Reflective Comments-Motivation and Information Literacy-SU Course 663

Learning how to creatively motivate students while teaching information literacy skills was a key component of this course. In addition, creating motivational goals and assessing such motivational techniques was addressed as well. While learning objectives are, many times, easily assessed, motivational goals are not necessarily as easy to evaluate.

Learning about how to motivate students is important so that students stay engaged and involved in their learning. Activities such as brainstorming, games and using technology are all highly motivating. Giving students choices in which project to create and presentation methods for a project helps to increase attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS model).

The IMPACT model was also introduced in this course. This models increases information motivation through providing purpose, knowing the audience, and including appropriate and interesting content through motivational techniques. Keeping these items in mind when creating lessons plans is of the utmost importance.

Reflective Comments-Information Resources: Users and Services-SU Course 605

References service and resources were the main focus of this course. Topics also discussed included reader's advisory and reference service evaluation. Different types of reference queries and reference interviews were examined. An interview with a reference librarian and five hours of observation at a reference desk were completed and brought insight into various types reference work. A lesson plan involving reference skills was created.

Projects in this course involved extensively examining on-line and print resources. Researching these resources required analyzing aspects such as. scope, coverage, and reliability. In depth study of databases was extremely useful to me as I will be studying my school's databases, deciding whether or not to keep them and examining other available databases to see if they are a good fit for our building and its curriculum.

Readers' advisory, also a component of reference work, involves providing a patron with suitable materials appropriate to their wants and needs. There are numerous resources available both on-line and in database format to assist a librarian with this. Using such resources assists the librarian with this important task.

Reflective Comments-Literacy Through School Libraries-SU Course 668

The bulk of this course consisted of three major projects and numerous intriguing articles. The first project involved interviewing various school faculty members (principal, teacher librarian and teacher) in order to discover their views on the image of teacher librarians and their roles in assisting students on the road to life long learning. Discoveries made included some not so positive understandings of the profession. Teacher librarians definitely need to promote themselves and their programs within the school atmosphere. While most building faculty members think teacher librarians are important, they have little comprehension of collaborating with them and utilizing their many skills.

The second project in this course was a group project consisting of planning a pseudo family literacy event. While working with a group via the long distance format was challenging, accomplishing this task proved to be successful. Actually, in my new position, I will be able to use some of the concepts discovered throughout the duration of this project as I embark on planning a similar type of event.

The final project for Literacy Through School Libraries involved planning a collaborative unit and locating resources to enhance it. This was a practical application which related to student learning in the form in which information literacy skills are best taught-as needed and in a way in which students can make connections to curriculum.

One of the articles read for this course described aliteracy. This concept involves people/students who know how to read but choose not to. The author stated that aliteracy is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. This is a major concern for teacher librarians. We need to work even harder to promote reading to the students for which we have charge. In addition, we need to encourage any kind of reading, including graphic novels, information reading and Internet surfing that involves comprehension.

Reflective Comments-Intro. to the Library and Information Profession-SU Course 511-Day 5

As the final day of "Boot Camp" approached, I found myself reflecting on the week as a whole. Though tired, exhausted and stretched to the maximum, many new concepts were internalized and network connections created (and hopefully these will be lasting). Discoveries made that I deem especially essential to my new position include learning about Creative Commons and the Librarian's Index to the Internet. OWL might also be helpful to me as a new librarian in that it contains powerpoints useful for teaching research skills (which will hopefully be taught in collaboration with classroom instructors). I anticipate using the Web of Science as I pursue finishing my coursework.

I must take this opportunity to comment on the value of collective intelligence and the power of collaboration. Although evidence of the educational aspects of social learning has been around for some time, seeing this in action this week has really proven to me that these concepts are indeed powerful. Learning this week occurred not only in the formal classroom but in small group situations. Working together to achieve a common goal brings together the positive attributes of each unique member and creates powerful ideas and products not likely to have been produced by one individual alone.

Finally, a common theme seemed to be wound throughout each lecture, project and discussion-serving patrons. Providing useful resources and information, whether to meet information or aesthetic needs is what our common goal as librarians is, no matter what facet of librarianship one is involved in. Libraries of today, as mentioned by one of today's speakers (JudyDzikowski, OCM Boces), are not "shushing" places. They are active and constantly moving forward in order to meet the needs of the patrons. As a school librarian, I will strive to make this happen in my building. I will see every student in the building and be a role model as I assist students in becoming life-long learners in this information-rich environment!

Reflective Comments-Intro. to the Library and Information Profession-SU Course 511-Day 4

Speakers during today's lecture spoke on a topic very relevant for me-library space. Key takeaways that I picked up on were: make your library a welcoming space, patron service is a key concept, time and money are factors to be considered and the library space is dynamic. Additional comments specifically made by Tina Nabinger from Minoa Elementary that caused me to reflect included the following: take into consideration the culture of the building (a must!), boring and uncomfortable is out and make sure to address faculty needs as well when designing the library space. These are concepts will be crucial to keep in mind as I develop and renovate the library where I will be providing service.

Scott Nicholson lead a discussion that contained important issues relating to being a professional. As librarians we are role models and leaders. We are an ethical profession that others look to. There are a plethora of ethical issues that we as librarians are required to consider. It is positive that we have the Library Bill of Rights and various policies to stand upon when issues arise. Ranganathan's Laws are also available to guide us.

Our second group project and poster presentation work has gone well. We have worked well together and have accomplished individual and collaborative tasks. The collective mind is a wonderful thing! Working together under a time crunch can be successful as long as everyone contributes and is flexible. Even though it is not my style to work under such pressure and time restraints, project work for this class has made me realize that I can work under these conditions when necessary and be successful!

Reflective Comments-Intro. to the Library and Information Profession-SU Course 511-Day 3

The day started with an introduction to library and information systems. It was interesting that even though this seems to be a "behind the scenes" type of activity it is crucial to note that systems in libraries still revolve around service orientation. Systems work involves strong communication and team work. Weak links seem to trickle down and affect each subsystem.

Speakers from this realm of the library facet commented on some key issues. Each one mentioned the importance of meeting the needs of the patrons and helping them succeed. Working in this area also demands management and project skills. In addition, all speakers mentioned learning on the job and how this was continuous (this seemed to be a common thread in speakers comments on previous days as well).

The afternoon session proved to be extremely interesting and thought provoking. Dr. Ken Lavender presented an in depth history of the book by using items in the rare books collection. He showed pieces that were 4,000 years old! David Stokoe enlightened us on topics such as conservation and preservation of resources. This knowledge was new to me and I now have a greater respect for this time consuming and detail-oriented task. Peter Verheyen elaborated on preservation of books and that the primary tasks of this group are to keep things usable and accessible.

Reflective Comments-Intro. to the Library and Information Profession-SU Course 511-Day 2

A hot topic of discusion today that generated a multitude of questions was copyright. Mention was also made of Fair Use guidelines. Fair Use has four factors to be considered: character of use, nature of material, amount and importance of the part copied and the effect on the market for permission. Fair Use seems to be highly abused. Out of all this it was generalized that copyright and related issues are messy and are many times grey areas. It must be noted, however, that the librarian is often times the contact person in regards to these issues so one must stay on top of changing issues related to this topic.

Searching, both in general and when using the SU library were also topics generating multitudes of questions. It is very interesting that searching is a very individual activity that may follow multiple pathways-none of which is necessarily better than another. When executing these seacrches various interfaces are used, some of which are more user friendly than others and some more preferred by specific patrons. Searching is definitely a skill that is perfected and built upon.

Speakers today were from academic and special libraries. John Schuster from Morrisville State College has been all over the globe, training librarians and implementing systems. He is what might be called a non-stereotypical librarian. He mentioned that future librarians should "forget the image" and do what you do best. He encourages future librarians to be patron oriented-this, he says will help things to fall into place. He also emphasized that the library building itself needs to burst outside of its walls. Take aways from the second speaker, Jan Fleckenstein from Barclay Law Library (she is the Associate Director and Head of Library Information Systems) were to develop special skills and interests in a particular area and align missions and goals with parent/funding organizations. She also encouraged SU library students to learn how to learn because learning doesn't stop when you leave SU. A final note Ms. Fleckenstein commented on was that no matter what area of librarianship you end up in, be prepared to teach!

Reflective Comments-Intro. to the Library and Information Profession-SU Course 511-Day 1

In this first day of discussion, I discovered the relationship between librarianship, library science and information science. Individuals in each of these areas each use knowledge and skills from the other areas. Ultimately, we all access information needs of patrons and provide services. As librarians, we actually use research discovered by those in the library science realm. The interrelatedness of these three different perspectives may take various forms depending on what is applicable in each particular library situation.

Another topic of interest in today's discussion concerned searching, queries and where the librarian comes in to play during these activities. Librarians are a necessary piece in the puzzle of solving a patron's information needs. Many times a patron does not really know what/can't put in to words what exactly it is that they want to know. A librarian turns a patron's question into query terms that are searchable. A librarian is involved in selecting a tool to search with and manipulating within it using connectors and limits. Finally, a librarian helps evaluate materials and adjusts the search as necessary in order to solve a particular information question.


In addition, large part of today's activities involved listening to speakers involved in the public library sector. Kate McCaffrey from Northern Onondaga Public Libraries gave useful tips for interviewing for public library jobs. Some of these included having questions for the interviewers (you are also interviewing them), show that you take risks and to learn about the decision making process. I especially liked Bev Cholcto-Devlin's (Mid-York Library System) advice about following your passion and pursuing what you really want to do. She mentioned that public libraries stand for Intellectual Freedom and Free Access for ALL (this includes technological access for the less privileged). I feel that these important standards are true not just for public libraries but school libraries as well. Bev also mentioned the importance of knowing your community-also equally important to school libraries.

Refelctive Comments-Information and Information Environments-SU Course 601

After completing this intensive two day introductory class at Syracuse University, I feel a great need to sleep and relax!! Although, I must comment that engaging discussions, interesting presentations and even comic interjections in lectures made this a memorable experience. Assignments given were challenging and tested even the brightest scholars.

A new and eye opening experience for me was planning an innovative presentation with a group. This project was a realistic adventure in promotion, execution and presentation under constraints including limited time and resources. In working under these conditions, I affirmed that my leadership skills and attention to keeping a group on task were taxed but still intact!

"Take Away" concepts for me included: Organizational structure is dynamic and negativeness can be overcome (in organizational cultures); The process of change is affected by many factors and we must be aware of external influences concerning this and Innovative management involves thinking "outside the box" and surrounding yourself with creative thinkers that might not seem "right" for the organization.

Library 2.0 Article Reflection

In the article, “Towards School Library 2.0: An Introduction to Social Software for Teacher Librarians,” Naslund and others begin by commenting on the social nature of learning. In the YouTube video linked to this article, it is mentioned that students today are twenty-first century learners and that they learn by doing, collaborating and interacting with others. Students of today beg to be engaged and active in their learning process. The author comments that this engagement lies in treating students like the technology natives that they are and by using social software.

Naslund and colleagues describe some of a librarian’s initial responsibilities to students in reference to social networking. One of these is knowing students’ interests and how technology relates to developing these. Another responsibility is to examine software and other tools to discover how and why students are using them. Using Library 2.0 to assist with these tasks to discover and explore possibilities.

The authors go on to describe a broad spectrum of social networking tools that students, instructors and teacher librarians are using and will continue to use. Blogs can be used to journal, chat, debate and reflect. Constructing knowledge in this social environment allows students to build on one another’s ideas in an ongoing, collaborative atmosphere. Teacher librarians use blogs to bounce ideas off colleagues as well for posting information on programs, hours, policies, collections, and for posting news bulletins. Using blogs allows for necessary versatility and continuous updating. Wiki’s are another prominent Library 2.0 tool commonly in use at the current time. These editable websites allow for collective input and tracking ideas. A positive advantage to using Wikis is that many are free to use. An example of a third type of social networking site that is seen as a fast growing and highly usable medium is Facebook or MySpace (as well as others). Users create digital profiles using narratives, pictures etc…and share these with digital friends. Students can make connections and share ideas, as well as for identity formation, practice digital performance, civic engagement and maintain relationships. Teacher librarians use these spaces for networking and exchanging ideas. Although with this last tool, there are parental concerns with students revealing information in this format, this is being addressed by “in house only” assignments where only other students involved share information in a school. Other social media sharing tools were also mentioned by the authors including microblogging, iTunes and podcasting, all of which assist in engaging this “igeneration” of students that require “anything technology.”

Naslund and others conclude by stating that students can develop information skills interactively by using the many Library 2.0 tools that are available. Communicating and sharing constructed knowledge using social networking tools assist students in molding and shaping their own knowledge. Technology is a key component to engage learners of today and assists them in being excited about projects and creating information. Student success depends on social software and digital learning and is found in tools that encourage collaboration, knowledge building and collective intelligence. Social networking tools reflectively teach students, teachers and teacher librarians to analyze, think and create while maintaining a level of engagement necessary to success in a world of socially conscious citizens.

Naslund et. al., J. (2008, July). Towards school library 2.0: An introduction to social software tools for teacher librarians. School Libraries Worldwide, 14(2), 55-67.

Reflection Ch. 15, Portable MLIS "Research," Ron Powell

Even school librarians that don't participate in formal LIS research must conduct activities in which principles of research apply. He or she must, like other researchers, use a variety of research tools in order to best determine answers to queries. School librarians must report findings in an organized fashion to administrators, parent groups and state organizations. They must build on prior knowledge and apply new findings to assure best practice.

Like formal LIS researchers, school librarians use qualitative measures to secure data. Interviews with staff members assist librarians with decisions on types and quantities of resources needed. Informal interviews might occur when determining skills to be taught and collaborated upon. Observations might be done to determine how students use resources and whether technology is being properly implemented.

Quantitative data is also particularly useful to school librarians. Most administrators, district supervisors and parent groups need to see facts and figures as support when making programming and funding decisions. Some types of quantitative data collected might include information about library use (number of checkouts, circulation statistics etc...). Other types of reportable data include collection age or even surveys of patrons to determine interests and needs. State organizations also evaluate data collected from smaller entities such as schools in order to improve library programs and assist libraries with comparative data.

Reflection Ch. 14, Portable MLIS, "Readers Advisory Services: How to Help Users Find a Good Book," Mary K. Chelton

A face to face encounter with a librarian is a very common way for students in school libraries to locate that "just right" book. Teacher librarians find it helpful to read a variety of items found in their libraries in order to suggest titles, authors, themes etc..., but it is unrealistic for them to have read all materials available to patrons. With this said, the teacher librarian's presence alone should generate excitement about books and materials in general, so that students have a positive environment in which to circulate and browse.

Since reading is a social activity, students may encounter another type of face to face reader's advisory encounter: a friend or fellow student. Students in school libraries often find book choices amongst those items just returned by classmates! Perhaps a curious look over a shoulder while a friend was enjoying a book or even a brief discussion might have taken place about a particular title. Conversations such as this about books, authors, etc...promote and spark social and creative endeavors related to readings such as going to plays, doing projects and the like, thus helping students make connections with books as well as other community members or activities.

Although face to face readers advisory activities are not the only way students are lead to books and materials, they assist students in being successful in the library atmosphere. All students can connect to some kind of book and either learn from it or grow in an aesthetic manner. Having a librarian face to face who sees all students as successful and who has a positive attitude about books and literacy education, can be a definite plus in either a school library or in any other library setting.

Reflection Ch. 11, Portable MLIS, "Information Retrieval: Designing, Querying, and Evaluating Information Systems," Judith Weedman

Information retrieval is a key component in the quest for knowledge. Using the library catalog is one avenue and often the starting point when students are attempting to define and answer a question. Developing and maintaining a library catalog that meets the needs of patrons is crucial and a teacher librarian or any librarian must know the needs of the community being served. The library catalog must also be a flexible tool to meet changing needs of the patrons (within certain limits). Utilizing informal tags or subject headings might be viable in certain libraries, especially where young patrons are served, in order to assist with finding items or answering questions at this level.

On a side note, information retrieval for the young can be overwhelming. Simply defining the exact problem can be challenging. The librarian can assist in age appropriate searching whether it be in the library catalog, on a database or on the web. Introducing Boolean searching to older students, such as in an elementary building, can assist students. Although younger students don't necessarily need to know the details about how search engines function, a basic knowledge of this would help a librarian lead students in effective information searching.

Information retrieval and finding relevant information is especially crucial for young, inquiring learners. Locating information necessary for the learning process engages students and keeps them hungering for more. As students continue to engage in quests for knowledge, opportunities to practice information retrieval skills grow and become more complicated. Hopefully, as searching skills become more refined and more knowledge is gained concerning information retrieval, students will be successful in gathering, organizing and reflecting on information.

Reflection Ch. 9, "Reflections on Creating Information Service Collections," G. Edward Evans

One of the most prominent issues to consider when developing an information service collection is to have a variety of resources. This is especially true in a school setting. The teacher librarian must access the curricular needs of teachers and students and be familiar with the community of learners he or she serves. Resources acquired must support classroom instruction and research needs. Students' interests must also be considered in order to engage students and entice them to pursue knowledge and delve deeper. Another consideration that should be in the forefront of a teacher librarian's mind when selecting materials is differentiation. Students at many different cognitive and literacy levels must have their needs met.

Keeping all the previous factors in mind, the collection developer must also keep budget restraints in mind. This is a considerable issue that is essentially on administrators' minds. Selection criteria developed by a district needs to be at the forefront of the collection developer's mind. Use of data such as needs surveys completed by staff is crucial in order to understand the community being served. It should also be noted that while donations may add to the sheer number of volumes in the collection, these items may not fulfill curricular needs or be of interest to the student population.

Overall, a balance needs to be maintained between normative needs, expressed needs, felt needs and comparative needs. Items selected by experts (normative needs) might not actually fit into a particular school's curriculum or meet students' interests. In addition, if a collection developer relied solely of felt needs such as trendy, faddish items or current community interests, much money might be wasted on items only used for a short duration. Comparative needs should be weighed as well. Looking at similar collections gives the librarian an idea of what items to consider. Along with this, if inter library loan is prominent is an area, the librarian might be able to fill gaps in his/her collection via this avenue.

In conclusion, understanding the library community served takes time. Meeting the needs of patrons served involves asking many questions and using data and surveys to make the best collection development decisions. Especially when serving a school community, curricular needs as well as students' interests must be weighed in order to provide a collection that meets the needs of all. Knowing the community you serve is of utmost importance.

Reflection Ch.1, Portable MLIS, "Stepping Back and Looking Forward: Reflections on the Foundations of Libraries and Librarianship," Richard E. Rubin

The importance of libraries is indisputable. Evidence of this is reflected by the sheer magnitude of library history. After all, libraries have been around for approximately 5,000 years. Of the multitude of purposes that libraries have, several stand out as undeniably pertinent. First, people connect with books, either through solving a quest for information or on a purely aesthetic note. Second, libraries create life-long learners ( and readers) due to intellectual freedom-being able to read whatever one chooses. Third, libraries assist us by making connections to other cultures, thus helping us understand and communicate with one another. Finally, libraries not only help us attain answers to questions, but aid in the production of more questions so that learning is a never-ending process.

Recently, during a celebration of National Library Week, I lead elementary students on a journey that proved to enlighten them on the topics of library history and how libraries help worlds connect and make the world a better place. First, I asked students how long they thought libraries had been around. This resulted in widely varying responses. When told the actual number of years, students were in awe. We also talked about such ideas as libraries not being free, libraries being for the rich, libraries being available to churches and the necessity of libraries before children were required to attend school. Then, students, in small groups, contributed their ideas on a large poster referring to how libraries help the world connect and make it a better place. The students were able to come up with all of the concepts mentioned in the first paragraph and more!

Because of the evolving nature of libraries, they assist society in meeting many needs. Recently (1997), Bill Gates was instrumental in library history by helping libraries "get connected" to the Internet. This opened up considerably the idea that libraries are undeniably essential. During poor economic times such as these, library usage has actually increased and more people have library cards now than since the time this information started being recorded. Free library services such as Internet usage, have helped citizens find jobs, communicate with others and connect to worlds beyond what was ever thought possible. The importance of libraries as information centers and gateways to the world is definitely crucial and undeniably beneficial to our society.