Ok, so while surfing Online the other day I came across a very short article entitle "George Washington Owes Library $300,000". I was intrigued. How is it that our first president had such a library debt. The article stated: "On 5 October 1789, the first president borrowed two books from what was then the only library in Manhattan - 'Law of Nations,' a dissertation on international relations, and a volume of debate transcripts from Britain’s House of Commons. George Washington did not even bother to sign his name in the borrower’s ledger. An aide simply scrawled 'president' next to the title to show who had taken them out."
And appartently he was not the only founding father to owe our American libraries some money. However, can we compare that debt to the price of America's freedom?
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The State of America's Academic Libraries: Things are Looking Up
While reading the ALA Newsletter recently I came across an acrticle about the current state of America's libraries. While I did expect to see a reported increased usage of public libraries due to the current economic and job market states, I was surprised to read that America's academic libraries were also experiencing an increased usage. According to the article,
America’s academic libraries are experiencing increased use, both physical and virtual. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports academic libraries have more than 20.3 million visits per week (1.5 million more than two years earlier), answered more than 1.1 million reference questions, and made more than 498,000 presentations to groups. Almost 95 percent of students use their academic library’s website at least once a week, according to one study of students and technology, and nine out of 10 college students surveyed in another study said they turned to libraries “for online scholarly research databases . . . for conducting course-related research, valuing the resources for credible content, in-depth information, and the ability to meet instructors’ expectations.”
Although I expected to see an increased usage of the libraries online websites, seeing that students are still using the physical building as well is comforting to me. This means that more and more academic libraries are providing more services for students and services that students actually want to take advantage of. This also means that students aren't viewing the library as a negative place. They are beginning to see the library again, and the librarians, as portals to information and reserach. Academic libraries and librarians should be proud of this and should continue to improve their services, both phyiscal and virutal, and continue to entice students to come to the library.
"Recession drives more Americans to libraries in search of employment resources; but funding lags demand" American Libraries Direct 4/14/2010
America’s academic libraries are experiencing increased use, both physical and virtual. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports academic libraries have more than 20.3 million visits per week (1.5 million more than two years earlier), answered more than 1.1 million reference questions, and made more than 498,000 presentations to groups. Almost 95 percent of students use their academic library’s website at least once a week, according to one study of students and technology, and nine out of 10 college students surveyed in another study said they turned to libraries “for online scholarly research databases . . . for conducting course-related research, valuing the resources for credible content, in-depth information, and the ability to meet instructors’ expectations.”
Although I expected to see an increased usage of the libraries online websites, seeing that students are still using the physical building as well is comforting to me. This means that more and more academic libraries are providing more services for students and services that students actually want to take advantage of. This also means that students aren't viewing the library as a negative place. They are beginning to see the library again, and the librarians, as portals to information and reserach. Academic libraries and librarians should be proud of this and should continue to improve their services, both phyiscal and virutal, and continue to entice students to come to the library.
"Recession drives more Americans to libraries in search of employment resources; but funding lags demand" American Libraries Direct 4/14/2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Academic Libraries and Embracing the Power of Social Networking
In today's fast-paced, technology driven society, social networking is a way to keep in touch with friends and family at lightening speed. Especially when such networks are attached to one's cell phone, it allows communication at a moment's notice. Furthermore, and more importantly, it allows one to communicate with a mass number of people at one time. But when one considers these tools of communication one does not normally connect them with academic libraries, or libraries in general. However, this past Thursday at my internship with Rare Books and Special Collections at Thomas Cooper Library I was asked to help create a Twitter account for the department. I was surprised to learn that they already had a FaceBook page as well. This got me to thinking more about the power of social networking and how it might prove to be an asset for academic libraries. Although it may seem a bit strange to find out that a library is using these programs, the more I thought about it the more it began to make sense. Afterall, this is how most college aged people communicate these days. This generation wants to be in-the-know at all times and communicate with the blink of an eye. By embracing this method of communication they are communicating in the way that their users prefer to communciate and gather information. I furthermore believe that by communicating through social networking sites will let potential users know that the libraries are listening to them and want to communciate with them in the way that they chose. In addition, it allows libraries to keep in touch more easily with their users and inform them about different services or events that may be going on. This advertising may entice more people to come to the library to gather their needed information and may also help users to feel more at ease asking a librarian for help. It doesn't take that long to set up a few social networking accounts and in all honesty it poses no real risk. The only thing really inolved is making sure that they are checked daily for any posts, promptly answering any posed questions, and general up keep of information. This is almost no different than the daily up keep of the websites.
I believe that academic libraries should begin to embrace social networking, instead of ignorning it. We must listen to our users and allow them to communicate with us in a way that feel comfortable if we want them to continue to use (or even know) about our services. I believe that once libraries try it and potential users become aware of its existence that they will use those portals of communication to stay in touch with the library and take advantage of the services that the library offers.
I believe that academic libraries should begin to embrace social networking, instead of ignorning it. We must listen to our users and allow them to communicate with us in a way that feel comfortable if we want them to continue to use (or even know) about our services. I believe that once libraries try it and potential users become aware of its existence that they will use those portals of communication to stay in touch with the library and take advantage of the services that the library offers.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
And Seek for Truth in the Garden of Academus
Atque inter silvas academi quaerere verum ~And Seek for Truth in the Garden of Academus
The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy is a a novel set in a progessive, small college in the 1950's during the height of Communist fears. It begins when professor Mulcahy of the Literature Department receives his letter of dismissal from President Maynard Hoar. From this point on, Mulcahy schemes to keep his place. In the process, the reader is treated to many a stimulating dialogue between the learned members of the faculty. The message is one of tolerance and a resigned acceptance of the often contradictory nature of experience. When the book was written, during the era of Eugene McCarthy's ascendancy, this was exactly the message the public needed to hear.
The novel focuses on the political side of academia between faculty, students, and administrators and a tight-rope between condemnation and forgivess is walked. There is also the question of judgement. It is said by one of the characters in the novel that "Everybody has the right to be judged and to judge in his turn." However, is it beneath the dignity of man to punish the accused?
While I, myself, have not worked in academia, I can imagine that political struggles, although perhaps not to the extent that are written about in this novel, ring true today in America's universities and colleges. Politics, unfortunately, are a reality of the institutions. While I could not relate directly to the novel myself because I have not worked in an academic setting, I do feel that there was some accuracy in the novel's political portrayl, although I do believe that it was blown out of proportion somewhat in the creation of the novel as a satire. Literary satire's are meant to magnify certain human vices or follies through wit or irony and this means that they may be blown out of proportion in certain aspects.
The part of the novel that surprised me the most was simply how dislikeable and scheming the main character was. He was concerened only with himself and believed himself to be far superior than any of his colleages. "The anomalies of the situation afforded him a gleam of pleasure--to a man of superior intellect, the idea that he has been weak or a fool in comparison with an inferior adversary is fraught wtih moral comedy and sardonic philosophic applications" (pg 5).He was willing to lie, deceive, and use any other means necessary to keep his job and even causes his colleages to lie on his behalf. He is cunning and deceitful and perhaps even a bit mad.
The faculty in this novel, with the exception of Mulcahy, were treated as the stereotypical academic staff such as Ivy Legendre of the Theatre Department with "her deep, bellicose, lesbian voice" and "Mrs. Masterson of the Psychology Department, a spinsterish, anxious little widow with a high, thin voice"(pgs. 73-74). Furthermore, "[m]ost of the instructors were young and unmarried and did not grudge the few settled men their professional stipend, which went into bringing up children and did not into conspicuous entertaining. Among the older married teachers, there were a number of those husband-and-wife 'teams' that progressive colleges like to hire and others, for some reason, do not--for them the double income made a low salary practicable. And even such an instructor as Henry Mulchay, tortured by debt, doctor bills, coal bills, small personal loans never paid back, four children outgrowing their clothes, patches, darns, tears, the threatening letters of a collection-agency, knew himself well off here in comparison to many an instructor at state university or endowed private colleges, where a stipend of twenty-five hundred would not be considered too low" (pgs. 83-84).
The students, on the other hand, are viewed in a much different light. "Seeing them come year after year, the stiff-spined, angry only children with inhibitions about the opposite sex, being entrained here remedially by their parents, as they had been routed to the dentist for braces, the wild-haired progressive-school rejects, offspring of broken homes, the sexually adventerous youths looking to meet their opposite numbers in the women's dormitories, without the social complications of fraternities and sororitites or the restraints of grades, examinations, compulsory athletics, R.O.T.C., the single well-dressed Adonis from Sewickley with a private plane and a neurosis, the fourteen-year-old mathematical Russian Jewish boys on scholarships, with their violin cases and timorous, old-country parents, hovering humbly outside the Registrar's door as at a consular office, the cold peroxided beauties who had once done modeling for Powers and were here while waiting for a screen-test, the girls from Honolulu or Taos who could 'sit on' their hair and wore it down their backs, Godiva-style, and were named Rina or Blanca or Snow-White, the conventional Allysons and Pattys whose favorite book was Whinnie-the-Pooh--seeing them, the old timers shook their heads and marveled at how the college could continue but in the same style they marveled at the survival of the race itself" (pg 65).
The administration is viewed mostly in a negative light in this book. Henry views Maynard Hoar, the college's president, as being ignorant and stupid and easily deceived and manipulated and in fact he, and the rest of the main faculty of the novel, are decieved and manipulated by Henry right through to the end when Henry forces Hoar to resign. "It was the usual mistake of a complex intelligence in assessing a simple intelligence, of an imagination that is capable of seeing and feeling on many levels at once, as opposed to an administrative mentality that feels operationally, through acts" (pg. 5).
I must admit that this is the first academic satire that I have read and I did enjoy it, although I feel that I would have enjoyed it more and understood it more clearly had I been directly involved in academia. I would like to read another academic satire at some point in time, perhaps after engaging in the setting a bit more so that the humor, and perhaps even the sadness, of the situation will resonate more readily.
The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy is a a novel set in a progessive, small college in the 1950's during the height of Communist fears. It begins when professor Mulcahy of the Literature Department receives his letter of dismissal from President Maynard Hoar. From this point on, Mulcahy schemes to keep his place. In the process, the reader is treated to many a stimulating dialogue between the learned members of the faculty. The message is one of tolerance and a resigned acceptance of the often contradictory nature of experience. When the book was written, during the era of Eugene McCarthy's ascendancy, this was exactly the message the public needed to hear.
The novel focuses on the political side of academia between faculty, students, and administrators and a tight-rope between condemnation and forgivess is walked. There is also the question of judgement. It is said by one of the characters in the novel that "Everybody has the right to be judged and to judge in his turn." However, is it beneath the dignity of man to punish the accused?
While I, myself, have not worked in academia, I can imagine that political struggles, although perhaps not to the extent that are written about in this novel, ring true today in America's universities and colleges. Politics, unfortunately, are a reality of the institutions. While I could not relate directly to the novel myself because I have not worked in an academic setting, I do feel that there was some accuracy in the novel's political portrayl, although I do believe that it was blown out of proportion somewhat in the creation of the novel as a satire. Literary satire's are meant to magnify certain human vices or follies through wit or irony and this means that they may be blown out of proportion in certain aspects.
The part of the novel that surprised me the most was simply how dislikeable and scheming the main character was. He was concerened only with himself and believed himself to be far superior than any of his colleages. "The anomalies of the situation afforded him a gleam of pleasure--to a man of superior intellect, the idea that he has been weak or a fool in comparison with an inferior adversary is fraught wtih moral comedy and sardonic philosophic applications" (pg 5).He was willing to lie, deceive, and use any other means necessary to keep his job and even causes his colleages to lie on his behalf. He is cunning and deceitful and perhaps even a bit mad.
The faculty in this novel, with the exception of Mulcahy, were treated as the stereotypical academic staff such as Ivy Legendre of the Theatre Department with "her deep, bellicose, lesbian voice" and "Mrs. Masterson of the Psychology Department, a spinsterish, anxious little widow with a high, thin voice"(pgs. 73-74). Furthermore, "[m]ost of the instructors were young and unmarried and did not grudge the few settled men their professional stipend, which went into bringing up children and did not into conspicuous entertaining. Among the older married teachers, there were a number of those husband-and-wife 'teams' that progressive colleges like to hire and others, for some reason, do not--for them the double income made a low salary practicable. And even such an instructor as Henry Mulchay, tortured by debt, doctor bills, coal bills, small personal loans never paid back, four children outgrowing their clothes, patches, darns, tears, the threatening letters of a collection-agency, knew himself well off here in comparison to many an instructor at state university or endowed private colleges, where a stipend of twenty-five hundred would not be considered too low" (pgs. 83-84).
The students, on the other hand, are viewed in a much different light. "Seeing them come year after year, the stiff-spined, angry only children with inhibitions about the opposite sex, being entrained here remedially by their parents, as they had been routed to the dentist for braces, the wild-haired progressive-school rejects, offspring of broken homes, the sexually adventerous youths looking to meet their opposite numbers in the women's dormitories, without the social complications of fraternities and sororitites or the restraints of grades, examinations, compulsory athletics, R.O.T.C., the single well-dressed Adonis from Sewickley with a private plane and a neurosis, the fourteen-year-old mathematical Russian Jewish boys on scholarships, with their violin cases and timorous, old-country parents, hovering humbly outside the Registrar's door as at a consular office, the cold peroxided beauties who had once done modeling for Powers and were here while waiting for a screen-test, the girls from Honolulu or Taos who could 'sit on' their hair and wore it down their backs, Godiva-style, and were named Rina or Blanca or Snow-White, the conventional Allysons and Pattys whose favorite book was Whinnie-the-Pooh--seeing them, the old timers shook their heads and marveled at how the college could continue but in the same style they marveled at the survival of the race itself" (pg 65).
The administration is viewed mostly in a negative light in this book. Henry views Maynard Hoar, the college's president, as being ignorant and stupid and easily deceived and manipulated and in fact he, and the rest of the main faculty of the novel, are decieved and manipulated by Henry right through to the end when Henry forces Hoar to resign. "It was the usual mistake of a complex intelligence in assessing a simple intelligence, of an imagination that is capable of seeing and feeling on many levels at once, as opposed to an administrative mentality that feels operationally, through acts" (pg. 5).
I must admit that this is the first academic satire that I have read and I did enjoy it, although I feel that I would have enjoyed it more and understood it more clearly had I been directly involved in academia. I would like to read another academic satire at some point in time, perhaps after engaging in the setting a bit more so that the humor, and perhaps even the sadness, of the situation will resonate more readily.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Theory vs. Practice and the Academic Librarian
Chapter 11 of John M. Budd's The Changing Academic Library is titled "The Academic Librarian" and examines the education, relationships, management and leadership positions, and staus of academic librarians within their institutions. One of the first topics covered by Budd in this chapter is in regard to the education of academic librarians. In a Educational Policy statement by The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) of the ALA it is written that, "The task of all those involved in educating librarians and other information professionals is to teach principles. These principles include the values of the profession and the reasons for their existence. Principles from other disciplines can be applied to librarianship as well." The statment further suggests that LIS programs "must ensure that their curricula provide a solid foundation for library and information science professionals by teaching basic values of the profession, stressing theory over practice, stressing professional decision making over performance of specific duties, stressing service to the user of the information, and preparing librarians wtih a plan for continuing education" (pgs. 250-251).
While I strongly agree that principles and theory are very helpful for those in LIS programs, I also think that practice is important as well. As a LIS student graduating in December I had very little practice until recently when I began my internship. I have learned so much through hands on experience. I understand that especially with Distance Education programs that theory and principles are easier to teach in most courses. However, I do feel that if theory and practice are going to be at the forefront of the curricula then at least one internship should be mandatory. This way the student will be familiar with the theories and principles, but also have the hands on experience and practice that most employeers are looking for. This hands on experience also helps a student to fully understand what their speciality involves. A student may like the job on paper but when it comes to actually doing it that interest may fade. Theory and principles are extremely important in any LIS program, but practice and experience must not be forgotten.
While I strongly agree that principles and theory are very helpful for those in LIS programs, I also think that practice is important as well. As a LIS student graduating in December I had very little practice until recently when I began my internship. I have learned so much through hands on experience. I understand that especially with Distance Education programs that theory and principles are easier to teach in most courses. However, I do feel that if theory and practice are going to be at the forefront of the curricula then at least one internship should be mandatory. This way the student will be familiar with the theories and principles, but also have the hands on experience and practice that most employeers are looking for. This hands on experience also helps a student to fully understand what their speciality involves. A student may like the job on paper but when it comes to actually doing it that interest may fade. Theory and principles are extremely important in any LIS program, but practice and experience must not be forgotten.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Personal Fears
I cannot believe that it is spring break already and that we are half way through the semester. It feels like it is going by so quickly. This is both a relief and a little scary for me because it means that I am getting closer to graduating. I feel a crazy mix of emotions when it comes to graduating in December because on the one hand I am exhausted both mentally and physically and would like to just be done and to get my diploma. However, on the other hand, I am terrified of graduating because I am afraid of trying to find a job out there in this job market and economy. However, I know that I will be well prepared when the time finally comes because I have had excellent teachers and classes. I have also been able to receive hands on experience through my internship and will be learning even more with my Graduate Assistantship in the fall. I must learn to confront my fears and realize that everything will fall into place when the time is right. I just need to take things one step at a time.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Importance of Library Instruction
Nowadays with new technology being debuted every few months and more and more educational instruction taking advantage of these technological advances it is critical that university and college libraries and librarians take an active role in the instruction of these materials and tools. The use of online databases and journals is becoming the norm but instruction on how to effectively use these tools is not. Freshman undergraduates who enter unversities and colleges should be properly instructed on how to effectively use library tools and materials within their first semester. Without such instruction they may find themselves unable to properly navigate through the seemingly endless supply of both analog and digital content and materials. Instruction on how to form effective queries and proper use of tools such as "Advanced Search" can help students to cut down on the time it takes to locate needed information. Furthermore, without proper instruction it is difficult to even gage a "good" journal article from a "bad" journal article. In addition, it is critical that students are taught "library language" and how to properly deconstruct and understand bibliographic citations and abstracts. I know that when I entered USC as an undergraduate I felt overwhelmed by the library and the online databases. I receieved a little library instruction through my University 101 class but I do not feel that it was in depth enough. It took a lot of trial by error and help from the librarians for me to begin to fully understand how to effectively use the online datatbases.
Librarians need to approach their instution's faulty and begin a dialog so that they may begin to understand the content of the course and the instructors needs. The librarians need to know exactly what the instructor is going to be teaching, the goals of the course, and most importantly how the course is structured. Only then can the librarian and faulty member begin to compose a library instruction plan. By understanding the course and course content, goals, and assignments the librarians can begin to form lists of materials related to the course and assignments and other tools that may be helpful to the students. Librarians furthermore need to come into the classes and introduce themselves to the new students and inform the students of the tools and materials located in the library or libraries. Simply by introducing themselves to the students the students may feel more at ease in entering the library and asking a librarian for help.
Learning and instruction are the main goals of any university or college and will be found in every course but what is clear is that it must also be found in the library. Without proper instruction on the effective use of library tools and materials students may find it more difficult to locate needed information or may be frustrated at their search results. Library instruction can ease frustations and help guide students through the seemingly endless supply of content and materials. Librarians, however, cannot just sit around and wait for students to approach them wtih questions or frustrations. It is clear that librarians need to take an active rather than a passive role in library instruction and turn these students into advanced searchers.
Librarians need to approach their instution's faulty and begin a dialog so that they may begin to understand the content of the course and the instructors needs. The librarians need to know exactly what the instructor is going to be teaching, the goals of the course, and most importantly how the course is structured. Only then can the librarian and faulty member begin to compose a library instruction plan. By understanding the course and course content, goals, and assignments the librarians can begin to form lists of materials related to the course and assignments and other tools that may be helpful to the students. Librarians furthermore need to come into the classes and introduce themselves to the new students and inform the students of the tools and materials located in the library or libraries. Simply by introducing themselves to the students the students may feel more at ease in entering the library and asking a librarian for help.
Learning and instruction are the main goals of any university or college and will be found in every course but what is clear is that it must also be found in the library. Without proper instruction on the effective use of library tools and materials students may find it more difficult to locate needed information or may be frustrated at their search results. Library instruction can ease frustations and help guide students through the seemingly endless supply of content and materials. Librarians, however, cannot just sit around and wait for students to approach them wtih questions or frustrations. It is clear that librarians need to take an active rather than a passive role in library instruction and turn these students into advanced searchers.
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