the Library Anxiety Scale, developed initially by Sharon Bostick in 1992 and further validated by Onwuegbuzie, Jiao, and Bostick in 2004. The Library Anxiety Scale has 43 statements about library usage and emotion that are meant to assess which areas of the library (e.g. staff, resources, tools, etc.) cause respondents the most anxiety (Onwuegbuzie et al, 2004). Based on previous adaptations of this measure by other researchers in library and information science (Jerabek et al, 2001; Kalbach, 2006; Kwon, 2008; Kwon et al, 2007; Van Kampen, 2004), it became apparent that the potential existed to adapt the measure to be more reflective of information anxiety by including items related to information technology (which students in the author's courses had explained were sources of anxiety for them when performing research tasks). The measure could then be used to study information anxiety as a whole among undergraduate students. The Information Anxiety Scale (Appendix I) contains 12 additional items reflecting the broader area of information anxiety.Literature detailing undergraduate experiences with introductory research confirms that anxiety plays a role in how students feel about the process. In a four-year national study, Project Information Literacy (2012) discovered that adjectives used frequently to describe the research process by undergraduate students included "fear, angst, tired, dread, excited, anxious, annoyed, stressed, disgusted, intrigued, confused, and overwhelmed. …

Technology Competency Requirements of ALA-Accredited Library Science Programs: An Updated Analysis

Abstract: IntroductionThe field of librarianship draws individuals from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Some incoming Library and Information Science (LIS) students are "digital natives," often fresh out of their undergraduate experience and well-versed in a variety of technologies. Others are entering the field after relatively lengthy careers in other areas and represent "digital immigrants" as they may have adopted new technologies later in life (Prensky, 2001). The task of teaching students with such a broad range of skills and experiences has led some LIS graduate programs to develop technological skill requirements to ensure that incoming students are fully prepared to begin their education and succeed in an academic environment that has become largely dependent on technology.Dominican University's Graduate School of Library Information Science requires incoming students to demonstrate technological competency. An ALAaccredited program just outside Chicago, Dominican developed its LIS student technology competencies in 2007. These competencies require all students to complete a series of tests demonstrating adequate skills in the use of Microsoft Office and HTML as well as the ability to search the Internet, evaluate web pages, and manage files. Students must complete and submit these tests for evaluation by the end of their first nine credit hours. Assistance is provided for inexperienced students through workshops provided by the Dominican chapter of the Library and Information Sciences Student Association and the IT department.After several years of use, Dominican's Technology Competency Committee has decided to revisit the requirements and system used to evaluate students. This evaluation came after student discontent with the current setup, largely coming from technologically-sawy digital natives who saw the required tests as busy work-overly simple yet time-consuming. In the process of revamping Dominican's technology competencies, questions have arisen as to what other LIS programs are doing to evaluate and assess incoming student skills.Revisiting and building upon a prior study conducted in 2008, this research examined the websites of the 58 ALAaccredited LIS graduate programs in order to better understand what schools are currently doing to ensure their students have the technological skills necessary for academic success. While Dominican's Technology Competency Committee will directly benefit from a survey of other schools' practices, this study will also help provide a better understanding of the expectations of the field as a whole and how these may have changed over the past four years.The following research questions were specifically posed:* How many LIS graduate programs provide published technology requirements and what form do these take?* What skills do program websites list as requirements and/or recommendations?* How do programs evaluate incoming students' technical knowledge?* What types of remedial support do programs provide for incoming students?* Do schools with a similar profile share similar requirements, evaluation methods or remedial support?* How have technology competency expectations specified on program websites changed since 2008?Literature ReviewAs the evolution of technology continues to impact on the field of librarianship, educators in LIS have reassessed curriculum accordingly. The impact of technology on LIS education has been widely documented in the literature, perhaps most notably in the 2000 KALIPER Report (Association for Library and Information Science Education, 2000). After completing their in-depth assessment of LIS curricula, the scholars behind KALIPER marked a curricular sea change by identifying technology as a major component in coursework trends. This development was further examined in Markey's widely cited study of LIS curricula which designated technology as a major emerging theme based on the 55 ALA-accredited programs examined (Markey, 2004). …

Drawing Information in the Classroom.

Abstract: Information lies at the center of information studies, the information professions, and information education. Yet there are few agreed upon pedagogical strategies for engaging students in our central concept. In many educational programs the nature of information is assumed to be obvious and therefore left uninterrogated. Alternatively, students may be asked to read articles, such as "Information as Thing" (Buckland, 1991), in conjunction with a lecture, class discussion, or writing assignment. To expand the available options, this brief communication offers educators in information studies a new, artsbased, participatory approach for teaching about information itself.At the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, I ask my students to draw a conception of information on a 4" by 4" piece of paper, coined an "iSquare." This activity serves as a genial entree to an abstruse topic, accommodates a wide-variety of learning styles and intelligences, complements the scholarly literature about information, leads to lively class discussions, and generates a bespoke collection of images that can be tapped throughout the semester.Conceptions of information traditionally appear as definitions made of words, but there are compelling reasons to invite students into the conversation via images. Drawing activities have been used successfully in other fields to engage learners in the topics of celebrity (Gauntlett, 2005), teaching (Weber & Mitchell, 1995), and economics, (Budd, 2004), among many other matters. Visual theorist and educator Sandra Weber (2008) asserts that images are more accessible than academic discourse, capture things that are hard to put into words, communicate more holistically, evoke stories or questions, and help us pay attention in new ways.The classroom procedure is easy to execute and utilizes readily available, inexpensive materials. In advance, heavy white drawing paper should be cut into 4" by 4" squares. Good quality paper encourages students to take the activity seriously; the modest size keeps the images from sprawling and is more felicitous to display and manipulate afterwards. One side will be used for the drawing surface and the other to capture a profile of the participant. For greater consistency, black pens can be provided to all students, which limit the expression of information to a simple monochrome figure. To begin, instructions should be presented as follows:On one side of the paper respond to the question "What is information?" in the form of a drawing. On the other side of the paper write your name, age, gender, and area of study. You will have 10 minutes. Please use the paper and pens provided.Each student will produce one unique drawing and altogether the class generates a diverse collection of iSquares, for a learning experience on both personal and social levels. My previous research has found (Hartel, in press) that the pictures capture the major themes surrounding information today. For instance, some drawings will locate information in the mind, in renderings of the brain or head animated with a thought bubble [Figure 1(a)]. Other expressions will reflect the communicatory and social aspect of information, entailing figures talking in twosomes or groups [Figure 1(b)]. Many pictures will likely capture "information as thing" (Buckland, 1991) with displays of books, documents, or technologies [Figure 1(c) and 1(d)]. Often students will envision information in symbols, whether periods, dollar signs, or question marks [Figure 1(e)]. The dynamic, abstract, and somewhat mysterious nature of information may appear in striking patterns made of circles, dots, or dashes [Figure 1(f)]. …

Information Vaccine: Using Graphic Novels as an HIV/AIDS Prevention Resource for Young Adults.

Abstract: Problem Statement and Literature ReviewAlthough breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS prevention have been made in recent years, it is still a deadly disease. Over 10,129 young people in the U.S. have died from AIDS (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, n.d.).Of all new HIV infections in 2006, 34% were among youth, ages 13-24. By the end of 2006, nearly 56,500 youth were living with HIV infection or AIDS. In 2009, young persons accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in the US. For comparison's sake, persons aged 15-29 comprised 21% of the US population in 2010. In 2009, young African Americans counted for 65% (5,404) of diagnoses of HIV infection reported among persons aged 13-24 years (Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2011).South Carolina has one of the highest incidence rates for HIV/AIDS in the United States (Figure 1). In South Carolina the primary at-risk population for HIV/AIDS is African-American teens, particularly young men. Eighty percent of 15 to 24 year-olds who are newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in South Carolina are AfricanAmerican (South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, 2010). The rate of reported new HIV/AIDS cases among African-American South Carolinians is eight times that of Whites (Carolina Teen Health, 2012). As a result, education and prevention efforts are needed to raise young adults' awareness of HIV/ AIDS issues. Unfortunately, many young people are not concerned about becoming infected with HIV/AIDS (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2000). Further, prevention campaigns are not usually targeted to a specific, local community; rather, they are often designed in a more generic format and fall short of their intended prevention efforts (Albright, 2007). Albright (2007) identified important components of successful HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Sub-Saharan Africa that were integrated into the current study. She identified the following components of successful campaigns that have been adapted to this study:1. Materials should be designed specifically for the target audience within their particular culture. They need to be available in the language of the target population. The researchers believe the graphic novel should be written in the vernacular of the target population for the study: Columbia youth, aged 15-19, many of whom will be in the higher risk, African-American population.2. Because of the high degree of illiteracy in South Carolina, materials need to be available in a format that includes visual images as well as text.3. Because of the collectivist culture of the target population, information is likely to be shared in common spaces (e.g. public and school libraries, community centers, schools, churches). The graphic novel should be made available in those places.4. Peer education appears to be a common and effective approach for disseminating HIV/AIDS information. Thus, the target population should be included in the development and modification of the materials, word-of-mouth and sharing of information will be enhanced via peer networks.5. The use of fiction is helpful for making HIV/AIDS information more interesting and appealing, particularly for youth, with a storyline and corresponding visual images.Successful prevention campaigns also take into account the use of appropriate messages targeted to the specific population in an authentic, accessible format (Albright, Kawooya, & Hoff, 2006). Although much of the existing HIV/AIDS prevention information for young people is accurate, it is often not readily available, nor presented in a format such as graphic novels that they find appealing. Further, due to the large influence of media and advertising, today's young people are very visual and multimedia learners. As Flynt and Brozo (2010) suggest, "Visual culture is a constant in students' daily lives." (p. 526). Young adults are more inclined to read and retain information if it is in an engaging format such as graphic novels that is popular with their generation (Gavigan, 2012). …

MOOCs as LIS Professional Development Platforms: Evaluating and Refining SJSU's First Not-for-Credit MOOC

Abstract: IntroductionPundits and mass media have argued that massive open online courses (MOOCs) can transform education in the 21st century, presenting an opportunity for global, open learning. Many have greeted MOOCs with enthusiastic acclaim and described them with such words as "storming" (Clarke, 2013, p. 403), "unprecedented" (Schwartz, 2013, p. 1), and "revolutionar' (Morrison, 2013, p. 1). Understanding this new, evolving landscape and its potential to make learning more accessible and affordable should be a priority for educators, and is already being scrutinized by faculty, administrators, and librarians.Beyond for-credit offerings, some schools are exploring MOOCs as a means to promote lifelong learning and professional development. In their MOOCs, LIS schools have offered timely content and learning opportunities for practitioners far and wide. Either on the sideline or on the frontline, LIS administrators and faculty are beginning to address the potential and pitfalls of MOOCs in a spirit of risk-taking and environmental scanning of future opportunities, especially in the broad area of online education.In this paper, we begin to empirically address if MOOCs can, for LIS programs, fill a role and serve new populations of learners within large-scale learning environments. To do so, we use a MOOC we designed, built, and instructed as a test bed.In Fall 2013, the SJSU School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) offered its first large-scale, open online course, the Hyperlinked Library (HL) MOOC. The MOOC was intended to serve as a professional development opportunity for students working in LIS environments. Unlike SJSU's partnership with Udacity, the SLIS's HL MOOC was offered free of charge, not for academic credit, and was taught in a bespoke learning environment.For this paper, the following research questions frame our inquiry:* Is there potential for LIS programs to serve new populations of learners using MOOC environments?* Can this MOOC model help LIS practitioners develop professionally?This paper begins with a brief review of the literature on MOOCs and large-scale professional development, before providing background about the HL MOOC. Next, we detail the findings of our analysis of preand post-course online survey responses about expectations and motivations for enrolling in the MOOC, opinions regarding the course design, course content, and perceptions regarding the course's value as a professional development venue. The paper finishes with a discussion regarding our takeaways for refining the platform and course design, as well as insights regarding the use of large-scale learning environments for professional development in LIS.Literature ReviewA Brief History of MOOCsMOOC-what the acronym describes is open to interpretation. While the "M" in MOOC stands for massive, there exists no hard-and-fast rule that defines what size a course needs to be to fit the name (Fasimpaur, 2013, p. 13). While openness is the primary means of differentiating MOOCs from other online courses (Fasimpaur, 2013), varying interpretations of how open a course needs to be, also confuse the issue. MOOCs are most often free and open to anyone, but some courses may restrict class enrollment on a first-come firstserved basis. Some may also require fees. The second "O" in MOOC is a given-the course must be offered online. Even then, however, many students have taken it upon themselves to meet in-person with others taking the same MOOC, as evinced by the nearly 30,000 people who have signed up to join one of the Coursera communities on Meetup.com, a site dedicated to helping groups with similar interests meet face-to-face (Meetup.com, 2013).The term MOOC was first used in 2008, by George Siemens and Stephen Downes, to describe a free, online course of 2,300 students taught at the University of Manitoba (Educause, 2011). Since then, largescale learning opportunities have multiplied, including varying forms and sizes of for-profit and for-credit MOOCs along with strategic partnerships with organizations like Coursera and Instructure. …

Community Informatics Studio: Designing Experiential Learning to Support Teaching, Research, and Practice

Abstract: IntroductionThis paper introduces a model of experiential learning to support teaching, research, and practice in library and information science (LIS). The concept we call Community Informatics (Cl) Studio uses studio-based learning (SBL) to support enculturation into the field of "Community Informatics" (Campbell & Eubanks, 2004; Gurstein, 2003; Keeble & Loader, 2001; Stoecker, 2005; Williams & Durrance, 2009). The SBL approach is rooted in the apprenticeship model of learning in which students study with master designers or artists to learn their craft. This pedagogical technique is closely related to John Dewey's inquiry-based learning (Lackney, 1999). In this paper, we argue that the Cl Studio provides a novel research approach for examining LIS-led community engagement by modeling actual learning environments where future LIS professionals can develop meaningful Cl projects.The paper begins with a review of the "community informatics" and "studiobased learning" literature to provide a foundation for our research. We then briefly consider the research sub-questions, methodological approaches and findings from our three mini-case studies of the Cl Studio course offered over three semesters. The study presents and discusses three related investigations that emerged from our overarching research question: How can the Cl Studio be understood as a model of experiential learning to support LIS teaching, research, and practice? The goal of the paper was to provide an instructional model that can prepare future LIS-professionals to lead meaningful community and civic engagement projects.This study is significant because federal agencies and foundations have recently called for public libraries to address community information needs by leading community engagement efforts. "The Promise of Libraries Transforming Communities" (Institute for Museum and Library Services, 2012), IMLS & The MacArthur Foundation's "Learning Labs" (Institute for Museum and Library Services, 2011), and The Knight Foundation's (2009) "Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy" are three recent examples recognizing the unique abilities that public, academic and school libraries offer to advance local community and civic engagement. In this paper, we argue that the Cl Studio can provide LIS teachers, researchers and practitioners with a theoretical and methodological framework for advancing LIS-led community engagement initiatives.Theoretical FrameworkWe begin the paper by introducing the CI and SBL literature as the foundation upon which we suggest a model for coupling these practices as a useful approach for advancing LIS teaching, research and practice with community members.Community InformaticsCommunity Informatics examines how people in geographic locations interact with information and communication technology (Williams & Durrance, 2009) and its application to enable and empower community processes (Gurstein, 2007). Community Informatics researchers view "informatics" as the digitization of society, particularly as people's lives move online from physical to virtual spaces. O'Neil (2002) argued that "theories for measuring the impacts of Cl projects fall into five key areas," including strong democracy, social capital, individual empowerment, sense of community and economic development opportunities (pp. 78-79). Other scholars have argued that Cl can help support community organizing projects and social justice goals. For instance, one area of study for Cl, which served as a project focus for each of the case studies in this paper, looks at the ways community institutions such as public libraries, community centers, social service agencies and churches can utilize public computing centers (PCCs) and digital media literacy workshops as interventions for addressing the "digital divide," or the gap between the "information haves and have-nots" (National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 1999, p. …

Investigating a Peer-to-Peer Community Service Learning Model for LIS Education.

Abstract: IntroductionLibrary and Information Science (LIS) faculty attempt to impart a balance of theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to prepare graduates as professionals in diverse settings. However, the transition from student to professional is more than an epistemic shift; it is a "transformation of the self," whereby learners come to exemplify the values, behaviors, and thinking of the professional community (Dall'Alba, 2009; Weidman, Twail, & Stein, 2001). This occurs when learners have opportunities to interact with established professionals (Mehra & Robison, 2009) as well as those whom the profession serves. LIS programs facilitate this by engaging established professionals to teach, inform curricula, and supervise experiential learning opportunities. However, as Dall'Alba (2009) notes, "the most challenging task of learning professional ways of being ... is left to the students themselves" (p. 43). This is problematic given that "a clearly defined professional identity . . . [determines] . . . work-readiness, recruitment, retention, job satisfaction and work-related motivation" (Tsang, 2010 p. 1). As LIS educators, how do we support students' journeys into the profession?There are a number of educational para- digms from which to draw answers to this question. LIS programs in North America have typically included a practicum component as a graduation requirement, and additional opportunities, such as part-time work placements and longer co-operative work terms exist to give students professional experience. Experiential learning, which emphasizes in situ problem solving and rests upon intrinsically motivated self-directed learners (Knud, 2007), is an important element of LIS education and is enthusiastically embraced by students. Another model, community service learning (CSL), is receiving increasing attention. CSL encourages students to "contextualize course work" and to acknowledge patrons as equals and experts, with the goal of benefitting the learner and the community where the learning occurs (Mehra & Robinson, 2009, p. 30). In addition, peer tutoring has been explored for its benefits for both tutees and tutors. This has received little recognition in LIS, despite the intellectual, emotional and social gains that have been documented (Badura, Millard, Johnson, Stewart & Bartolomei, 2003; Elmendorf, 2006; Fantuzzo, Riggio, Connelly & Dimeff, 1989). Thus we sought to formally explore the application of these experiential learning models in LIS education.From 2008 to 2010 we developed "Research Rescue," an experiential learning opportunity for LIS students at the University of British Columbia, which draws upon CSL and peer tutoring models. We hypothesized that by participating in the program, emerging librarians would come to understand their position in the learning process, act as role models, and enhance their knowledge and professional identity through reflection and interaction (Badura et al, 2003). In this paper, we describe Research Rescue and report on the learning outcomes for LIS student participants. We begin the paper by examining what it means to become an information professional. We then introduce peer tutoring as a way of facilitating professional "be- coming," rooting it in experiential and community service learning. Next, we describe the Research Rescue program and report on students' experiences as peer tutors. Lastly, we analyze and interpret these experiences qualitatively, and discuss our findings. We provide evidence that students took steps towards the formation of their professional identities through their participation in Research Rescue.Literature ReviewDiscussions concerning professional identity are abundant in LIS, yet tend to focus on stereotypes (e.g., Seal, 2008) or on the changing identities of established professionals. Julien and Genuis (2011), for example, surveyed more than 700 Canadian information professionals to explore the relationship between library instruction duties and self-identification as a teacher. …

RDA: Training and Continuing Education Needs in Academic Libraries.

Abstract: IntroductionRDA: Resource Description & Access is a new cataloging code that has been developed as a replacement to Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). The development of RDA marks the first major catalog code revision in more than 30 years in the English-speaking library community. While RDA is backward-compatible with most AACR2 instructions, its instructions have been reworked to align more directly with the new conceptual model for bibliographic control as developed in Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). As a practical application of the FRBR model, RDA is intended to provide a flexible and extensible framework that is easily adaptable to accommodate all types of content and media within rapidly evolving technology environments, while also producing well-formed data that can be shared easily with other metadata communities in an emerging linked data environment (IFLA Study Group on the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records, 1998).Many RDA-related questions have arisen in the cataloging community over recent years. Questions include key areas of difference between RDA and AACR2, comparison between RDA and other metadata standards, impact on encoding standards such as Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC), end-user considerations, and practitioners' views on the new cataloging code (Tosaka & Park, 2013). At this point, however, the most critical question in the field may be how catalogers and paraprofessionals can prepare themselves for RDA implementation. A successful transition from AACR2 depends first and foremost upon how easily and smoothly practicing catalogers and metadata creators can learn and apply the new cataloging code effectively. This transition may be even more challenging in the changing cataloging department environment today. Comparing transitions to AACR2 and RDA, Inter (2011) wondered, for example, how the cataloging community could best train the army of paraprofessional copy catalogers that handles the bulk of daily cataloging production in most technical services departments, and whether RDA implementation might be hindered by this ongoing process of deskilling in the cataloging profession.A number of studies were initially conducted-mostly by national library organizations-to survey practitioners' views on RDA training when the new cataloging code was published for official release in June 2010 (Tosaka & Park, 2013). The primary goal of this study was to replicate these earlier studies and evaluate practitioners' preparation and expectations about professional training on the eve of RDA implementation. Using nationwide online survey data, mostly drawn from cataloging and metadata librarians in U.S. academic libraries, we sought to investigate prevailing levels of preparation among cataloging and metadata practitioners, perceived readiness to implement the new cataloging code, and perceived areas of training topics and types of continuing education resources needed to support the successful transition from AACR2.Overview of Past RDA SurveysThe implementation of AACR2 in the early 1980s sparked controversies in the U.S. library community that were once described as the "war of AACR2" (Martell, 1981). By contrast, the reception of RDA arguably has not reached the same level of criticism and acrimony. The official release of RDA was followed by several surveys designed to gather information about catalogers' views on the technical, operational, and financial implications of its implementation. These results threw much needed light on how practitioners in the field felt about RDA costs and benefits and how those issues could be better addressed in preparing a smooth transition to the new cataloging code (Tosaka & Park, 2013).U.S. National Libraries RDA TestIn early 2009, the three U.S. national libraries announced a joint plan to test RDA and conduct a systematic review of its operational, technical, and economic implications. …

Faculty Opinions on the Use of Master's Degree End of Program Assessments.

Abstract: IntroductionThe majority of Library and Information Studies (LIS) master's degree programs require students to successfully complete an end-of-program assessment (EPA) to receive a master's degree. Other LIS master degree programs do not use EPAs to determine whether a student earns a master's degree. Some EPAs may assess students' knowledge and abilities more directly than others and there is a wide range of opinions among LIS faculty on the use and value of these assessments. This study examines faculty opinions of the advantages and disadvantages of different EPAs. It also reports preferences for the use of EPAs in LIS education.BackgroundFinal assessments are standard in many disciplines. Comprehensive exams and theses or dissertations have been part of graduate education in the United States for at least 150 years (Storr, 1953). Portfolios have become popular more recently.Master's degree requirements are variable both across disciplines and across universities (Berelson, 1960). While U.S. doctoral degree components became standardized in the 1930s to generally include coursework, comprehensive exams, two foreign languages, dissertation, and oral exam (Schafer & Giblin, 2008), a similar process has not standardized Master's degrees. While some Master's programs focus on research and discipline-specific knowledge acquisition, the Council of Graduate Schools reported that the majority are practice-oriented professional programs (Council of Graduate Schools, 1994). Whether an EPA is a required component of master's education may be dictated by university requirements or accreditation standards (Oehrtman, Smolen, Hoblet, & Phillips, 2010).While few studies on EPAs exist in the LIS literature, there are several such studies in the literature of other fields. Many of the papers reviewed pointed to Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives as a rubric for designing effective EPAs, particularly the cognitive aspects of the taxonomy (Fitch, Reed, Peet, & Tolman, 2008; Loughead, 1997; Ponder, Beatty, & Foxx, 2004; Schafer & Giblin, 2008). For LIS education, Latrobe and Lester (2000) reported that there was a variety of EPA options including theses, capstone courses, various kinds of projects or papers, and portfolios, with about 40% of programs requiring comprehensive exams. Following, are brief lists of advantages and disadvantages of EPAs as gathered from the literature.PortfoliosPortfolios are relative newcomers to graduate education and are hailed as a means to spur self-reflective analysis by students. In Latrobe and Lester's (2000) piece on the adoption of portfolios at University of Oklahoma, they reported that, by 1999, there were four LIS programs using portfolios. By 2010, there were 15 LIS programs doing so (Wallace & Naidoo, 2010).Not all portfolios are the same and different types result in different products and learning experiences. Fitch, Reed, Peet, and Tolman (2008) identify the following portfolio types: Assessment or evaluative, reflective, integrative, structured, process or learning, and showcase or professional. Additionally, they can be paper or electronic.Portfolios have a number of advantages. Unlike other EPAs they offer a longitudinal assessment that represents the educational process (Fitch, Reed, Peet, & Tolman, 2008; McNamara & Bailey, 2006; Prus & Johnson, 1994; Ryan, 2011). They also illustrate multiple components like writing, critical thinking, and ability to integrate knowledge (Fitch, Reed, Peet, & Tolman, 2008; McNamara & Bailey, 2006; Prus & Johnson, 1994; Thyer, 2003) and demonstrate student achievement of program objectives and competencies (Latrobe & Lester, 2000; McNamara & Bailey, 2006; Ryan, 2011; Thyer, 2003). They teach selfreflection (Fitch, Reed, Peet, & Tolman, 2008; Latrobe & Lester, 2000; Ryan, 2011; Scott, 2010). Reputed to be more related to professional expectations than other EPAs (Fitch, Reed, Peet, & Tolman, 2008; McNamara & Bailey, 2006; Prus & Johnson, 1994; Ryan, 2011; Thyer, 2003), they give a more accurate picture of abilities and potential success in a career (McNamara & Bailey, 2006). …

Changing Course: Collaborative Reflections of Teaching/Taking "Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Information Professions"

Abstract: IntroductionThis paper is an exploration of a graduate Library and Information Science course "Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Information Professions" from the points of view of the two co-instructors and three students who took the course. This collaboration is an attempt to reflect on the experience of teaching/taking this course, the institutional and disciplinary context of the course, and the effectiveness of a course like this as an intervention to the normative landscape of the Library and Information Science (LIS), a field that often privileges White, male, middle-class, heterosexual, U.S.-based values and interests (Honma, 2006; Pawley, 2006). This paper will offer a literature review defining the normative landscape of LIS, provide a brief background for the re-establishment of this course, and will discuss the positive aspects and pitfalls of injecting this course into the curriculum as a "diversity" intervention. Finally, it offers recommendations for how to further make visible and shift the landscape in LIS toward an inclusivity that actively deals with how race, gender, class, and sexuality deeply informs our profession.LIS scholars (Honma, 2006; Pawley, 2006; Vaidhyanathan, 2006) have called for increasing interdisciplinarity, critical evaluation of how historical processes in the creation of specific fields within library and information science, and issues related to diversity, are enacted within pedagogical practice. White and Gilliland create a strong case for reassessing the current state of archival education and interrogating the formation of that field (2010). These authors argue that the integration of multiple disciplines and theoretical perspectives is an important aspect of working to counter colonial impulses that shaped archival practice, and argue for a reflexive interrogation of the Eurocentric foundations of archiving as a means for developing a broader and more socially just practice. Calls to interdisciplinarity, which are coupled with a recommendation for creating more meaningful actions toward increasing diversity and representation within LIS, can be found in Bharat, Olson, and Ahmad (2011). These authors advocate for an institutional shift that is not based solely in course work. They propose actions that:include looking at theory and practice together, proposing outcome-based impacts on local minority communities and individuals, developing diversity integration standards at the accreditation agencies, extending discourse at professional associations and formal and informal gatherings, addressing specific concerns of faculty and students, acknowledging organizational politics and institutional culture inertias, amongst others. (2011, p. 48)Race, gender and sexuality stands as one branch of this needed intervention. The course we will discuss in the article drew heavily from a broad swath of critical, feminist, critical race and other disciplines to establish a context for understanding how these issues are elided within much of the LIS curriculum. It may be useful here to discuss the role of interdisciplinarity as it is regularly implemented within LIS education.LIS and Myths of InterdisciplinarityA question for any interdisciplinary field becomes "what are the acceptable parameters of interdisciplinarity?" Information Science as an interdisciplinary field is so closely tied to information technology as to be indistinguishable, while maintaining strong human and social dimensions (Saracevic, 1999, p. 1052). Library and Information Science also draws theory and method from as diverse traditions as computer science, history, sociology, political economy, media and communications, and cultural theory. An equally important question to consider may be "what are the common threads that everyone in the field should be conversant with in LIS?" Is there equal expectation, for instance, that colleagues be as conversant with critical theory, cultural studies, and work that critiques social structures like racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism, as they are with database management, computer programming, and some of the more technical fields of LIS? …

If Not Us, Who? Social Media Policy and the Ischool Classroom.

Abstract: Introduction"If not now, when? If not us, who?"(George Romney, 1963)1Through this article we argue that iSchools across the globe should develop policy frameworks and guidance for addressing the use of social media tools in post-secondary classrooms. iSchool educators are keenly aware of the vibrant, complicated interactions that develop between people, information and technology (Dillon, 2012). These interactions are particularly complicated when individuals are engaged in social media activities that are closely linked to course requirements and evaluations of academic performance. iSchool faculty members are uniquely positioned to identify and investigate the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of public, profit-driven proprietary platforms for educational purposes. In turn, iSchool administrators and curriculum committees are poised to incorporate findings from their colleagues' work into the proactive and iterative design of information policy that informs effective pedagogical practice and supports the ethicallyresponsive use of social media. We report on initial steps towards this goal, a series of interwoven investigations informing the development of an adaptive social media policy for our school.Many stakeholders are involved in the provision of post-secondary education. We chose to frame our inquiries around three primary stakeholders: the educator, the student and the administrator because pedagogical policies have the greatest impact on their day-to-day lives. For the educator, we focus on contemporary research from the Learning Sciences concerning social media use for pedagogical purposes; for the student we gathered students' insights on how they negotiate social media requirements set by instructors; and for administrators we analyzed the institutional policies of top-tier programs, looking for those that address the classroom use of social media.We begin with a description of the motivation for the project and segue into a review of learning sciences research on the use of social media tools in post-secondary education. We argue that educators interested in improving their pedagogical use of social media need to be well-informed on this scholarship. We then present findings from a survey of continuing students across our school's four graduate-level programs, to develop an idea of how they believe social media is contributing (or not) to their learning when no school-wide policy exists. Next we introduce the reader to our third exploration-an analysis of publicly accessible online social media policies from North American universities that have highlyranked library and information science graduate programs that are members of the iSchool caucus. Drawing on the three investigations we discuss the development of an adaptive policy statement, "Social Media in the Classroom," that we drafted for faculty discussion and feedback at our school. Although the specifics of the policy remain under review, we describe the core components for readers of this submission to discuss, appropriate, trial and adapt. We present next steps in terms of introducing and implementing the social media policy across our school. Finally, we call on the iSchool/LIS education community to continue to develop, share and research iterative policy models that engage the ever-changing affordances of social media technologies and the tensions these proprietary tools create in the post-secondary educational environment.Situational MotivationIn early November 2012, a request was posted to the Association for Internet Researchers listserv concerning social media policies in educational contexts (Kruse, 2012). The scholar who posted the message stated that she had volunteered to draft an ethics document for her department and she needed to address whether it was acceptable to require students to have (or use) an online presence on a social media site as a part of their coursework (Kruse, 2012). …

Diversity in Literary Response: Revisiting Gender Expectations

Abstract: IntroductionFor years literature has been seen as a gendered medium and reading has been viewed as a gendered practice (Bleich, 1986; Cherland, 1994; Flynn, 1983; Holland, 1977; Linkin, 1993; Millard, 1997). Much of the research on gender and literature preference is more than ten years old, yet book and media marketing relies heavily on gender stereotypes based on the findings of those studies. Teachers and librarians still say, "I don't know if I would use that book because it would only appeal to girls" or "boys won't read a book with a female protagonist." This demonstrates the continuing pertinence of the question of whether literacy practices are gendered, and what that might look like today.When responding to literature, the reader approaches the text through the lens of their sociocultural identity constructions. These constructions are reflective of our interpretive communities and are based on shared assumptions about language, the nature of knowledge, cultural models, and social expectations (Gee, 2008). These invisible, common sense assumptions are the basis for ideology and ideologies are often local constructions built on the values of the communities in which we claim membership (Fairclough, 2001).Experiences with literacy help shape our ideologies. The texts that are read or written and the social and cultural contexts in which they are read or written position readers within discourses of gender and sexuality (Davies, 1990). Societal discourses define certain texts and activities as feminine or masculine. The social discourses on gender that normalize certain characteristics and practices as masculine or feminine have a great influence on how we see ourselves in relation to many activities, including literacy practices. This is one reason it is often assumed that those literacy practices are gendered.The problem with the notion of gen- dered reading is that it assumes that all readers take up social constructs the same way. It also avoids looking at the ways we resist social and cultural constructs. Gender practices are neither innate nor omnipresent. Gender essentialism creates a norm, based on our sex characteristics, for how we are expected to engage in literacy practices. This does not consider the economic, social, and cultural factors that also influence identity and literacy. Although the professionals in libraries and schools are attempting to motivate struggling and alliterate readers, the result of such essentialism is text selection, book discussions, marketing of materials, and reader's advisory that reifies gender differences and promotes gender opposition.Revisiting Prior ResearchThis study examined participants' responses to literature in order to revisit research that postulated the concept of gendered literacy. It questioned whether assumptions, based on research more than ten years old, should be used to guide reader's advisory, collection development, and pedagogical decision-making today. Because it is likely that gender expectations have changed over the last twentyfive years, this research looked at the assumptions about gender and literacy from early research done ten to thirty years ago and the current assumptions that the participants in this study brought to the literature they read and to which they responded. The study also sought to understand how those assumptions and expectations may have changed, how they shaped participant responses to the texts, and how the texts and the socially situated classroom discourse reproduced or resisted the gender norms described in earlier research.Gender and Literacy PracticesBecause we understand how to perform gender through our experiences with our communities, this research was guided by social constructionism, which looks at cognition as an external process, occurring during the negotiation of understanding in a discursive interaction (Hruby, 2001). We leam through talk and interaction with others. …

Mapping the Infoscape of LIS Courses for Intersections of Health-Gender and Health-Sexual Orientation Topics

Abstract: IntroductionHealth information support services are essential in today's society and it is urgent that their development, provision, and delivery reflect progressive cultural values in the 21st century (Braa, Monteiro, & Sahay, 2004; Mehra & Dessel, 2011; Saxena, Thomicroft, Knapp, & Whiteford, 2007). This is especially true regarding gender and sexual orientationrelated content (e.g., information needs, values, and practices) that is considered taboo owing to patriarchal norms and heterosexist assumptions all-pervasive in our society and culture (Lugg, 2003; Reardon, 2001; Skelton, 2001). The intent of the article is to explore the information landscape (i.e., infoscape) of library and information science (LIS) courses for intersections of health-gender and health-sexual orientation topics, concerns, and issues.The strategy of mapping to study the infoscape that LIS programs create via the public domain of the Internet in representing information about the courses they offer on their websites is explored. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2004) defines the term "mapping" as the act or process of making a map and identifies the following meanings of a map: as something that represents with a clarity suggestive of a map (noun); to plan in detail (transitive verb); and to assign in a relation or connection to another (intransitive verb) [italics added]. These meanings of mapping have been applied in LIS to represent: a conceptual analysis of disciplinary domains (e.g., science) (Klavans & Boyack, 2009); tools for understanding of information-related patterns in software development and use in various areas (Cobo, Lopez-Herrera, Herrera-Viedma, & Herrera, 2011); methods to create local, regional, and global maps (Klavans & Boyack, 2011); and, techniques to represent bibliometric research (Nees, Waltman, Dekker, & Berg, 2010; van Eck, Waltman, Dekker, & van den Berg, 2010). This article adopts the term "map" in its conceptual meaning from popular vernacular and integrates its various dimensions (identified above) to just mean organizing or systematizing information in a way that reveals trends and patterns in a collection of LIS courses. The concept of LIS is used with reference to the entire gamut of information creationorganization-management-dissemination processes and their education in the contemporary context.The term infoscape (etymology = info + scape) refers to the virtual and physical landscape of information and its interactions (Skovira & University, 2004). Mapping the infoscape of LIS course representations on the web (as conducted in this research) is important for identifying the patterns and course counts to track the intersections of health-gender and healthsexual orientation topics in the LIS curricula across the master's degree programs in Canada and the United States. The concept of infoscape helps holistically relate to an informational ecology or the environment of information use and information creation from the enterprise level to the personal level (in this case from the programmatic level in the LIS schools to the individual course level) (Davenport & Prusak, 1997; Hasenjager, 1996; Nardi & O'Day, 1999). Documenting the public representations of courses on the websites of LIS programs is significant since the Internet has now become unequivocally the primary information resource tool used by diverse populations in nearly every part of the world (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, & Cammack, 2004; Peterson & Fretz, 2003; Rice, 2006). It is often the first place where potential students and other stakeholders will search and find information about LIS programs (Johnson, 2007; Manzari & Trinidad-Christensen, 2006). Analyzing what LIS programs are doing (or not doing) in representing information about their programs on the publicly accessible online domain can potentially identify marketing and public relations strategies for the profession as a whole, and by individual programs, to showcase their offerings and attract the best of students to their ranks (Kim & Sin, 2006; Wilde & Epperson, 2006). …

Improving the Leadership Skills of Pre-Service School Librarians through Leadership Pre-Assessment.

Abstract: School librarian guidelines encourage active leadership in schools. Two ways school librarian educators can encourage school librarians to be leaders are to embed the standards into the certification curriculum and to assess the leadership potential of preservice school librarians in order to adapt the curriculum to their needs. This mixedmethod study examines how a pre-assessment of leadership potential was implemented in a school librarianship certification program that emphasized leadership skills. The results of the study indicate that the leadership pre-assessment implemented during the program application process effectively identified teacher leaders with the potential to be exceptional school librarians. This signifies that leadership pre-assessments can enable school librarian educators to help pre-service school librarians to improve their leadership skills.

Enabling Gender-Inclusivity in LIS Education through Epistemology, Ethics, and Essential Questions

Abstract: IntroductionPhilosophical concepts can be intimidating or seem irrelevant for library practitioners and for students studying to become practitioners. However, as Budd argues (2001), "philosophical investigation of practice is not an abstract exercise, but is intrinsically connected to the nature of practice and is aimed at discovering how we act within our profession" (p. 80). Epistemology, or the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge and knowing, not only has relevance to LIS, but is foundational to the conceptual grounding of its practices (Budd, 2001). Epistemology underpins a wide range of LIS practices, but here the emphasis will be on using it as a starting point for discussions of gender and sexuality diversity, issues that LIS students should be prepared for when they enter the field, given the well-known role of libraries in providing information about diversity of gender and sexuality. Additionally, an increased focus on ethics in LIS education requires more foundational philosophical considerations across the entire curriculum (Britz & Buchanan, 2010).Despite its value, the perceived difficulty of epistemology, or ignorance or fear of discussing gender and sexuality concerns, can limit widespread use in the classroom. Mangrini (2009) writes that "philosophy contributes in a direct and positive manner" to education, but in order to be effective, must be "communicable," citing McCutcheon's view that scholars write "in jargon that renders the work inaccessible to practitioners" (p. 46). Thus, essential questions (EQs) are proposed as a method of bringing the difficult but necessary concepts of epistemology, ethics, and gender diversity to LIS education in an accessible but rigorous manner.EQs are not entirely new to LIS. Brown (2012) advocates for inquiry-based learning in LIS based on the framework of Karl Popper's rationalism. She describes the strategies of focused conversations and? EQs and how they relate to LIS, offering four reasons why inquiry-based models are particularly suited for LIS education:1. Questions foster intellectual freedom2. Questions are central to vetting information3. Questions develop the capacity to anticipate and manage change4. Questions promote reflection about practice (Brown, 2012, pp. 192-193).Since epistemology concerns the natures of reality, truth, authority, agency, category-formation, and the representation and reliability of knowledge, all of the reasons above justify epistemically-derived EQs to discuss gender in an LIS context.Budd (2003), in the context of the critical theory of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu and of Jurgen Habermas's theory of praxis, contends that library and information science as a field is not particularly inclined toward theory, with many practicing librarianship in a state of what Bourdieu calls "epistemic doxa" or "unthought" (p. 30), which can contribute to a social ignorance to the impact of policies and actions (or inaction). For example, Greenblatt (2003) identifies several assumptions held by library staff about LGBTQ library users, such as assumptions that no LGBTQ users live in the community or use the library, and furthermore, that offering services "promotes their 'lifestyle'" (p. 22). The consequent invisibility or condemnation rendered to the LGBTQ people who do live in those communities violate the ALA's Core Values (2004) and Code of Ethics (2008), and assumptions such as these must be unearthed in the MLIS classrooms.In a survey of LIS educators, several reasons stated in favor of educating toward an awareness of a diversity of perspectives are to "accurately reflect the diversity experienced in people's lived realities," "meet the needs of diverse communities," "develop empathy to view other people's assumptions," and "educate and provide a global perspective to parochial and narrow-minded cultural viewpoints" (Mehra, Olson, & Ahmad, 2011, p. 42). Information on gender diversity and sexual orientation, in particular, are topics often sought in the library because of the sensitivity of the topics (de la tierra, 2008). …

The Current Landscape of the School Librarianship Curricula in USA.

Abstract: IntroductionWith the availability of online resources and the advances in information and communication technology, the professional environment in library science has been greatly changed in the past two decades in the United States, a change that has directly and indirectly impacted School Library Media (SLM) and Library and Information Science (LIS) educational programming. To respond to the change, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) have revised the guidelines and standards for School Library Media (SLM) specialists (Garry, 2010; Stephens & Franklin, 2009). LIS programs have implemented major curriculum changes (Robbins, 1998), including the launch of iSchools to support an interdisciplinary approach to the field (Wiggins & Sawyer, 2010). These changes may impact most school library media programs since most American Library Association (ALA)-accredited LIS programs also offer school librarianship programs. In view of these changes a systematic examination of nationwide curricula components is needed.While a few empirical studies of LIS curriculum in North America have been conducted (Beheshti, 1999; Markey, 2004), a review of the literature reveals that no attempt has been made to systematically analyze curriculum components of school library programs. Such a systematic analysis is needed, however, given the change in school library programs. This study examines the curriculum components of school library programs existing within ALA-accredited programs, AASLrecognized programs, and programs that have neither ALA accreditation nor AASL recognition.Review of the LiteratureIn one of the first attempts to map LIS curricula into subjects, Beheshti (1999) analyzed the titles and descriptions of courses offered by the 44 ALAaccredited Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programs and identified 57 major concepts with coverage intensity. The methodology was based on a hierarchical cluster analysis to create clusters of topics. According to this initial analysis, the four most intensive concepts were technology, management, organization of information, and searching and database development. Beheshti concluded that while the traditional LIS concepts were covered, newer concepts, such as database development, mathematical methods, non-print media, human-computer interface, and artificial intelligence, have also been incorporated into LIS curricula. Markey (2004) manually analyzed the LIS curricula of 56 institutional members of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). Her study showed that a typical set of core requirements is comprised of five courses: Organization, Reference, Foundations, and Management, and one course in either Research or Information Technology. She also identified a new trend, the focus on a user-centered approach to information delivery. Hall (2009) manually examined the core curricula of 55 ALA-accredited LIS programs, focusing on the required core courses, and found six main areas of emphasis: Foundations, Organization, Management, Reference, Research Methods, and Information Technology. He concluded that the core curricula have evolved "to meet the changing complexity of the information environment," but some areas such as information literacy and information ethics are not growing quickly enough (p. 66).In examining the implementation of professional standards into LIS curriculum, various studies have reported contradictory findings. Comparing the LIS core curricula to the subjects listed in the 1976 International Federation of Library (IFLA) standards, Marco's study (1994) reported that no LIS program is required to cover all the basic subjects described in the standards. However, Irwin (2002), using the same IFLA standards, reported a quite different result, finding that the IFLA subjects are covered by LIS core curricula. McKinney's article (2006) examined 56 ALA-accredited LIS curricula against eight ALA core competencies and reported that 95% of the programs have courses that address all the core competencies, but only 15% satisfy all the proposed competencies through required courses. …

Assessment in Fieldwork Courses: What Are We Rating?.

Abstract: This article uses inductive content analysis to assess fieldwork evaluations in library school coursework.

Women in STEM and Human Information Behavior: Implications for LIS Educators

Abstract: IntroductionAccording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are expected to add 2.7 million new jobs by 2018. These jobs offer enormous prospects for those who are prepared and a huge missed opportunity for those who are not. Women are underrepresented in the STEM fields and with the expected growth in jobs in this field recruiting women would be beneficial. According to Leary (2012) the need to improve STEM education in the U.S. became a priority for government, business and academe following the release in 2005 of a congressionally mandated report, "Rising above the Gathering Storm." In a follow-up report released in 2010, the Academy and its companion National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine said underrepresented groups (racial/ethnic minorities and women) represent a largely untapped pool of American talent that could help fill the coming wave of STEM jobs. Governmentsponsored programs, such as those provided by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Education TRIO Programs (for example, the Ronald E. McNair PostBaccalaureate Achievement Program, which includes a faculty-supervised research component) support undergraduate research experiences (UGREs).Women in STEMThe small numbers of women in the STEM fields has been a topic of national discussion in the USA for many years. Many scholars support the importance of mentoring in increasing participation of women and minorities in STEM fields. According to Milgram (2011) women and girls need to see female role models in the workplace that look like themover and over and over again. They need to receive the message that women can work in STEM careers and be successful and fulfilled in their work. The best example of an outreach campaign to recruit women to male-dominated jobs is "Rosie the Riveter," developed by the U.S. government and based on a real female factory worker, Rose Monroe (Milgram, 2011). Another important element of modem outreach campaigns is conveying the message that women in STEM careers can balance their work demands with their personal and family life (Milgram, 2011).However, the number of women in STEM is still not consistent with the number of women in college in the USA. College-age women have been reported to be less likely to major in STEM fields and to be retained at a lower rate than are men (Freeman, 2004; Planty et al., 2009). According to King (2010) while women comprise approximately 57 percent of college students nationwide their presence in higher education has yet to translate consistently to representation in the STEM fields. Whereas women are attending college at unprecedented rates and constitute more than half of university and college populations, they continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (Planty, Kena, & Hannes, 2009).Human Information Behavior in the STEM FieldsWilson (2000) defines human information behavior as the "totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information seeking, and information use" (p. 49). Typically, information seekers are more likely to obtain information from sources that they are familiar with rather than to seek other avenues which was noted in work done by March and Simon (1958) and Allen (1977). Google, and other Internet search engines, have also changed the way that information seekers search for information and this is true even in the STEM fields. In a study on information seeking by academic scientists Niu and Hemminger (2011) surveyed scientists from five research universities in the United States and found that some searchers preferred the Google interface than that of their library. However, searchers who preferred Google tended to be less confident that they were finding the information they needed and research staff and adjunct faculty were found to use Google more than senior professors (Nui and Hemminger, 2011). …

Student Chapters: Meeting Expectations and Providing High Quality Experiences.

Abstract: IntroductionFormal student chapters of professional library and information science (LIS) associations provide an additional component to the LIS educational experience. The American Library Association (ALA), American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), Society of American Archivists (SAA), and Special Libraries Association (SLA) all include information about student groups on their websites. The purposes of these groups are generally described as a means of introducing students to the profession, developing leadership and professionalism, enhancing education, and promoting communication among its student members, etc. According to their websites, ALA's first student chapter was created in 1980 at the University of Michigan (American Library Association, 2011), and SAA's first chapters were established in 1993 at the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Texas (Society of American Archivists, 2011). No information is provided on the SLA or ASIS&T websites about the founding of their original student groups, but according to personnel at SLA, the first SLA student groups were formed in the early 1970s (M. Garvin, personal communication, August 1, 2011). ASIS&T was unable to provide this information.Apart from the above information, however, the historical record regarding student chapter associations is sparse. Neither the organizations' websites, nor the academic literature provides many details that might shed light on the development, growth, or challenges faced by student chapters after their inception.As members and/or officers of student chapters at Louisiana State University (LSU), we hoped to find answers to the following questions: Why do Library & Information Science (LIS) students join student chapter associations? What do they hope to gain from their membership? What are the factors influencing a student's decision not to join? How can student chapters and their national associations provide more enriching experiences for their members? These are some of the questions that prompted our research. We were particularly interested in exploring how the "distance gap," (students who are not physically present on campus for coursework) affects membership since distance completion of a degree is a relatively recent development in LIS education programs.Literature ReviewThe first study of student associations in LIS was conducted in 1972 by Richard Eggleton (1972). Eggleton's study explored the structure and activities of student associations and their relationships to the schools of which they are a part. He surveyed the presidents of student associations and the deans of their respective schools. His study focused on student groups unique to their respective schools as opposed to student chapters of professional associations. He concluded, among other things, that student associations function with a great deal of autonomy and had gained some access to the power structure of their library schools, despite suffering financial difficulties (Eggleton, 1972).An update of Eggleton's research was conducted in 1981 by Gordon Eriksen and James G. Rice (Eriksen & Rice, 1983). They reported that student associations had increased in number, were better funded, and their members had greater access to the decision making process in their schools since the time of Eggleton's study.In 1988, BethM. Paskoff (1988) examined SLA's methods for recruiting student members into SLA. In her article, she discusses SLA's increased interest in student membership and the actions taken by SLA to provide more opportunities for student members, e.g., the creation of the SLA Student Group Newsletter. Her research also provides statistics about student chapters and their membership (Paskoff, 1988).In 1992, Larry L. Wright conducted a survey concerning student membership in local chapters of the SLA. Wright's interest was in exploring how SLA chapters "serve their student members to retain them as full members after they graduate" (Wright, 1992, p. …

Hello and Welcome

Abstract: Last time I wrote, I was sitting at my desk in the south island of New Zealand in springtime, where I was already in tomorrow, far from the home of ALISE in Chicago. This time I am writing from British Columbia where it is deep winter. I have gone from springtime tomorrow backwards to winter in yesterday. Time travel is possible! And swapping houses in an online world where I can work from anywhere does indeed bring true the adage "become an academic and see the world". En route to the snow in mid-BC, I met many of our readers at ALISE '14 in a very cold Philadelphia. I also joined the friendly people at the iSchool at the University of British Columbia for a show and tell about my information behaviour research in New Zealand.With this edition, I welcome two new members to my editorial board: Lili Luo from San Jose State University in California and Heather O'Brien from the iSchool at the University of British Columbia in Canada. I met with members of my editorial board at ALISE and we are progressing a number of initiatives including an edition to mark the centenary of ALISE in 2015, and moving JELIS online. 2015 will be a year of looking forward while we look back at how our profession has changed over the last 100 years.But that is next year. Work with JELIS in 2014 continues apace notwithstanding my peripatetic life. During 2013 I had over 45 submissions to the journal. About a third of these were out of scope but the remainder were taken into the review process and are finding their way into the pages of the journal during 2014. This month we have 6 papers; many dealing with pedagogical innovation. Outreach is also a theme in this edition. The new technologies present us with many new options for linking our students with the client groups they serve and strengthening their understanding of library values, collaboration and communities of practice. The notion of "library as place" is being challenged by the ubiquitous nature of information technology and life in the world of the download. But then again, the physical space is much needed as a hub for information sharing and community outreach. This is a dilemma that is being played out across the world as information spaces such as libraries, and the information profession more broadly, evolves and changes.The first time that many of our students encounter their client group is through an internship, or a practicum as it is known in many places. Nora Bird and Michael Crumpton ask us to consider "who is the learner" in the internship experience-the student, the practitioner supervisor or the LIS educator. A model is proposed that examines what happens for all three participants in the learning journey that is internship.Judi Moreillen and Ruth Nicole Hall invite us to consider ways to communicate and strengthen library values by developing digital stories that seek to advocate for our clients. In an era when the value of libraries is under challenge because of the advent of digital technology, it is refreshing to read how these same technologies can be used by information professionals as tools for advocacy. Using a similar theme of engagement within the brave new world of technology, Lisa Nathan and her colleagues eloquently discuss social media policy in the iSchool classroom. They argue that iSchools are uniquely positioned to create proactive, adaptive policies guiding the pedagogical use of social media and they offer initial recommendations toward the crafting of such policies. The use of social media presents many challenges for information professionals in terms of tensions between creativity and security, personal and professional identity, and privacy and openness. …

Using Etherpads as platforms for collaborative learning in a distance education LIS course

Abstract: This poster presents findings of a project which explored the online collaborative learning experiences of distance education (DE) students undertaking an undergraduate information studies. The School of Information Studies (SIS) at Charles Sturt University (Australia) is a leader in the provision of library and information studies education by distance. A recent review of undergraduate and postgraduate courses resulted in greater integration of Web 2.0 technologies to support DE teaching and learning. This included the redesign of the collection management course which serves approximately 100 undergraduate students per year. The aim of this project was to encourage greater communication and collaboration between students to address the challenges of isolation and lack of student community reported by previous cohorts. The researchers found the use of a collaborative document sharing platform, Etherpad, an effective tool in developing students’ skills in critical thinking and collaborative practice, leading to an enhanced DE learning experience.

Digital Advocacy Stories: A Pedagogical Tool for Communicating and Strengthening Library Values

Abstract: IntroductionStandards are used to prescribe "what" should be taught and assessed (Heck, Banilower, Weiss, & Rosenberg, 2008; Stiggins & DuFour, 2009; Tomlinson, 2000). ALA has developed standards, or competences, that form a framework for assessing the achievement of library professionals who earn their Master's degrees in ALA-accredited programs (ALA, 2010). Librarian educators use the competences to guide program decisionmaking and course-level student learning outcomes. In addition, each ALA division has standards and guidelines for pre-service librarian educators to consider. When educators align student learning outcomes and instruction with standards, they strive to achieve a guaranteed, viable curriculum that supports student achievement (Marzano, 2007).Adopting and embodying the values of library science is one important part of an LIS education and can be viewed as enculturation into a profession or community of practice (Wenger, 1998). It is an aspect of professional preparation that can lead to passion for, and sustainability in, the profession (Schon, 1987; Welch, Reynolds, & Carroll, 2013). Candidates may begin their coursework with little or no knowledge of the core tenets of librarianship. Educators of pre-service librarians intend candidates to increase their understanding of the foundations on which their future careers rest as they matriculate through the program, leam about the history of library science, and develop the competences set out by the profession. In the process, candidates can learn to tell a "library story" that resonates with the values of the profession.Advocacy is a story. The aim of advocacy is to influence outcomes. In order to achieve their goals, advocates make a case, an argument or a claim about a decision that needs to be made or a direction that should be taken. Effective advocates support their claims with data and evidence. They then tell their story in order to help others see the problem, issue or solution from their point of view in order to enlist others to take up the cause and join the effort. Being able to frame a story in such a way that others respond positively is an essential advocacy skill (Lakoff, Dean, & Hazen, 2007; Reinsborough & Canning, 2010). Advocacy is mentioned twice in the ALA Core Competences: Competence I: H and Competence 5: E (ALA, 2009).As librarian educators who are committed to sustaining the profession, the authors of this paper, an assistant professor and a doctoral student/graduate assistant, are interested in pre-service librarians integrating the values of librarianship into their worldviews during their library science education. Taking those values and turning them into advocacy stories was a way to address competences in the profession. Using digital tools to do so, situated candidates in current practices in librarianship. In developing this assignment, the researchers hoped to support candidates in doing professional work during their preparation program. This effort attests to the fact that the university classroom is a laboratory for the practice of librarianship. In this context, what is learned is the direct result of what learners "do" during their coursework (Jeng, 2011).Study Context, Problem, and PurposesOne goal of LS5633 is for graduate student candidates to consider storytelling as a vehicle for their advocacy work. The case study participants were public and school librarian candidates who were enrolled in a 15-week online course during spring 2013. The course is designed with a constructivist learning framework in which candidates take responsibility for their own learning by building on their prior experiences, interacting with course materials and one another, and developing skills as storytellers. For the study, three candidates gave full consent to use all data sources for the project: online discussion postings, digital advocacy stories and digital reflections. Three additional candidates gave consent to post their digital advocacy stories and reflections on the course wiki at http://tinyurl. …

A Study of Information-Seeking Behaviors and Processes of New Zealand Men during Periods of Life-Stress.

Abstract: ContextNew Zealand is a country of almost 4.5 million people. New Zealand is a bicultural country; 67.6 percent of the people have European heritage, 14.6 percent belong to the Maori ethnic group. New Zealand is also a country of migrants; 22.9 percent of people in New Zealand were bom overseas. For people bom overseas who live in New Zealand, the most common birthplace is England (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). The laws, customs and social norms of New Zealand society as a whole are strongly based within English traditions and history, although re-engagement with Maori traditions and culture has been as an aspect of New Zealand civic life over the last 30 years or so.The Health of New Zealand Adults 2011/12 survey (New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2012a) confirmed ongoing differences between men and women in health status, health behaviors and health service use. The survey reports that while men have poorer health than women in many areas they are less likely than women to have visited a doctor, practice nurse or dental health care worker in the past year.Of particular concern for the health and wellbeing of the New Zealand community is that, while New Zealand women haver higher rates of diagnosed mental health conditions and reported psychological distress, New Zealand men commit suicide at very much higher rates. There were 380 male suicide deaths (17.0 deaths per 100,000 male population, agestandardised) in 2010. In the corresponding period there were 142 female suicide deaths (6.4 deaths per 100,000 female population, age-standardised). The ratio of male to female suicide death rate was 2.7:1 in 2010. In the age range 15-24 years, the elevated rate of male suicide is even more obvious with 23.8 deaths per 100,000 population (New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2012b).Another feature of NZ society is the rate of road trauma and its impact on community wellbeing. Despite substantial progress over the last 30 years, New Zealand still lags behind many other countries in road safety, and road trauma deaths are high. Over 250 deaths occur on NZ roads each year. Road crash death is highest in 14-44 year-olds and a significant proportion of these deaths occur in men. Alarmingly, in 2011, 12, 574 New Zealanders were killed or injured in road accidents, two thirds of these were men, and many women killed or injured were in motor vehicles driven by men (New Zealand Ministry of Transport, 2012).Research in ProgressAs a precursor to the current research a pilot study was conducted in 2013 by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand to test the survey and to gather a range of data to find out more about the exposure that such research can generate, gaps within networks that can reach possible participants, value of an online survey for this cohort of participants and the robustness of the research design. Three hundred and seven men (307) took the survey and these data were used to redesign the survey and to seek funding from Movember to undertake the nationwide study.Movember is an international association that is highlighting the health needs of men through advertising, political lobbying, fund raising, and grants to projects that are investigating the health needs of men. Its major awareness raising initiative is a project to encourage men to grow a moustache during November-hence Movember.The current research is being conducted using an online survey (as was the pilot study) during April and May 2014. Further data will be collected using focus groups. The project has been promoted throughout New Zealand through community and government networks, the media, and stakeholder groups. A Reference Group of eight members from a range of agencies who offer support to men has been formed and this group is providing guidance and support to the project.The project has major three goals:1. It is investigating the information-seeking behaviors and processes of New Zealand men as it relates to health and wellbeing;2. …