The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

A new Pew Internet and American Life project was released on Monday (8/28) discussing online learning, and educational value; respondants for this particular survey were college presidents and the general public.

The Digital Revolution and Higher Education

"This report is based on findings from a pair of Pew Research Center surveys conducted in spring 2011. One is a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,142 adults ages 18 and older. The other is an online survey, done in association with the Chronicle of Higher Education, among the presidents of 1,055 two-year and four-year private, public, and for-profit colleges and universities." -- Kim Parker, Amanda Lenhart, and Kathleen Moore (8/28/11)

Preconference @ ALAO Annual 2011

Academic Library Association of Ohio
37th Annual Conference
Constant Change, Constant Opportunity
Toledo, Ohio @ Hilton Toledo
Pre-Conference — November 3rd, 2011


The Academic Library Association of Ohio is excited to offer a pre-conference this year, with a lineup that promises to be professionally valuable and engaging. The pre-conference kicks off with an opening keynote delivered by Lauren Pressley http://laurenpressley.com/library entitled, “Change and Opportunities for Today’s Academic Libraries.” Ms. Pressley is an Instructional Design Librarian at Wake Forest University, and is the author of So You Want to Be a Librarian and Wikis for Libraries.

Additionally, the pre-conference agenda includes a panel discussion on ACRL’s The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/ with a panel of the following Ohio academic library leaders:

• John Burke, Director, Gardner-Harvey Library, Miami University Middletown (panel moderator)
• Sara Bushong, Dean of Libraries, Bowling Green State University (panelist)
• Susan Scott, Director of the Library, Ohio State University – Newark Campus (panelist)
• Kathleen Webb, Dean of University Libraries, University of Dayton (panelist)
• Al Zavar, Director, West Campus Library, Cuyahoga Community College (panelist)

Lunch and time for networking with colleagues is included. Register today!

Say Something Nice

I found this a great way to start my week. Featured on the August 26th edition of This Weeks Trends from the Official YouTube Blog is a fun video from ImproveAnywhere, illustrating if you give people a chance they just may Say Something Nice. 

My favorite is the young boy quoting Buzz Light Year, "to infinity and beyond."



I forgot to say something nice! Today is the first Sunday the library is open for the 2011 fall term; it is nice to see so many students making use of the library, picking up and requesting books, working alone, in pairs, and in groups, and generally going about their business simply happy to be here (we are happy they are here, too).

Weekly Reader

65% of Adults Use Social Networking Sites
"Fully 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, up from 61% one year ago. This marks the first time in Pew Internet surveys that 50% of all adults use social networking sites. The frequency of social networking site usage among young adult internet users under age 30 was stable over the last year – 61% of online Americans in that age cohort now use social networking sites on a typical day, compared with 60% one year ago. However, among the Boomer-aged segment of internet users ages 50-64, social networking site usage on a typical day grew a significant 60% (from 20% to 32%)." -- Mary Madden & Kathryn Zickuhr, Pew Research Center, 8/26/11

Google Plus vs. Facebook ...What's the Difference?
"On 28th June, 2011 Google rolled out the beta version of its highly anticipated social networking site, Google Plus. It is no secret that Google has long been wanting to get a slice of the social networking market. So, what exactly is Google Plus and how does it compare to Facebook? In this post we are going to look at Google Plus Versus Facebook and examine some of their major differences." -- Louise Steiner, Social Media Today, 8/26/11

Not Guilty ... and Not Long Employed
"A Georgia jury has acquitted Frank J. Rybicki, assistant professor of mass media at Valdosta State University, of battery charges related to his shutting the laptop of a student in one of his classes in March. Rybicki denied hurting the student's finger, as she alleged, but said that professors have every right to shut a laptop when a student violates class rules or is rude by surfing the Web rather than using a laptop to take notes. Valdosta State, which removed Rybicki from teaching duties (but didn't change his salary) after the incident, has cleared him to return to teaching. However, in July, before his trial, the university informed Rybicki that this academic year would be his last." -- Inside Higer Ed News, 8/25/11

5 Steps to a Successful QR Marketing Campaign
"Are you wondering how to use QR codes to enhance your marketing? Keep reading to learn some tips for implementing 5 essential steps. Why QR codes? QR and other two-dimensional (2D) codes can be readily integrated into your current business marketing practices to bring your online content to a mobile audience in real time." -- Jeff Korhan, Social Media Examiner, 8/24/11

2011 ALAO Conference

Academic Library Association of Ohio

37th Annual Conference

Constant Change, Constant Opportunity

Toledo, Ohio @ Hilton Toledo

November 3rd- 4th 2011

http://www.alaoweb.org/conferences/conf2011 

ALAO Welcomes Keynote Speaker Steven J. Bell

The ALAO 2011 Conference features an opening keynote from Steven J. Bell, Associate University Librarian at Temple University and ACRL Vice-President/Present-Elect. His presentation,Change + Design = Innovation: Taking a Design Approach to Achieve Innovation From Change, will explore how academic librarians can apply a design approach, a process that designers use to identify problems and develop thoughtful solutions, in their libraries to stimulate ideation, innovation and implementation in times of constant change.

ALAO 2011 Conference lineup includes:

• Presentations, posters, and spotlight sessions, all centered on change in today’s academic libraries
• Vendor spotlights
• Lunch with colleagues
• Plenty of time for networking
• Much, much more!

Pre-Conference

Thursday, November 3, 2011 

The pre-conference includes an opening keynote delivered by Lauren Pressley, Instructional Design Librarian at Wake Forest University, entitled, “Change and Opportunities for Today’s Academic Libraries.” A panel discussion on ACRL’s The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report features a panel of Ohio academic library leaders. Lunch and time for networking with colleagues is included in the preconference price.

Registration Now Open!

Save money with early bird registration, available now through September 24, 2011.

Register for the conference only, pre-conference only, or both conferences today. Special discount rates available for students, retirees and early registrants. Visit the conference registration page for more information.

Library Cloud: 5 Years

Today is our five year anniversary! On August 22, 2006 the first official post was a short "Coming Soon" introduction presenting the Library Cloud blogging team. A number of posts later, 466 to be exact, we are still talking about libraries, technology, education, conferences, LibGuides, and those tidbits of information we find interesting.

Blogger Stats (2009-2011): Most Popular Posts

1. QR Codes in Color
2. Another QR Code Post
3. Screen Capture: Screencast-O-Matic

Feedburner Stats (2006-2011): Top Items

1. Et tu, Delicious?
2. 2011 ALAO Conference
3. Weekly Reader Wrap Up

Popular Blog Labels (2006-2011)

Labels were not available at first, but soon after we began The New Version of Blogger was introduced along with a Labels Management Tool for Blogger in Beta (what is now Blogger in Draft, I think) that featured an easy way to go back through previous posts and add labels.  Not all of the old posts have labels, but here's our top ten frequently used labels (sans 'at lunch').

1. ALAO (60)
2. Academic Library (49)
3. Conferences (36)
4. ALAO Conferences (34)
5. Workshops (30)
6. Weekly Reader (27)
7. Technology (26)
8. CMCIG (25)
9. ALA Annual (23)
10. CIL2010 (21)  

Thanks for being part of our blog; we are looking forward to another year!

Weekly Reader

Why Social Media is Like High School
"Well, here we are again. Social (a.k.a. clique) Media! Grown up popularity contests all over again- with the most gigantic popularity clique EVER!  Ever get that “nobody  likes me” blues from Facebook? Your invitation for friendship “denied!” Ouch! No Re-tweets from your Twitter? Crickets – from Linkedin? Seriously, how does someone get 39,458 friends or followers?  All I can say is Welcome Back, Mr. Cotter [Kotter]!"-- Joleen Halloran, Social Media Today, 8/19/11

Is Facebook Mature Enough to be a Portal Solution?
"It seems like Facebook is everywhere these days. With more than 750 million active users the site is a juggernaut. Facebook is an unstoppable social force that when used for good has been the catalyst for a 7 year social media revolution. Higher education has adopted and adapted Facebook for a variety of reasons including: marketing/communications, course participation, academic advising information, roommate matching, and retention/community building, alumni development, and commencement live-streaming." -- Eric Stoller, Student Affairs and Technology, 8/17/11

How to Combine QR Codes with the Power of Facebook

"Are you looking to leverage the popularity of QR (Quick Response) codes with the wide-spread adoption of Facebook? Over the past several months, QR codes have inserted themselves squarely into digital media conversation (even appearing on late-night TV). In this article, I’ll unpack how to get your QR codes to go viral on Facebook. I’ll start by walking you through the process and an example campaign, and conclude with an analytical discussion examining five need to know factors." -- Kane Russell, Social Media Examiner, 8/18/11

Designed QR Codes: The Next Level
"Say what you will about QR (Quick Response) codes: they are just a fad, they will be forgotten once augmented reality takes hold or they’re just an extra step in inputting a URL but they are here and people are enjoying using them, so make the most of them! QR codes, if you haven’t heard of them or clicked the link above to see the whole explanation, are scanned via a reader application (usually on your smart phone) that will take you to a video or web page.They have been used in Japan for over a decade (invented by a Toyota subsidiary, Densu Wave), and now the rest of the world is catching up. Why not just have the URL and let people hand key it in on their cell phones? WHAT? And make people actually expend energy? Charlatan!Seriously, you can’t fight technology so make the best of it." -- Speider Schneider, Web Designer Depot, 8/15/11

An Email Experiment Helps a Duke Economist Ponder His Students' Cheating Hearts
"As the fall semester approaches, a word of advice to students: If you’re absolutely determined to cheat,  do it in a course taught by a professor who’s obsessed with cheating. Your behavior will depress him, but he’ll at least have the consolation of a deeper understanding of the problem." -- David Glenn, Wired Campus, 8/10/11

Unsinkable? Peer to Peer Review
"It turns out book publishing isn't crashing and burning after all. A new report out from the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group finds that over the past three years and during the worst recession since the Great Depression publishers are making money, even growing. This is a surprise considering everything I hear from the published - advances are down, midlist writers are being dropped, writers who have been doing well are getting less marketing support, and aspiring writers are increasingly assuming they'll never be published the traditional way. It also is a surprise considering what we've been hearing from publishers, some of whom won't let libraries loan ebooks until they can figure out how to make more money, even though an ebook already costs a library far more than the same book in print and loaned under the same constraints." -- Barbara Fister, Library Journal, 8/11/11

In Pictures

As a classroom teacher, empty bulletin boards and learning centers generally signified the end of a successful year - or a fresh start to a new year filled with anticipation. The same can be said about bulletin boards in the IRC; while updated periodically throughout a term with new books and resources, completely empty boards are a rarity.

It is a 'no brainer' to remove faded and dated materials from the bulletin boards in the IRC.  Crafting new information can be an intriguing conundrum, should they be refreshed with updated images and paper or should they have new topics? Boards in the IRC are instructional and informational in nature, they provide directions for laminating and Ellison machines, covers for new books, reviews for books added to the collection, and general price lists for services.  Naturally location matters, laminating and Ellison directions are placed above the machines and the price list adjacent to the register.

After mapping out a plan of attack for the empty boards (tables and graphs were detailed!) and waiting for an order placed for fade-resistant paper, seven new bulletin boards are in place for incoming and returning students using the IRC. Two of three pictured here feature directions for using the desk top and roll top laminators; the third provides extended information on QR Codes (use and available apps for phones). One week before the students return, I'm wondering if there is space for another board or two.

Weekly Reader

Six Ways to Motivate Employees To Be On-Board with Social Media
"So you have committed to incorporating social media into your marketing objectives. You may have even hired a social media agency to help manage and jumpstart your Twitter and Facebook marketing efforts. Your platforms have been setup, integrated, customized with graphics that fit with your brand and strategies are in place to grow your presence. However, one obvious puzzle piece seems to be missing. Your employees don’t seem to have an active role in your social media initiative. Why is this? Because you haven’t empowered, motivated, educated or inspired them to do so!" -- Krysty Petrucci, Social Media Today, 8/10/11

Lessons from Bossypants: Women and Leadership
"When I was elected chair of my department this past semester, I did two things immediately. First, I sent out a tweet asking for resources, suggestions, and advice. Second, I bought Tina Fey's Bossypants -- on audiobook, of course, so I could listen to her reading it." -- Janine Utel, University of Venus, 8/9/11

The Definitive Source for Information About IT Issues Effecting Higher Education
"Several weeks ago, it was my sincere pleasure to attend a dinner hosted Casey Green, the man behind the Campus Computing Project. For those who may not be familiar with this 20+ year old effort, it is an exemplary data collection, analysis, and reporting project focused on the use of IT in Higher Ed." -- K. Walsh, Emerging Ed Tech, 8/10/11

Video Forum: Students Assess Their Professors Technology Skills
"The classroom technology that professors enthusiastically attempt doesn’t always get a warm welcome from the students out in the lecture hall, especially when gadgets feel gimmicky or class time is wasted as instructors fumble with gear. To get a sense of just what students think of their professors’ classroom technology use, The Chronicle invited four tech-savvy students to weigh in on the best—and worst— moments in classroom technology they have seen. The discussion was held last week in an online video chat using Google Plus, and recorded using a screen-capture program. Check out highlights from the discussion in the embedded video." -- Jeff Young, Wired Campus, 8/8/11

Google, Mozilla Team Up To Create a Smarter, Action Based Web
"Google has announced a new set of APIs for its Chrome web browser, which are designed to connect applications and sites across the web. Web Intents, as Google is calling its new meta-website API, allows websites to pass data between each other — for example, to edit a photograph or share a URL with friends. Developers at Mozilla have been working on a similar framework for Firefox, and now Google says it will work with Mozilla to develop a single API that works in both web browsers." -- Scott Gilbertson, WebMonkey, 8/8/11

The Best Online Presentation Tools: Top Picks
"A few months back, I featured some nifty screen capture tools for making video tutorials, or screencasts, to share with students and teachers. While screencasts are great, sometimes you need to be on hand to offer live help to people who can’t meet with you in person. In those cases, a live, online presentation is the way to go. The following tools enable you to offer assistance in real-time on the Web. All are free or offer basic versions of the service at no cost." -- Richard Byrne, School Library Journal, 8/1/11

Librarians at University of Minnesota Make an Impact with Data Management Program
"Librarians at the University of Minnesota have stepped up to help researchers manage their digital data and, in the process, have highlighted the value of the University Libraries within the larger institution. Under the direction of Lisa Johnston, a research services librarian at the University Libraries and a codirector of the University Digital Conservancy (UDC), the library has created a program called Managing Your Data, which guides researchers in the creation of data management plans (DMP)." -- Michael Kelley, Library Journal, 8/8/11

Weekly Reader

Your New Campus Guide: A Small Patterned Square That Talks to Your Smartphone
"Students touring Wittenberg University, in Ohio, can hear campus history come alive with help from their smartphones and little squares with black-and-white patterns affixed to buildings on the 100-acre campus.Universities like Wittenberg have begun using these QR codes, which can be printed onto any flat surface, as a way to market themselves to a generation of smartphone users. Like bar codes on supermarket items, QR codes–it stands for “Quick Response”–can be scanned by a computer. But instead of returning the price of a carton of milk, these codes are directions to a multimedia-rich Web page. And the scanner, in this case, is the camera in a smartphone." -- Jie Jenny Zou, Wired Campus, 8/3/11

Search: How Libraries Do it Wrong
"A couple of new articles forthcoming in College & Research Libraries just caught my eye. The first, by Brett Bodemer of Cal Poly in San Obispo, is about how we help undergraduates conceptualize the research process (and how we might do it better). The second, by Bernadette Lear of Penn State Harrisburg, looks at how new journals are represented in library holdings and how library processes tilt discovery toward publications of large for-profit publishers and against smaller society or university-sponsored open access publications. While I’m at it, let me throw in a third article which seems oddly related even though it’s about something quite mundane." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 8/2/11

The Skill Set We Need
"Those of us lucky to have jobs have all felt some pain as a result of the economy: whether it’s accepting additional years without a cost of living increase, seeing increased class sizes or cuts in travel funding, or, in the worst case, experiencing furloughs. We've also been unable to add faculty members to strengthen those programs that are most promising. Dreams of fresh reinforcements of newly minted Ph.D.s are not being fulfilled, and the mantra remains: Do your job with the resources that you have." -- Martin S. Edwards, Career Advice: Inside Higher Ed, 8/1/11

Finding the Future: Inside NYPL's All-Night Scavenger Hunt
"They came wearing bowties and fancy hats, skinny jeans and peasant blouses. They came armed with smartphones, tablets, and laptops. On the evening of Friday, May 20, 500 young adults gathered at the New York Public Library (NYPL) to do what no one had done before: spend the entire night in one of the city’s great public spaces, indulging in an ambitious, interactive game that would test their collaborative abilities while introducing them to the library’s vast holdings." -- Stan Friedman, Library Journal, 7/14/11

Getting ready for fall

Each semester I have the opportunity to present a Mock Caldecott session with one of the children's literature classes.  In addition to choosing titles that meet basic Caldecott critera (illustrator residence, year of publication, picture book for children), I focus on books that are new to the library juvenile collection; generally speaking, this group of students explore the books before they are placed into circulation. This year the scheduled session is in early September and I've been perusing newly arrived titles for inclusion.  One that caught - and held - my attention is Clink, by author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Matthew Myers.  The students will enjoy studying Myers artwork and are sure to be charmed by DiPucchio's storyline. 

I enjoyed the tagline on Myers site "Painting So Good You'd Swear He's Dead," so much that a screen shot of his web site is my picture this week ...

I have not selected all of the titles we are going to explore as of yet; I have a cart of juvenile books waiting to be ordered!  Here is a sampling of titles tagged for this session (in no particular order):

• The Little Girl with the Big, Big Voice
• We Are America
• Boy Wonders
• Substitute Creacher
• The Great Race
• If I Never Forever Endeavor
• No Sleep for the Sheep
• Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol
• Passing the Music Down
• Where's Walrus
• Perfect Square

I'm looking forward to perusing Grandpa Green, Farmyard Beat, and The Sleepless Little Vampire when they arrive.