Monday, August 18, 2003

National Database for Research into International Education. David P Dillard passed along this link to the Australian National Database for Research into International Education. The database contains details of over 2500 books, articles, conference papers and reports on various aspects of international education from publishers in Australia and overseas and will help you to keep up to date with emerging trends and to quickly locate research relevant to your needs. The database encompasses Australian and international research and, where possible, includes links to the full text of catalogued research. It also includes links to over forty relevant websites, other useful databases and a range of international education journals and publishers. The database is updated monthly. [LISNews.com] 6:57:21 AM

	Sunday, August 17, 2003

Information Literacy in Europe. A comprehensive review article about information literacy in Europe has been published in the current issue of Information Research . Virkus, S. (2003) "Information literacy in Europe: a literature review." Information Research, 8 (4). http://informationr.net/ir/8-4/paper159.html. [Information Literacy Weblog] The article referred to in this post has some very good quotes that would be useful to anyone needing an overview of the importance of information literacy in today's world. (Does anyone need to prove that importance any more?) I'm interested in this article because of the European perspective, since Europe is where I live right now. I need to deal with my prejudices and stereotypes that have only recently allowed me to acknowledge that good work in my field is coming out of Australia. What chauvintists we Americans tend to be! 6:12:25 PM

	Friday, August 1, 2003

Morphing into a Cybrary?. From Tech-Learning Magazine - the story of the transformation of a school library into a technology-infused "cybrary"... [Education Librarian] Hmmm. Good article, but I always cringe at non-librarians taking over libraries. Sorry, can't help it. This one has some good ideas and a good attitude, though. 11:48:07 AM

	Thursday, July 31, 2003

Libraries seek to close the book on paper wasters. From The Seattle Times, an article about those piles of wasted paper and unclaimed printouts we find at the public-access computer. The Seattle Public Library system is subsidizing printing and copying costs to the tune of $60,000 a year. So come fall they will start charging patrons for printouts. Library staffers don't yet know how much they will charge, but they've recommended a 10-cent-per-page cost. Printing from the library catalog still would be free, and photocopies would remain 15 cents per page. [LISNews.com] This is the story that our high school and middle school students are going to hear in September, and I'm sure there will be complaints. As with the library in the article, I'm more concerned with curbing waste (and teaching responsibility) than with making money. 5:53:20 PM

	Tuesday, July 15, 2003

The Psychology of Change Management. The Psychology of Change Management (Free registration required...but worth it :)) via KJJ Quote: "Employees will alter their mind-sets only if they see the point of the change and agree with it[~]at least enough to give it a try. The surrounding structures (reward and recognition systems, for example) must be in tune with the new behavior. Employees must have the skills to do what it requires. Finally, they must see people they respect modeling it actively. Each of these conditions is realized independently; together they add up to a way of changing the behavior of people in organizations by changing attitudes about what can and should happen at work." Comment: As educators, we are really in the ultimate change management field...we are constantly directing learners to adopt new/different ways of thinking and doing. This is compounded when we are teaching with technology. It's important to remember, however, that the issue is not the technology, but the underlying mindset that shapes a learners perception of the need to even try. [elearnspace blog] 10:47:00 AM

	Sunday, July 13, 2003

I've been reading about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and about the report called "Milestones for Improving Learning and Education (MILE) Guide for 21st Century Skills" that this consortium issued at the NECC conference in June. This is a great effort, but isn't it what school librarians have been talking about for a long time? Information literacy, critical thinking, problem-solving,... Why isn't AASL right in the middle of this organization? I also wonder how these skills compare with NCREL's (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory) enGuage document, 21st Century Skills: Digital Literacies for a Digital Age.This latter document was cited in the recent ALA resolution, "School Libraries and Librarians are Critical to Educational Success." I certainly hope we find some way to pool our efforts. This is where I see the danger of the library/technology divide that is so evident in individual schools as well as in national and international organizations. Look at the separate committees for technology and libraries in ECIS. At least NECC now has a special interest group for media specialists (SIGMS). The presentation I am putting together for the AASL conference in October will talk about this, and from a look at the preliminary program for that conference, I'm not the only one addressing the issue of the need for better library/tech partnerships. 9:40:17 AM

	Thursday, July 10, 2003

The annual conference of the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL) is underway right now in Durban, South Africa, and how I wish I could be there. Fortunately, however, IASL is great at providing access to a "virtual conference," including a discussion list for feedback and reaction to the keynote address. This year's keynote is by Ross Todd, and it's a thought-provoking essay. Dr. Todd offers three key beliefs he feels underly the provision of effective school library programs. The first key belief is that the provision of information and information services makes a difference to the lives of people. If we do not believe that our information services can make a difference to people, then there is no point to their provision. It is as simple as that. Second, the key role of the school librarian centers on pedagogical intervention that directly impacts on and shapes the quality of student learning through their engagement with information. Learning in complex and diverse information environments does not happen by chance, and nor can it be left to chance. Explicit, systematic and planned pedagogical intervention must be the distinguishing and observable characteristic of the school library. Third, the role of pedagogical intervention is to bring on transformation. Learning takes place, and the lives of our students are transformed. All of this bring us, Todd points out, to the need for evidence to demonstrate the reality of these beliefs. This resonates with me as I finish up my annual report. The statistics and anecdotes I fill my report with show me that I'm doing something, but I can't point to them and say to my administrators, "See what a difference our program makes to students." I need to do tests and surveys to gather some real data. These concepts of difference, intervention and transformation also fit exactly with our developing curriculum (see earlier post). The understanding which is the main goal of our curriculum is demonstrated in ways that make a difference and show change (transformation). Perhaps a good exercise at the beginning of the school year will be to have all the librarians read Todd's address and discuss it in terms of the curriculum project and the library's place in that. 5:10:15 PM

© Copyright 2003 Deborah Wells-Clinton. Last update: 8/18/03; 7:41:14.