Alice in InfoLand

Wow! Check out this fascinating video on the Information R/evolution by Michael Wesch at Kansas State University. From the YouTube blurb:

This video explores the changes in the way we find, store, create, critique, and share information. This video was created as a conversation starter, and works especially well when brainstorming with people about the near future and the skills needed in order to harness, evaluate, and create information effectively.

I can think of so many ways to use this:

• with prospective library students, to give a very brief history of the changes in librarian responsibilities,
• with classroom teachers, to show why students need to develop effective information-consumption skills,
• with school administrators and BoE members, to explain why librarians — as information mavens — are still/always needed,
• with… anyone who thinks that kids already know everything about how to ‘find stuff on the interweb.”

(found via IFTF’s Future Now)

The cover story of the March issue of American Libraries was “Mattering in the blogosphere; observations from the well-connected.”  Unfortunately, although school librarians constitute one of the largest divisions of ALA, the association’s official journal treated us like … chopped liver.
After a barrage of angry letters-to-the-editor, that omission is being rectified with a follow-up article about school librarians who blog.  FWIW, here are my responses to the questions from the AL editors:

What differentiates blogging for library media specialists from writing for the generalist biblioblogs?
There are three general kinds of biblioblogs:

1. Practical: links to useful info and reviews of new resources
2. Philosophical: essays exploring controversial issues and new information technologies
3. Point-of-view: reports of events and happenings in a local library

Examples of those different blog-genres can be found across the biblioblogosphere.
 
School librarians, however, work under very different conditions than public, academic, or corporate librarians.  School librarians are considered educators first, librarians second, and their customer base is a primarlly captive (even occasionally hostage) population in a space that is often co-opted (often on very short notice) for non-library purposes.  
Given those constraints, it’s important to recognize the difference between:

• school librarY blogs, which usually function as a venue for practical and local info, and
• school librarIAN blogs, which are often more philosophical discussions about information literacy and curriculum issues, educational policies and procedures, technology and collection management concerns in the face of limited funding and understanding by administrators, and school politics.

For links to an assortment of school library/librarian blogs, see
http://www.blogwithoutalibrary.net/links/index.php?title=School_libraries
And
http://teacherlibrarianwiki.pbwiki.com/Links%20to%20our%20blogs
 
What are your professional objectives for blogging?
To keep myself current, and to share ideas and issues that tickle my professional and/or personal fancies.
 
How much time do you devote to blogging?

• Keeping up with a wide variety of other professional and special interest blogs via Google Reader: 2 hours per day.
• Managing the AASL blog: 1-2 hours per week
• Maintaining the aliceinfo blog:  varies greatly, but probably averages 3-5 hours per week, depending on what’s happening in my personal life and/or the profession and/or society in general.
  

How does having a professional blog impact your work with students?
N/A, since I’m retired from building-level work.  Now my ‘students’ are adults taking grad courses to prepare for a career in school librarianship, and one of their assignments is to explore the edu/biblioblogosphere for current information and insights.
 
What are the pitfalls for a school librarian to be writing a blog?
Many school librarians can’t even access (much less read) blogs at work, because anything with the word “blog” has been blocked by their district’s filters, so writing a school-based blog may require dealing with all kinds of technological hassles.  School bloggers need to understand that community members may be reading their blog, and thus be circumspect about what they post.
 
How does blogging affect your interaction with nonlibrarian colleagues?
My personal blog reflects my somewhat cynical take on life in general, not just libraries.  It’s just another publication format for sharing my values and reflections of the world around us.
 
What has been the response of your faculty and/or administration to your blog?
N/A:  I’m a free agent these days.  I can — and do — say anything I want.
 
What is the greatest benefit to blogging about school libraries?
Because so many school librarians are running one-person operations, librarY blogs are a fast and flexible way to maintain a virtual presence for your facility.  LibrarIAN blogging combats isolation, offering a way to share ideas and issues with like-minded colleagues without geographic or time constraints.
 
How do you see the evolution of blogging (i.e., the growth of online video) as intersecting with the job of school media professionals?
The Read/Write web is drastically changing the way our world functions.  School librarians are responsible for teaching students how to be effective information consumers and producers. We need to know how to use these new formats and technologies so that we can continue to be effective and vital elements in the educational infrastructure.

 

I just got a request for a “short bio — under 50 words” from one of my consulting connections.
He said that he already had the long version of my bio, but would rather I did the editing, to make sure that it included whatever I considered important. So I sent him this:
“Alice Yucht is a short woman with a big mouth. Deal with it.”

Too succinct?

FWIW, how would you describe me? Use this Johari Window for ‘mapping personality awareness”: http://kevan.org/johari?name=aliceinfo. I’ll analyze the results and report on the putative accuracy of my public persona!

Note: want to know more about the Johari Window Model for self-awareness?
Read all about it at http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm
Now THAT’s an interesting domain name!

 

When I get older losing my hair
many years from now
will you still be sending me a valentine
birthday greeting, bottle of wine
If I’d been out till quarter to three
would you lock the door
Will you still need me
Will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four

FWIW, I am now officially 64 years old, and have the pension and social security checks to show for it.  However, I definitely do not feel “old” — as in useless, irrelevant, and out-of-touch — and I’m annoyed at the way my generation of  PRE-baby-boomers are rarely considered worthy of mention any more, as though our accumulated knowledge and experience no longer count for anything.  My body may not be as agile as it once was (back in my teens), but my mind still works just fine, thank you, and I love the way this new interwebby thing continues to expand my horizons.

 
According to my horoscope, “Creative, social, and financial matters are strong, pleasantly stimulating, and growth-oriented this year. Saving and making money comes more easily than usual. Your mind is sharp and communications are effective. Smoothing over differences through communicating with others is easier than ever.  As long as you avoid overextending yourself, this can be a strong year for advances of all kinds.” 

So watch out world —- this catalytic curmudgeon is still alert and oriented!

(And mutual birthday congratulations to Steven M. Cohen}

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
stating point of view
indicate precisely what you mean to say
yours sincerely wasting away
Give me your answer fill in a form
mine forever more
Will you still need me
Will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four

 

—lyrics by Paul McCartney (NOT John Lennon)

check out this image: * http://nowandnext.com/PDF/TimeLineweb_ver2.pdf* of innovations from the safety razor to (it could happen) an artificial brain. You’ll need a magnifying glass (when was that invented?) to read it all, but still… give yourself time to explore this!

found via Kottke.org

tags:technology, innovation, future

Wow! Share this intriguing video with everyone you know!
The original presentation was created by Karl Fisch, Director of Technology at Arapahoe High School in Colorado: http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html,
then re-mixed by Scott McLeod, a professor in Minnesota: http://scottmcleod.typepad.com/dangerouslyirrelevant/2007/01/gone_fischin.html
And definitely read the comments at both posts for more background info!

also cross-posted at the AASL blog

A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

Wow: 110 different ways to graphically demonstrate information and concepts!
Although the examples given in the table are all business-based, it should be easy to adapt these into possibilities for revising many of those standard (and boring) “write a report on” assignments.

found via Lifehack.org

Doug Johnson tagged me with the “Five Things you don’t know about me” meme, probably as a way to prod me back into blogging, so here goes:

1. I was born with an extra toe on my right foot. The toe was removed when I was 6 weeks old, but the remaining ‘bump’ has caused shoe problems ever since.
2. I am mentally allergic to bananas. Just the smell can make me queasy.
3. I sometimes dream that I am being attacked by isosceles triangles. Yes, I failed geometry in High School, but that was almost 50 years ago.
4. My undergraduate major was ‘creative writing.’ Not because I had any intention of being a writer (I already knew that I would be a librarian) — but because I had discovered that this allowed me to take courses in as many different subjects as I wanted. So I explored psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, mythology and folklore, European history, American literature, stagecraft, journalism, and even food science at Brooklyn College. My faculty advisor accused me of being a dilettante. He was right. OTOH, my father insisted that I take enough ed. courses to qualify for a teaching license, no matter what, so I taught English and Social Studies while getting my MLIS degree.
5. I am profoundly lazy. I can be very efficient (and even effective) when necessary, but my natural inclination is serene slothfulness.

Now I tag Joyce, Sophie, Laura, Sara, and Charlie.

Guiding precepts from Mark S. Katz, creator of the Soundbite Institute:
“Humor is an underutilized tool in the arsenal of strategic and crisis communications. It’s about solving problems. There are things you can say, there are things that go unsaid and things that are unsayable,” he explained. “What humor does is move the unsaid into the said.” (from the Oct 30 NYTimes article on writing jokes for celebrity roasts)

Many years ago I was given an award (albeit in jest) that I still take very seriously. At the 10th Anniversary dinner of the *Professional Studies Department* of Rutgers University’s School of Communication, Information and Library Studies (aka PDS), Karen Novick presented me with the George Carlin Award for ‘that instructor who most effectively utilizes humor to educate.’
No, I don’t use all those words that George Carlin is famous for, but I do tell the truth about the realities of our work as educators. If I can get people to laugh, learn, and then hopefully look at new ways to accomplish what’s needed, then yes, it is all about moving the unsaid into the said to solve problems.

“I’m a bookslut. I undress my bookshelf with my eyes and imagine myself buried in their black, smooth lines of text.”
— Ben Casnocha.
What a wonderfully evocative description of an obsessive reader’s mind!

Sloan, the co-creator of EPIC, a must-see for all informed citizenry, appreciates libraries (and librarians):

“One of the really magical things about libraries, after all, is that they are all about service. They don’t want anything from you; they don’t want to sell you anything. Today, that is almost a radical proposition. Like serious journalism, librarianship is worth preserving and extending in the era of Google’s cold genius; in both cases there is something valuable at the core. “

What did I learn at the Computers in Libraries / Internet@Schools East conference on March 22-24?
I’ve been mulling the notes I took and the impressions floating in my head, the CIL-tagged posts in the biblioblogosphere, comments sent to me by other ISE attendees, and the assorted handouts and publications provided at and after the events.

I go to professional conferences for three reasons:

1. Information: What are the new concepts/resources/techniques I need to know about?
2. Application: How can I use these new ideas and strategies in my own programs & services?
3. Discussion: Who will I get a chance to talk with, for both personal and professional connections?

According to Information Today, Inc., the conference sponsor, this is ‘the most comprehensive North American conference and exhibition on all aspects of library & information delivery technology.’
I tried to attend programs in both the CIL and ISE tracks (Actually, ISE wasn’t even considered a track, just a "co-located" sub-conference under the CIL umbrella).
So what did I discover?

Computers in Libraries attendees:
* 2500+, mostly from academic/college or special/corporate libraries; lots of laptops and handhelds used for note-taking, blogging, etc.
* library clientele preselected by user choice (enrollment, profession, etc.)
* funding for new technologies and resources not a big issue
* looking for new digital resources and applications to use, to expand services to clients
* obstacles to implementation of new technologies: reluctant staff, lack of client interest
* enthralled by the ‘millenials’: ooh, a new species requiring new/different handling.
* geek-factor: use of social-networking software: variable
* see social networking sites like myspace, etc. as possible venues for connecting with clients.
* acknowledgement of K-12 issues and concerns: none
* awareness, interest in ISE programs/topics: little or none
* interaction with ISE attendees: little to none

Internet @ Schools attendees:
* less than 100 total; mostly paper-based note-taking, almost no blogging
* library clientele preselected by geographic proximity (students, teachers)
* funding for basic library programs & services a major issue; just keeping the job is a big concern !
* looking for ways to maintain and enrich current programs & services, to validate library/librarian as part of educational infrastructure
* obstacles to implementation of new technologies: administrative attitudes, lack of support staff, lack of time, lack of funding, lack of training opportunities
* about those ‘millenials’: we’ve been watching these kids evolve for years now. We’ve been adapting to their needs all along.
* geek-factor: use of social-networking software: minimal
* do not see social networking sites as where we need to be; our role is as adult/authority, not friend
* acknowledgement of broader library/educational/practical concerns: lots
* awareness, interest in CIL programs/topics: some
* interaction with CIL attendees: moderate

While I appreciated the opportunity to see/hear CIL’s array of pundits present their visions of what is and what should be, I was disheartened by how many of the CIL presenters totally ignored any impact that K-12 school libraries and librarians might have on the larger issues of lifetime learning and library use. I heard lots of talk about integration and collaboration, but I didn’t see a whole lot of it among the different audiences here.

Some valuable "takeaways" (info/ideas I could USE, rather than just descriptions of what other folks have done):
* We need to be available where our users are; school libraries can no longer be defined by our physical collections and boundaries. Online connections can be used to HELP our clientele at point of need. (email, etc. after school hours)
* We need to find ways to make it EASIER for our clientele to use our resources. (Federated searching? why are we asking our users to search multiple databases, one at a time?)
* Library websites need to offer both access to resources AND instructions (intervention?) on how to best use those resources.
* Blogs can be used for book discussion groups. Wikis can be used for group projects, to collect resource links and develop co-constructed knowledge. Wikis can also be used as internal info-sharing formats, eliminating some of the email overload.
* Look at new ways to use technology to promote the library programs & services, both overtly and through guerrilla marketing techniques.
* Today’s kids are visual learners. For some wonderful examples of ways to combine technology and imagination, see Johanna Riddle’s article on Visual Literacy applications.

Some onsite issues that really irked me:

1. Conference organizers need to pay more attention to room set-up. Podiums should be next to the screens, not at the opposite end of the dais. I want to be able to look at the speaker and the visuals without having to scan across other, irrelevant objects in between the two.
2. Presenters at this kind of conference should know — and be able to define — any terminology they use. Presenters who don’t know what ICT or Web 2.0 means immediately lose their credibility.
   
3. Infotoday’s own conference blog had NO coverage of any of the ISE programs. If the program’s sponsor doesn’t even notice the K-12 presence, what does that say to those attendees?
   

Bottom line: would I go to this conference again? Probably not, based on the ROI.
Our state conferences usually cost less to attend, have better exhibits and offer many more programs that address the full range of our professional needs and responsibilities.
My suggestion to Infotoday: sponsor presentations by your big thinkers at the already-established conferences for school librarians, rather than expect us to attend yours.

tags: ISE2006 CIL2006

In preparation for the workshop I’m doing at the
conference on Mar 24 on
Really Savvy reSourcery, aka How Bloglines Make Me Look Brilliant To My Faculty, I’ve been scanning the blogosphere for examples of school and/or library-related blogs to include in my presentation blogroll.

Since my personal Bloglines subscription already has over 150 feeds, I’m struggling to stay afloat in a swirl of information flotsam and jetsam.

Now I truly understand the 6th grader who — in the midst of a oceanography research project — discovered the word vortex: noun. A whirling current, usually spiraling in toward a center and tending to drag things with it.
“That’s what this feels like!” he exclaimed. “I’m caught in an information vortex with all these things to take notes from. Quick, Mrs. Y — grab me and pull me out to safety.”

There’s been a lot of talk in the biblioblogosphere about “Web 2.0” (I’m using quotes because it’s still just a label, and not yet an official descriptor), aka the interactive or Read/Write Web, and how that might effect “Library 2.0” programs and services. I’ve been reading various viewpoints on the topic, while keeping in mind the reality that many school libraries are still on that other, unconnected side of the digital divide.

For the best summation of all the biblioblathering about “Library 2.0,” check out Walt Crawford’s latest Cites and Insights (also available in pdf format). As Walt points out,

The name is new. Some of the concepts are decades old. Some of the tools and techniques have been around for years (or decades), while some are new. Not all that new, to be sure… “Everything old is new again” is one of those phrases that regains relevance every few years, in one sphere or another. Combining old concepts with new tools is automatically new, to be sure; it’s one of the ways civilization progresses.

And how will all of this impact school library programs and services? I’m still chewing on that. Stay tuned while I digest.

Update: Christopher Harris IS ruminating on the implications for School Library 2.0, and he’s posting some excellent insights over at http://www.schoolof.info/infomancy/.

According to Rob Brezsny’s latest Free Will Astrology, here’s my horoscope for the coming week:

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible," wrote French philosopher Voltaire. I hope you will contradict him, Pisces, both in the coming weeks and throughout 2006. To be in alignment with the most exalted astrological possibilities, you should be the snowflake that at least tries to question the avalanche, and even makes an effort to stop it or reroute it. Maybe you don’t realize how much power your seemingly little crystalline self has to change history, but I’m here to tell you it’s more than you imagine.

Sooo — anything you want me to mess with?