Author: librarianowl

They’re coming!!

Hey!

After a nice week at in beautiful Meadow Lake Provincial Park, I’m back! Though the weather today feels more fall-ish then August probably should.

In the spirit of giving us something to keep our minds warm, I’d like to start broaching the topic of electronic textbooks.

We’ve spent a lot of time chatting about digital libraries, e-books, formats, etc., but what about the nitty gritty of actual digital textbooks use?

I stumbled upon an interesting blog/publication on this very topic, which makes the argument that digital textbook sales will make up nearly 14% of overall sales within 5 years, and may be up to 50% of the market by the end of the decade.

Even if those numbers as a little ambitious, the fact that digital textbooks are here to stay is abundantly clear!

But what exactly will that mean for schools, teachers, and students?

One of the benefits of digital textbooks would be the accessibility that they offer to all parties, as well as the ability to keep them up to date as newer editions come out. Furthermore, think of all the extra room on desks, cubbyholes, shelves, and classrooms without having them taken up by textbooks.

However, what about the more difficult problems of paying for the digital subscriptions?

It seems that the way the system is currently being designed is that schools/students buy digital licenses to books for a year or two at a time, and that gives them access and online support.

But is that really more cost efficient for schools? What about inner city or poorer districts that don’t have the money to continually update their licenses? Would it be smarter for them to simply purchase hard copies? With less hard-copies being printed though, would that raise the price for the paper versions though?

That doesn’t even begin to touch on the idea of copyright and intellectual properties? On the most basic level, think about photocopying and printing limitations. With more and more difficulty in making copies, does that make these digital textbooks any more accessible?

Finally, I can only imagine that the book producers will be in favor of this move, as they can generate nearly the same amount of revenue without overhead printing costs. Will that encourage them to add in features that allow students and schools to interact with their e-books, or will it be simply a digital port of a printed material? If the ability to interact (say for teachers to link YouTube, websites, media, and other digital forms of education directly into their students textbooks) with their digital texts is included, then this move could provide many new, and exciting ways to educate.

What do you think? Digital Textbooks are here, and the stream will soon turn into a flood. What type of features would you like to see in them? Does anything make you hesitate? Does anything in particular grab your imagination?

Ryan

Do we owe it to them?

Hey all,

This will be a shorter post, as the weekend is coming! Plus, I ramble too much anyways!

Library attribute #3 – Socializing

As mentioned in a previous discussion, libraries are a social place, and virtual or digital libraries also need to be social places. Maybe this will start simply with discussions and chat rooms for books, courses, etc. Perhaps online meetings rooms or web conference capabilities will be the first wave of online socializing, but the future could be endless.

At this point, there are two directions this conversation could go. 1) We could talk about the benefits and drawbacks of F2F vs Digital communities and socializing. Anyone who has been in our ETAD 802 course knows how vibrant a topic that is.

However, and this may be unfair, since this is my blog and I have already been a part of a discussion on this topic, I would like to look quickly at a second vein.

Libraries obligation to provide a social access point to the community.

This is really an immense topic, so here are a few parameters to sharpen the focus.

a)      Let’s only look at school libraries, and in particular non-university school libraries.

b)      Let’s focus purely on social use of technology, NOT academic or research uses

I realize these may be unfair limits, but in my mind they seem to make sense.

Now to the discussion

When we talked before about libraries as social places, one of the biggest benefits was that they are open to everyone. Money and class don’t matter, anyone can go into the library and socialize.

But what about the online forms of socializing?

There has been an explosion of digital and technological ways of communicating; ways that have revolutionized how we as humans can interact across vast distances. The prevalence of cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc. has created the image that everyone is wired and hooked up; or else a luddite and being purposely obstinate.

There are other groups though, who are NOT riding this wave, and perhaps not due to their own choice.

I purposely put the above guidelines into place for a reason, as I do see public libraries and university libraries providing courses on online etiquette and usage, while having multiple computers set up for patrons to simply browse around.The question though, is should elementary and secondary schools also be embracing such an idea? Do schools have an obligation to provide training and education on how to be ‘wired’ in today’s world to their students? And perhaps most importantly, do schools have an obligation to provide access to these technologies and resources for students who do not have them at home?

It seems that this very topic has been at the forefront of discussions on whether classrooms should adopt Cell Phone integrated coursework, or tablet course work, especially if not all the students can afford the technology. If they do, should the school provide the technology for those who don’t have it themselves, or for everyone, or not at all?

To me, this topic though goes beyond simply purchasing and providing everyone with a piece of technology. This extends to a mindset that we ‘owe’ it to our students to train them and give them access to the newest ways to learn? Ways that they may not have exposure to otherwise.

It would be easy to further frame this as a question of “should schools level the playing field when it comes to technology by ensuring that there won’t be have/have not students.”

However, the question still goes much deeper than that.

I want to close with a short experience I had teaching some years ago.

Midway through a school year, several students in one of the classes I taught started to exhibit very spotty attendance. After digging into the situation I little more, we as a school found out that they were not attending because they were staying home to look after younger siblings who were not yet school age. Naturally, we tried to stress the importance of regular school attendance, etc. but the reply we received back from them was “Why should we attend when what we are being taught doesn’t apply to our lives?” Our way of structuring school wasn’t meeting their needs, and so they decided it would be a better use of time to stay home and help their families. Doing algebra and reading Shakespeare didn’t matter one bit to them, yet I would say most curriculums out there would disagree on their value assessment.

In that light, do schools, SHOULD schools seek to provide access to, and training in, technology and online social communities? Do they owe it to their students? Does it really matter to the student who doesn’t have the gadgets though? Is it a good or bad use of a school libraries resources?

One last disclaimer, I am not talking about Internet Access here, which I believe was just recently adopted as a basic Human Right by the UN.

If the world is becoming more social and we are socializing through technology, do school libraries owe it to their students to ensure they aren’t left behind? Or is that the “Have’s” projecting OUR values and priorities onto the “Have Not’s”?

Tough questions requiring sober thoughts.

Ryan

What do we mean by safe spaces…

Hello everyone!

Just a forewarning, this is a heavy subject, but one that I really want to hear back from you on.

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Today I wanted to talk about the second important attribute of libraries that must be maintained, whether on or offline, and that is Safety.

Safety you say? What can you possibly mean by that?

As mentioned before, libraries have the ability to form a 3rd place between the home and the classroom where students can learn. Feeling safe and free to explore, congregate, and socialize at leisure is an experience that virtual libraries need to also embrace.

So how can a website or chat room still provide safety to patrons and students?

To me this means Cyber-bullying must be watched for on library forums on chat rooms, while at the same time some level of freedom and creative expression has to be maintained. If it isn’t, then student won’t feel safe being themselves for the opposite reason, fear of censorship and reprisal.

Beyond that though, is the need to ensure that users of an online resource feel safe to contribute to a discussion or exploration, without fear of being belittled or silenced. This can be a much harder goal to achieve, but internet chat, learning, and meeting can provide a natural medium where there is the right mix of connection, and anonymity, for participants.

However, there is one more aspect of safety that I think libraries need to provide, and it’s a BIG one.

A casual Google search of “Libraries + Safe spaces” and any number of qualifiers such as ‘creating’ etc. yields a wide range of results. Some talking about anti-bullying and safety from violence and unwanted attention, while others are actual documents outlining libraries ‘Safety Codes’.

Stuck in the middle of all of that though, is the idea that libraries are safe spaces for children and people of different lifestyles. This may be stepping into a quagmire, but the topic itself needs to be broached. There is already discussion about ‘self-censorship’ ongoing, and to what extent are libraries responsible for embracing all backgrounds and lifestyles.

One hit from McGill University highlighted an event discussing just this point, with some very interesting data. Over 73% of public and school librarians confessed they made conscious choices not to buy books that were supportive or in favor of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer/questioning) lifestyles. This included books that were award winners or best sellers, and was largely due to the fear librarians had of parental backlash.

Decisions such as this have been given the label ‘self-censorship’, and the concept is quickly becoming one of the hot button topics in librarian science circles.

For the digital and online capacities of libraries, it also carries several important questions:

– With the ease of lending and loaning that was previously discussed as a potential option in our last post and discussion, to what extent will digital libraries be able to overcome the self-censorship that is quite clearly prevalent in physical library spaces today?

– Conversely, will the lack of an actual physical copy of books make it easier for this type of censorship to continue, and in fact to be buried under the mountains of e-books and publications that would be flooding a suddenly immense online collection?

While the concept of self-censorship is one that could be discussed at great length, I would like to try and keep things focused more generally on the topic of creating libraries that are safe places of students and children, and in particular, how technology could assist in doing so. I must admit though, that I find myself of two very distinct minds when I consider how technology could play into all of this.

As hinted at above, the freedom and ease of access that an online lending system creates should make it far easier for patrons of all ages and backgrounds to be part of the library. Additionally, at the same time perhaps this would shield the libraries, schools, and librarians themselves from criticism and backlash from parents and community members who may not agree with such a policy.

On the other side though, isn’t the mere idea that such actions take place a clear indicator that it is not technology that will solve this problem? That we are dealing with a fundamental issue of liberty and freedom here? If people really don’t want something around, then they will always find a way to keep it hidden or buried, right?

I suppose at the very heart of all of this should be the idea that children and students need to find the library a place where they can feel safe and not judged; and that extends beyond the obvious ideas of cyber-bullying and violence. So far, the majority of libraries seem to be failing these students, and that is heartbreaking.

If the goal of education is to give children and students voices so they can be heard, then any action which takes away those voices, or works to silence them, is a crime of the highest order.

Finding our way along this path will obviously take time and effort, but it is a task that stands in great need of being taken up. I truly feel that the technological potential that libraries are beginning to embrace could, and should, provide a medium for all voices, lifestyles, and children. Furthermore, it should work towards the ideal of libraries being spaces of learning, and safety, for all children.

It may be difficult, but the reward would be another step down the path to creating a safe environment where all students can learn, experience online communities, and flourish.

Ryan

Addendum’s:

I found a good, but short, blog post from someone who attended the conference at McGill here, and another very brief librarian blog post here as well. Sadly, it appears that they didn’t follow up on this topic very much, but I still found some of their opinions interesting.

I also highly recommend the PowerPoint file on the linked McGill website

Finally, for a further introduction to Self-Censorship, I recommend the CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) article.

“Access” over “Ownership”

Good Day and thanks for dropping by.

I think enough time has been spent on discussing the theory and debate behind technology and virtual libraries, and the conversation needs to turn for the moment into how to move forward.

Accepting technology in libraries is a must; so much so that to refuse is to miss an evolutionary step. This same holds true for school libraries, but how do you make such a transition, and still be meaningful and useful in your school or district?

As has already been talked about, Libraries serve both various social and practical purposes, and these attributes need to also be available (to a certain extent) in a virtual domain. In my opinion, there are 3 key facets to libraries that must be maintained regardless of medium: Access, Safety, Socializing.

Each of these ideas will form their own blog post, but for today, let’s just focus on Access

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At the heart of any collection or library, is the fact that what you have gathered must be of use to people. This may be self-evident, but far too often it is easy to far into the trap of just providing ‘stuff’ without providing the RIGHT ‘stuff’.

But what does that mean in a digital world for libraries?

I stumbled upon an interesting article on CNN that I think speaks to something profound. In an interview with Spotify (Unfortunately not available in Canada yet) founder Daniel Ek, he states “What Spotify is saying is, ownership (of music) is great, but access is the future”.

Ownership is great, but access is the future.

What a profound idea!!

What could this mean for virtual library services, that would no longer be limited to actual serials and catalogues that can be stored in a building? Rather, the entire literary world could truly be at your finger-tips digitally. No more waiting about owning copies of books or resources, rather get an e-copy, or partner with other libraries to increase your footprint and selection and provide ACCESS.

Or for schools! Resources, textbooks, connections with anything would be right there, no wait times, no ordering and 6-12 weeks later it’s there. Instant connectivity; instant resources; instant learning!

Think for a moment of the implications of this. No more outdated texts, no more lost books, graffiti, damaged and destroyed volumes. Whether its kids stories or high school Physics, everything would be right there, just waiting to be accessed.

Of course there will still be issues of licensing, royalties, copyrights, etc. but the concept of libraries not being limited by the physical collection they can OWN could be transformative. If the library and its patrons/students never own a copy of the book, but rather have it for a specified time, or only a set number of accesses, would any of the above fees even really apply? Things to be worked out and legislated I’m sure. But potentially game changing.

However there are also other issues at play that schools would have to deal with.

Firstly, one of the crucial decisions will be in the format of digital materials that will be offered. As I’m becoming more and more aware of, there is an entire market out there filled with various readers and tablets, and most of them all have formats they simply will not support. Since time and competition hasn’t yet thinned the field down to a standard format, what can libraries possibly do?

This ties in closely to what do schools ‘bet’ on when considering buying hardware? If it isn’t the raging Tablet wars between Apple, Android, Blackberry, and a host of others, then it is Kindle, Adobe, etc. If libraries become increasingly virtual, then there will have to be new ways to access that information, both for students and staff, and that will require expenditures. Nothing gets school boards more nervous than spending large amounts of money on something they aren’t sure about.

So, how can a school and library know which steps are going to be the right one? And if they can’t, how can they avoid simply sitting on the sidelines waiting for winners to appear so they can join the party? Doing so would put libraries at the backend of technology, not exactly desirable, or useful.

BUT if libraries can embrace the concept of ‘access over ownership’ and turn it to their advantage, then surely the benefits will far outweigh the potential pitfalls. Being able to provide such a service to students and schools would give tools to educators that they could only dream of before. In this way, to NOT move forward would almost be negligent.

Ryan

What do we want to be hauling around…

Hello and welcome to another HOT day!! It’s almost too hot to think, so this will be a short entry.

As I was trying to come up with a topic for today’s entry, I stumbled upon an interesting blog post from North York Central Library out in Ontario about E-books and Library Circulation. The blog post for June 20 indicates that that E-book access in the Toronto Public library had grown by over 400% in the last year!

That’s a pretty astounding number!

The blog also links to an article in The Star which explains how the system works in a little more detail. To summarize, using only a library card, readers download books to their e-readers, and then have them for 3 weeks. At which point the files disappear. No books to return. No late charges. From the convenience of your own home. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Library of the Future!!

However, further embedded in The Star piece is also the mention that traditional library visits were also up for the last calendar year, which presents an interesting question to me: Is the debate between Virtual or Physical spaces actually the question? The idea that each side is almost engaged in a battle to the death, may not be right. The stats seem to indicate that the future may include a library that does both Digital and Physical collections equally well, and in equally accessible ways.

But what about School libraries?

Obviously, the amount of resources at the disposal of a school librarian or district will pale in comparison to those of public libraries, at least they do at the moment. In recent years the movement away from depending, or even needing at all, school libraries has resulted in cut budgets and dwindling resources. I can speak to this, as when surveying graduate courses, I was flat out told (by and MLIS adviser no less) not to go into the teacher/librarian field, as it is a dying profession.

How then, could a school librarian find a way to make an school library both digitally available, and physically welcoming and useful? A piece by Ed Wetschler makes the case that school libraries in the future will have to be Digital realms, yet at the same time warns that there will be drawbacks to this approach, and unforeseen challenges.

But it is a choice between two divergent paths? Would schools best be served by a library that could do both, equally well?

Later this week I hope to start looking directly at technology and tablets in the school and what that could mean. But for the moment, think about our own experiences in libraries (both at school and abroad) as teachers, or just as general library users. How best could the needs of patrons, schools, students, etc be reached by a multi-media approach to library catalogs? It would be impossible to make entire collections E-book/document available, so what type(s) of material would best be served by hard-copy, and digital mediums?

Is it a simply reference works vs. novels/fiction divide, or is there something more?

Is it based on the demand for particular items? Or perhaps on cultural, educational, and intellectual weight?

These are tough question, yet important ones.

If technology allows us to carry our books, knowledge, and resources with us, then what exactly do we want to be hauling around?
Ryan

Are Libraries needed within a school setting?

Good morning everyone!!

First off, let me apologize for the long post. In order to keep my schedule of Tuesday/Friday updates, this one needed to be longer, as I will be away from my computer for a week at then very beginning of August. Rather the 2/3 posts in a day, I thought I’d combine a couple posts. Feel free to skim.

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I’ve been thinking lately about the role of school libraries. It appears that before we can truly discuss deeply the technology challenges and enhancements, we need to first define the role we see, have, and want libraries to play in our schools and in our educational system.

In order to look at this problem, I did some reading and poking around, and came up with what I think are 2 strong arguments for the ‘benefits’ of libraries within a school setting.

1) Libraries as an educational place of learning

Perhaps one of the most immediately recognized roles of school libraries, I think this is what most people outside schools see libraries as for. While the notion of going to the library to research something for a school report or project may no longer be a defined role of the school library, they still retain several useful resources. Chief among this is that ‘library’ time still seems to be loved by children and the excitement of hearing a story read to them, or the freedom of being able to choose a book that interests you and read it still remains enticing.

The question I have is why?

What makes going to the library such an appealing concept, especially when websites like http://openlibrary.org/can offer the same content from the ease of a computer, E-reader, or tablet?

One of the more interesting pieces of information I managed to stumble across was a report from the 1990’s about the social aspects of reading and library use in Israel. ( You can view it here – http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.uregina.ca:2048/stable/pdfplus/4308640.pdf?acceptTC=true) While the piece did also move on to other territory, the main idea was that reading and learning TOGETHER was an idea that had great traction both to children (who by nature seem to be more social creatures then adults) and as a cultural value.

The spin-offs later in life were quite astounding, with higher continued library use, language skills, etc. and got me thinking about the power of books and libraries socially, and academically. Is it possible that one of the great draws of libraries is the ability to discover and explore new ideas with some level of freedom, but also as a group activity? Can reading and exploring what is found by a group (of children in this case), and talking immediately about everything there, dreaming about its meaning, fantasizing and storytelling in REAL TIME really be that powerful?

It certainly appears to be so, and if it is, then is this something that technology can really replicate? Are groups of children gathered around computers websearching having the same experience as those same children picking through a section of their school library? Several studies already show the reading on a screen is different then reading on hardcopy, so what differences (if any) are there between sharing a book and reading together in a library vs reading together on a monitor?

2) Libraries as a social place

This has already been briefly touched on, both in this post and in the comments of last entry, but libraries really are a social place, a so called ‘third’ place outside of home and work. Whether it is getting together out of our normal structured environments, or there is something inside us that seeks places where we can be socialized, libraries have an appeal for individuals who just want a safe, mostly quiet-ish place to congregate. In that way they provide a neutral ground, a meeting place that can stretch across age, gender, etc.

One of the most succinct advocates of this view is Doug Johnson, and a good overview of a more in depth case can be found on his blog at http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2009/2/16/school-libraries-as-a-third-place.html

The question begs to be answered though, is this unique to the library setting? Can the same experience be given to students, patrons, teachers, etc in an online format?

Discussion boards, live chats, and the access to social media the internet affords have created a wide range of forums for even the most shy and timid individual to have a voice, something that can be lacking offline. To me, perhaps one of the most interesting questions is: “Are libraries intrinsically set up to foster a social environment, or have we simply invested them with those attributes?” In other words, is there something special about the library for socializing, or do they simply fulfill a role we have given them?

As an example, the university that I currently attend has gone to great lengths to make their main library a more attractive place to socialize, with large seating area’s, numerous work stations and rooms for students to gather and do homework, and also as a place to go for a cup of coffee and to simply relax. Was this done to ENCOURAGE the growth of the library as a social place, or was this a response to the library ALREADY being a social place? If the library disappeared, would students still continue these activities elsewhere?  I can’t help but think they would, whether by moving to new physical locations, or using interactive technology such a Elluminate virtual rooms, video calls, etc. The likelihood of that happening really puts a damper on the physical library as a social necessity argument.

Finally, if school libraries TRULY are social places, then to what extent do schools, boards, and divisions need to take that responsibility seriously? If school libraries are safe places, ‘third’ places if you will, then to what extent does that role need to be embraced?

In the coming posts I hope to look at e-resources and technology vs. serials and traditionally library set ups. But I would like to challenge anyone reading this to think about the implications of accepting the library as a ‘third’ place in education, and social life. If that premise is accepted then in the end the WAY the library is structured, while important, becomes of second nature to WHY the library is structured in a certain way. What difficulties, challenges, or oppurtunities do you think that opens up, or presents?

Ryan

Do we even need libraries?

Welcome to my first actual blog post! If you’re reading this, then let me start off by saying thanks for stopping by!

As I was trying to map out exactly how I wanted to tackle the questions and issues around school libraries, technology, and modern education, I was struggling with what exactly should be the lead in discussion. After tossing the idea around in my mind, and having a few discussions with friends, I was struck by a foundational question from one of them: Do we even need libraries in the ‘electronic age?’

My initial reaction to this question was ‘of course’, but as we bantered back and forth, I began to wonder. As was pointed out libraries (whether digital or physical) can never keep up with rate of new information that is being produced. Librarians, no matter how talented, can never sift through all the knowledge out there, nor can they catalogue it in the ever increasing amount of niches, specialties, and subject areas that are arising. And truthfully, at the heart, aren’t Google and other search engines really just ‘Super-Librarians’? They take a query, and help provide us potential answers and sources, ‘pull’ pages and resources that seem to speak to our topic. How is that different from wandering up to a library desk and asking for help? Or wandering through the shelves? Or simply searching an online database?

Needless to say, I found their argument both compelling, and maddening. The assertion that electronic media had basically obsoleted the ‘library’ concept seemed preposterous, as hadn’t ‘libraries’ always been near the front of technological advancement? Papyrus, paper manuscripts, scrolls, the printing press, typewriting/setting, all had been embraced and contributed immensely to the capacity, usability, and accessibility of libraries. Has the format shift from hardcopy to digital really signaled the demise, or at least the beginning of the demise, of ‘Libraries’?

While I didn’t have an answer at that very moment, as I’ve reflected on this I do not believe that  libraries, whether school or otherwise, have become obsolete. Libraries are about more than simple ‘museums of books’, and play a much more personal and important role. Later on I  want to get into some of these subjects in depth, but for now I firmly believe libraries play an important social role in schools and communities, the physical place (even if that physical place is a website or forum) provides an atmosphere for learning, coming together, and friendship. And perhaps most importantly, isn’t the sheer volume on information out there on the ‘web’, and in the world, almost overwhelming? Having a place where the garbage (per se) was filtered out from the real, true sources and knowledge should be a beacon to an oversaturated world. Whether such places can keep up with the ‘cutting’ edge of information production may not even be relevant, as long as they embrace the knowledge and information that stands past the tests of fad, propaganda, and downright error. (By that, I refer to our over-eagerness to embrace any new theory or idea without first vetting it. Additionally, (and this may be the political science/historian in me speaking)  in a democratic society based on the ideas of literacy, access to information, and people making informed decisions, the loss of libraries and the admission they grant to knowledge free from misinformation and censoring, should give us all pause. Finally, if the argument is purely based on format change, then while E-books and digital formats may require a change in how libraries are setup and managed, is that really different than the shared experience by everyone as we transition to a digital world? From huge repositories of papyrus and scrolls, to small, carefully horded private stores of handwritten manuscripts, to large voluminous collections of typewritten and printed books, libraries have adapted in the past. Why wouldn’t they now?

So what do you think? Is there a place in the modern world for a library? Or are they not needed anymore? Will they gradually be rendered obsolete by the internet, search-engines, and the digital age?

I can’t claim all of these thoughts as being completely originally mine, as I have benefited from some excellent sources. I highly recommend the article by Ian Clark from the UK Guardian found at http://gu.com/p/2tbv9  As well I would also point interesting parties to a rather long (it’s over an hour) lecture from Dr. Chris Batt entitled “If we did not have libraries, would anyone invent them?” found at  http://sils.unc.edu/news/2010/chris-batt Finally, though it’s a little eclectic and very columnar, Jackie McKenzie’s “Why we still need Libraries and Librarians” on the From Now On website at http://www.fno.org/mar2010/still.html is an interesting read.

Ryan

Friday: I hope to look specifically at School Libraries. Can they be more then easy internet access spots for students? Can they offer resources that can’t be found within a classroom that has computers? What part do they currently play in the fabric of our educational system?

Greetings!

Hello!

Welcome to my new Blog!  (The first one actually.)

I will be hoping to facilitate some discussion on topics about libraries, technology, and the place of the modern school library within our educational system. This is clearly a rather larger topic, but I hope that this platform will provide an opportunity for conversation, honest debate, and learning for all parties involved.

My current plan is to update this blog with new posts at least twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday), but more may come as time, and motivation allow.

Thanks for reading this, and I look forward to having a great experience in the future.