Week 10: Workshop Reflection, Embedded Librarianship, & Webinars

Building on what we learned in our book clubs, this week groups had the opportunity to further hone their presentation skills through one-shot workshops. As with the book clubs, I found this to be an enjoyable and educational experience. For one, all of the topics the book clubs chose were really interesting and diverse—from library spaces to Netflix to QR codes. On top of that, all of the group presenters had creative and engaging ways for instructing on their topics. Since the chosen topics were all focused around librarian ethics, the workshops provided a great forum for discussing the moral obligations of today’s librarian. From an individual standpoint, working with my team members to develop our workshop allowed me to think more about strategies for teaching and how to select informative yet interesting topics. Also, having only a short period in which to conduct the workshop presented another challenge to plan around.

This week’s set of readings focused on the idea of embedded librarianship, which is the concept of having the librarian more fully immersed and connected with their patrons through meaningful participation in academic courses or increased collaboration with their departments (and associated faculty/staff).  Not surprisingly, the readings seemed most relevant to academic librarians, particularly the subject liaison breed. Still, both articles contained a lot of valuable information and made some interesting points: 

• ·         embedded librarianship is a great way to promote the services of the librarian
• ·         with so many college-aged users online now, librarians should strive to use technology to embed themselves (email, mobile text reference, website chat services, etc.)
• ·         librarians can take on an integral role in classroom learning—for example, by becoming an assistant instructor
• ·         embedded librarians can become members of the academic community they are trying to support, through online presence or physical presence
• ·         and finally, but perhaps most importantly, be where your users are

When I first started reading Chapter 7 of How People Learn, I hadn’t made the connection between this text and the other two articles. Soon, though, I realized that the authors are discussing the unique challenges presented by different subject areas. Or, as the authors simply put it “Different disciplines are organized differently and have different approaches to inquiry.” This, I think, explains well why embedded librarianship is important in the first place. And, in retrospect, it probably would have served me well to have read this before the other two articles (and judging by the list on the syllabus, I was probably supposed to). Still, reading it afterward gave me kind of an a-ha moment where I realized why I think librarians should ever be embedding themselves anywhere. Initially, I thought embedded librarianship was just a way for subject liaisons to better liaise with their users or an opportunity for regular librarians to use technology to reach more patrons.  

How People Learn along with the Montgomery and Matos et al. articles helped me understand that academic disciplines not only differ in the content they require from a library (i.e. books, journals and other resources) but in the type of services they receive. That is, as librarians, we cannot expect users from agriculture and music to approach the library in the same way. Because different disciplines require different information, the way in which users interact with information also varies dramatically. For this reason, we can’t afford to simply sit at the reference desk, expecting to dole out a one-size-fits-all assistance. Instead, we should look at what makes our users unique from others and respond to their information needs accordingly.

Finally, for the webinar viewing I chose “Using Social Media to tell Your Collections’ Stories” from the IMLS Connecting to Collections webinars. The webinar uses Adobe Connect, and I like the interface and features the software provides—chat sessions, polling feature and screen images. I was especially fond of the ability to poll live participants, as this capability allowed users to collectively introduce themselves (where they were from; what type of institution they represented, etc.)  On a content-related note, I thought the topic of the webinar was quite neat, and it seemed like the Connecting to Collections series contains a number of interesting webinars.

Week 9: Workshops and an Intro to Webinars

Last week’s class gave us the opportunity to discuss HCOD & librarian ethics as well as learn more about the logistics for the one-shot workshops that we will be presenting in class tomorrow. A few of the important points I took away from the lesson on workshops: stress why the workshop is taking place (having a clear motive helps participants engage more with the learning process); try to get to know participants through scenarios and discussion questions; and try to relate what is being taught in the workshop to knowledge the participants may already possess (transferability, prior knowledge, etc.). Additionally, I think including an icebreaker in this activity will be beneficial. My group did not have an icebreaker for the book club, and I feel this omission really affected the overall trajectory of our discussion. Hopefully, tomorrow’s activity will be an opportunity to put what we learned by doing the book club exercise into practice (formative assessment!).

We also had the opportunity to hear a webinar given by Bobbi Newman (aka Librarian by Day) who spoke more about the controversial new HarperCollins/OverDrive’s eBook policy. The webinar, as someone pointed out in class, really was a great opportunity to (1) hear from and talk to a professional librarian about her opinions on a relevant library issue; and (2) observe a real-life webinar! Being a novice to the field of webinars, I was a tad disappointed that the webinar did not include a screen showing the speaker of the presentation (although I think this may have been an option…?). At the same time, the lack of visual stimulation did make me focus that much more on the audio component of the webinar. I also feel my own experience with the audio/visual aspects of the talk will be useful when it comes time to create my own webinar.

Because we have no readings for this week, I will talk briefly about my one-shot workshop for tomorrow. Our group is presenting on the subject of collection bias within libraries. We are interested in exploring how librarians can best serve their patrons by creating diverse, representative collections that adhere to their patron base. In terms of the workshop itself, I am most concerned about the time limit and effectively fitting what we want to say into the 20 minutes. I am also hopeful that the activities and talking points we have planned will be appropriate for our subject and we can all learn something together!

Week 8: Book Clubs & HCOD

This past week we had the opportunity to exercise what we’ve learned about book clubs and Socratic Seminars by leading our own!   What was most interesting about the book clubs was observing how the other four groups structured their talks. For instance, I really appreciated that some of the groups included icebreakers to get the discussion rolling and, in retrospect, wish that my group had included a similar activity. This observation/learning from others was probably the most valuable aspect of Monday’s class, although, in general, I enjoyed the book club readings and talking about them in depth.

In her article “Creating a Library Assignment Workshop for University Faculty,” Mosley also suggests the use of icebreakers in library workshops. Not only can icebreakers relieve some tension, they also can inform participants on important subjects. Mosley goes on to include other tips for librarians designing workshops—group exercises on finding resources, using role play situations to illustrate good practices, etc. Her focus is on academic librarians working in the college environment, but some of the suggestions can probably transcend library specialty.

Finally, this week’s readings encompass a sampling of readings related to the HarperCollins-OverDrive-eBook-limited-lending policy.  I started my HCOD readings off with Harper Collins’ official stance on the subject, “An Open Letter to Librarians” (http://harperlibrary.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/03/open-letter-to-librarians.html). While their argument had some valid points (staying economically viable, etc.), it was far from compelling. Having worked in a bookstore for four years, I was particularly perplexed by this: “We have serious concerns that our previous e-book policy, selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressure on physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors” (emphasis added). How does selling an eBook to a library directly impact bookstores? In the letter, HarperCollins seems to be pitting librarians against booksellers and authors, which I don’t completely agree with or understand.

After reading the letter itself, I particularly enjoyed reading all of the user comments, many of which came (not surprisingly) from librarians. An anonymous user commented on the HC letter that other publishers (namely, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan) don’t lend to libraries in eBook format at all—I am curious if this is true and what other publishers’ eBook policies are, for the sake of comparison.

To be balanced, I followed the HC letter up with blogger and librarian Jessamyn West’s take on the subject. Basically, her position is that HC’s new policy “is not at all okay.” HarperCollins OverDrive policy is greedy, and as a result, HC is damaging its longstanding relationship with libraries.

I also decided to look at what two HC authors, Neil Gaiman and Marilyn Johnson, thought about this situation. I assumed their perspective might be unique, considering their precarious position between staying loyal to their publisher and wanting to please their readers. I was somewhat surprised to find that they both seemed in favor of more open access to digital versions of their books. Gaiman’s argument is that increased access to his works actually leads to more purchasing of his books by customers. Johnson, meanwhile, notes that she wasn’t consulted by HarperCollins about their new policy so the publisher’s claim of protecting author rights is less than valid. Her argument also seems to mirror Free-Range Librarian’s to an extent (http://freerangelibrarian.com/2011/02/26/harpercollins-memento-plan/). That is: it is not the place of the publisher to impose how long a book should “last” for; libraries aim to preserve—a difficult task when something disappears the 26^th time it’s looked at; and books are works of memory that authors want to keep around forever.

Personally, I do think it’s somewhat silly to arbitrarily limit the use of a product. It seems to me that HC is pretty much removing one of the main technological advantages of the eBook itself—the long lifespan. An eBook is not a physical book, so to model an eBook policy after the supposed lifespan of a physical book is flawed. Obviously, eBooks present a significant challenge to the traditional book lending model, and publishers (and librarians) need to respond accordingly. It will be interesting to see how this debate plays out in the weeks ahead.

Finally, I think it’s important to consider how this debate will affect patrons. After reading ABC News’s article on the boycott (and visiting http://boycottharpercollins.com/ and seeing that the boycott is still on), it’s clear that the choices being made by librarians in response to HarperCollins decision will have an impact on patrons. Also, reading the ALA Code of Ethics is a reminder that above all, librarians exist to serve their patrons, which makes me wonder if the boycott is the most user-friendly way for librarians to get their message to HarperCollins across.

Week 7: Book Clubs!

During our last 643 class we were joined by a local public librarian who shared with us some neat and useful tips for organizing book clubs. Among other ideas, she suggested creating book club kits that include all the necessary tools for a successful book club discussion—several copies of a single title, reviews/summaries, related questions, “read-a-likes” (similar titles), and perhaps the DVD of the film version (if available). Such a kit would certainly simplify the organization process and possibly encourage newcomers to start their own book clubs. After our guest speaker presentation, I was able to witness a mock Socratic seminar, as staged by the professor and some classmates. I thought it was useful to see some of the suggested practices actually put into action (e.g., begin a question with the participant’s name).

I really enjoyed this week’s readings (not that I don’t enjoy every week’s readings). The change of pace was welcome, especially following spring break. My book club cohort was responsible for reading five different short pieces:

“The Four Habits of Highly Effective Librarians” by Todd Gilman

This short article seems mostly concerned with how reference desks (and by extension, reference librarians) can continue to make themselves relevant. Gilman proposes four practices for librarians: openness, responsiveness, collaboration and communication. While this article was definitely a good read, from the title I was expecting a more general set of suggestions for the library profession. This article seems to have the academic reference library staff in mind. Nevertheless, Gilman’s ideas are pretty universal for all librarians—basically, be willing to adapt and listen and talk to others.

“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift

I’ve read this piece once or twice before, but reading it again made me appreciate just how much I probably didn’t understand back then. While I could understand that Swift was being satirical, some of the historical nuances and language subtleties eluded me in my younger days.

“The Landlady” by Roald Dahl

What a creepy little story this is. I had never read this before, but I really enjoyed it, in spite of the creepy factor. I think there are a lot of interesting plot devices (foreshadowing, etc.) going on here that could be talked about in length. Reading it was sort of like watching one of those horror films—you just know something bad is going to happen if Billy Weaver stays at that Bed and Breakfast! Keep walking, go to the pub!

“Hansel and Gretel” by Brothers Grimm

I’m excited to be discussing this story in our book groups tomorrow as well. Not surprisingly, I’ve read this before, but I think this is one of those stories that can be read and discussed multiple times without losing its appeal. Like “A Modest Proposal,” there are definitely details that are picked up on in a second reading.

“The Nightingale and the Rose” by Oscar Wilde

This is the story my book club selected, and it is about love, selfishness, sacrifice, etc. Basically, a young student needs a red rose in order to get a young lady’s attention (or a dance)—but alas, there are no red roses around. A nightingale that is perched nearby hears the laments of the young man and is determined to help him acquire the proper flower. Unfortunately, the nightingale makes a sacrifice for an unappreciative student who is, in turn, unappreciated by the young lady. I guess what goes around comes around.

In conclusion, I’m really excited to be talking more about all these fine book club selections tomorrow!