Weekly Reader

Private Distress
"Some private colleges that managed to weather the recession are finding new troubles.So they are announcing layoffs, cutting programs and more. Almost all of these small to mid-sized privates are tuition-dependent and lack large endowments. National declines in the number of traditional college-age population mean students just aren't showing up to privates, which are facing competition from public colleges that are more stable now than a few years ago and the reality that privates cannot afford to indefinitely lure students by cutting prices with generous financial aid packages. And this could become a huge problem."-- Ry Rivard, Inside Higher Ed News, 12/9/13

Speaking Up for the Creditless MOOC
"Last year I agreed to teach a public-speaking MOOC on the Coursera platform. I wasn’t a MOOC advocate, but I believe that the study of speech and rhetoric benefits individuals and society as a whole. I routinely offer speech workshops for civic and professional groups around Washington State. A MOOC on public speaking would allow me to run a speech workshop on a global scale." --Matt McGarrity, The Conversation | Chronicle of Higher Education, 12/12/13

The Great Stratification
"Imagine a diorama in an American Museum of Occupations showing the evolution of the professor. The exhibit starts in the early 1800s with an austere, black-suited man in a minister's collar, perhaps looking over the shoulder of a student at a rustic desk, with a Greek text open in front of him. In the next scene, from around 1900, he morphs into a pince-nez-wearing gentleman in starched collar and cravat, at a podium delivering a lecture." - Jeffrey J. Williams, The Chronicle Review, 12/2/13

4 Unconventional Ways the Internet Can Help You Land a Job
"With thousands of new people entering the job market daily, you need to tap every available resource to stand out. The internet can help you hack into the minds of potential employers, if you know where to look. While these days it's common knowledge to use sites like Twitter and LinkedIn to connect with potential employers, you can get a giant leg up on the competition if you get a little more creative with your World Wide Web use." -- Tessa Miller, Lifehacker, 12/9/13

The Ultimate Guide to the Invisible Web
"Search engines are, in a sense, the heartbeat of the internet; “googling” has become a part of everyday speech and is even recognized by Merriam-Webster as a grammatically correct verb. It’s a common misconception, however, that googling a search term will reveal every site out there that addresses your search. In fact, typical search engines like Google, Yahoo, or Bing actually access only a tiny fraction – estimated at 0.03% – of the internet. The sites that traditional searches yield are part of what’s known as the Surface Web, which is comprised of indexed pages that a search engine’s web crawlers are programmed to retrieve." -- Staff Writer, iLibrarian Blog, 11/11/13

Weekly Reader

The New ALA Code of Conduct
"I’ve mentioned on Twitter, but this should be formally announced on the blog as well: ALA now has a conference code of conduct. How it happened: The policy grew out of face-to-face and Twitter conversations a few months ago, with a highly collaborative (and fruitfully argumentative) Google doc draft that wound its way through ALA process – Counsel, the executive board, et cetera – to become a final statement." -- Andromeda Yelton, Across Divided Networks, 11/19/13

The Future of MOOCs
"According to the New York Times, 2012 was the year of the MOOC - a massive open online course. These courses are usually open access and free, and although they don’t usually offer course credit for participants some do offer certifications of completion. They can be attended by hundreds of thousands of students at the same time who interact in community forums surrounding course materials and resources. They offer amazing opportunities for those who lack the funding to attend traditional universities, especially those in developing nations. MOOCs have democratized learning and opened up education to the masses who may now attend and learn from quality courses at elite universities as if they were enrolled."-- Ellyssa Kroski, iLibrarian Blog, 11/19/13

Do You Really Want to be the Rules Sargent?
"I just can’t resist wading into the discussion started by Anthony Aycock about classroom management and its two subsequent replies, the first by Scott Hippensteel, who advocates that faculty should “be hard to get along with,” and Rob Jenkins’s subsequent response that “you don’t have to be a jerk” to be a good professor." -- David Evans, On Hiring, 11/19/13

Neville Longbottom is the Most Important Person in Harry Potter -- And Here's Why
"So here’s the thing: out of all your wizarding students and house elves and headmasters and Death Eaters and muggles and centaurs, there is really only one person who determines the course of the Harry Potter series. It’s Neville Longbottom." -- Emily Asher-Perrin, Tor.com, 11/19/13

Weekly Reader

Henry Rollins: Empowerment Through Libraries
"I have come to regard November as the older, harder man's October. I appreciate the early darkness and cooler temperatures. It puts my mind in a different place than October. It is a month for a quieter, slightly more subdued celebration of summer's death as winter tightens its grip." -- Henry Rollins, LA Weekly Blogs,11/14/13

New Survey, Same Engagement
"In its 15th year, the National Survey of Student Engagement launched a new model that takes an updated and more qualitative approach to measuring students’ participation in a variety of activities -- from studying to faculty interaction to cooperative learning -- that are thought to correlate with higher learning outcomes. Results show that while many students engage in such practices – and report better grades for it – many others, whether because of their major or their status as online or first-generation students, don’t." -- Allie Grasgreen, Inside Higher Ed News, 11/14/13

Two Activities that Influence the Climate for Learning
"My colleague Chuck Walker, a psychology professor at St. Bonaventure University (NY), shared a collection of instructional strategies that illustrate how the principles of positive psychology might be applied in the classroom."-- Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 11/13/13

5 Things You Must Stop Doing Today if You Want a Happier Career
"Working with mid-career professionals in major transition day after day for 10 years has given me a special window into what holds people back from building happy, fulfilling lives and careers they love. Speaking with a stranger, I can detect in under five minutes those hallmarks that reveal when an individual will not get unstuck, but will remain bogged down for all eternity in career mediocrity unless she steps up to embrace change in how she behaves, performs, and views her situation." -- Kathy Caprino, Forbes Leadership, 11/8/13

16 Creative Uses of Instagram Video
"Now that Instagram Video has reached the ripe old age of four months (about 600 years in Internet time), we're seeing mind-blowing, app-specific content on a daily basis. With just 15 seconds, you'd think it'd be difficult to create visually compelling videos, but more users are getting the hang of it every day." - Max Knoblauch, Mashable, 11/11/13

The Problem We're Afraid to Name
"In recent years, I’ve had to deal with parents much more frequently than I ever imagined I would have to as a college professor. One father even tried to blackmail me into giving his son easier work and higher grades so that he wouldn’t lose his football scholarship. I’m not alone: Many of my colleagues report hearing from parents more and more frequently in the past 10 years or so." -- Jill Silos-Rooney, The Conversation - Chronicle Blog, 11/11/13

Neil Gaiman: Literacy, Reading, Libraries

Neil Gaiman's lecture: Second annual The Reading Agency conference

Mr. Gaiman's words spoke to me as a reader, teacher, and librarian;  it was challenging to select only a snippet of content to feature with the video.

"Libraries are about Freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information." 

"I worry that here in the 21st Century people misunderstand what libraries are and the purpose of them. If you perceive a library as a shelf of books, it may seem antiquated or outdated in a word in which most, but not all, books in print exist digitally. But that is to fundamentally miss the point." -- Neil Gaiman, The Reading Agency, 10/14/13

Watch the video. Read the entire lecture here: Neil Gaiman, Reading & Obligation

Weekly Reader

Journey to Online Teaching: Developing a Virtual Teacher Sense
"This week my focus has been developing a virtual presence in the online course environment. In my face to face classroom on a Monday morning I can look across the tired faces and know I had better ramp up my excitement if I expect my students to get excited about what we are learning. In my face to face classroom at a glance I can see that 'Jonny' is lost but does not want anyone else to know. How do I take 17 years of ”Teacher Sense” and evolve into a Virtual 'Teacher Sense'?" -- Tom McLaughlin, Discovery Education, 11/2/13

States Demand That Colleges Show How Well Their Students Learn
"Some of the hallmarks of No Child Left Behind are creeping into higher education. The 2002 law was intended to hold elementary and secondary schools accountable for improving the academic achievement of all students. It has come to be reviled by many teachers for what they see as a narrowing of the curriculum to the material covered on standardized tests, and for punishing schools for their students' performance." -- Dan Berrett, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/29/13

Ready to Learn? The Key is Listening with Intention
"Listening and observing can be passive activities—in one ear and out the other, as our mothers used to say. Or they can be rich, active, intense experiences that lead to serious learning. The difference lies in our intention: the purpose and awareness with which we approach the occasion. Here’s how to make sure your intentions are good." - Annie Murphy Paul, Mind Shift, 10/29/13

How Google + Hangouts Can Enhance Podcasts
"Google+ Hangouts enable anyone to host a group video chat, and with the On Air component, anyone can record and stream live to their YouTube account. When I first joined Google+ on its second day of existence, Hangouts really stood out. While, let’s be honest, a lot of the functionality of Google’s own social network is similar to Facebook and Twitter, no other social network offers such a robust group video chat tool…for absolutely free." -- Mike Stenger, The Blog Herald, 10/29/13

Weekly Reader

'Librarians vs Search Engines' in UC Berkley Report
"New Chancellor Nicholas Dirks should spend more money on the library at the University of California, Berkeley, as its books, services and space will be more important than ever over the next two decades.So, at least, says a report this week from a faculty committee tasked by the previous chancellor, Robert Birgeneau, with figuring out the library's place on the university campus of the future." -- Steven E.F. Brown, Bay Area Biz Talk, 10/18/13

Learning from Experience: Why Personal Narratives Can Be Scholarly
"Pedagogical scholarship has been criticized for its focus on experience. A faculty member has an issue with students (say they aren't doing the reading), implements a solution (some sort of quizzing mechanism), and decides it works because the quiz scores are high. Thanks to the scholarship of teaching movement, these kinds of reports are pretty much gone from the literature. The goal has been to replace them with research—various forms of systematic inquiry." --  Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 10/16/13

Flipping the Library: Tips from Three Pros
"Through the use of innovative technologies and online resources, school libraries can now be available to students wherever—and whenever—they need them. “Flipped” or blended learning offers students the power of personalized instruction, through a mix of virtual and face-to-face interactions, at a student’s own pace. Embracing this concept is a must for student engagement and the future of the profession, say school librarians Joyce Valenza, Brenda Boyer, and Michelle Luhtala." -- Sarah Bayliss, The Digital Shift | SLJ, 10/21/13

Open Access Week 2013 Starts Today [10/21]
"Here at Prof Hacker we've published many posts about open access, “the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research, and the right to use and re-use those results as you need.” -- George Williams, ProfHacker, 10/21/13

Open Access Week 2013: The Time for Reform is Now
"Today kicks off the sixth annual global Open Access Week. Open Access Week is at once a celebration and a call to action. Universities, libraries, organizations, and companies are hosting events all around the world to promote the ideals of open access: free, online availability of and unfettered access to scholarly works." -- Adi Kamdar, Electronic Frontier Foundation, 10/21/13

26 Tips for Overcoming Bloggers Block
"Have you struggled getting that blog idea written? While most of us aren’t immune to writer’s block, there are ways to work through the block until the words flow again. In this article, we’ll discuss 26 Tips, an A-Z guide for bloggers to overcome writer’s block and generate new ideas." -- Debbie Hemley, Social Media Examiner, 10/22/13

Turning a Page Inside a Rural One-Room Library
"There's one state highway running through Myrtle, Mo. It's a sleepy town in the Ozarks, population about 300. There's no bank or restaurant here, but enormous oak and persimmon trees loom over a small stone building right next to the road. Half of it is a post office; the other half, a one-room public library." -- Jennifer Davidson, NPR Arts & Life, 10/21/13

ALAO 2013: Conference App re-visited

Have you downloaded the ALAO 2013 conference app? It's free and filled with useful - and timely - information.  Learn more about our Keynote speaker Nancy Fried Foster, review the conference schedule, read more about the sessions, and follow ALAO and the conference hashtag #ALAO2013. New to the conference app is a video page featuring ALAO Interest Groups.

Interested? Here's how it works ...

1. Download YappBox to your mobile device (phone or tablet), it's a free app from the iTunes Store and Google Play.
2. Install the ALAO Conference app by visiting this page, http://my.yapp.us/3CCFY9 via your device.
3. OR - use the "Add a Yapp" function in YappBox and enter the code: 3CCFY9
4. OR - follow this link to send the link to your mobile device.
5. OR - Scan the QR Code

Once loaded on your device, updates will be automatically offered each time the app is accessed.

Weekly Reader

The Surprising Identity of Each Social Network
"Facebook boasts the largest and richest demographic, Twitter has a surprisingly young user network, and 68 percent of Instagram's users are women. Each social media platform has cultivated a unique identity thanks to the demographics of the people who participate in the network. Some platforms are preferred by young adults, who are most active in the evening, others by high-income professionals, who are posting throughout the workday." -- Nick Bolognia, Social Media Today, 10/15/13

Digital Badges in the Classroom
"The open badge movement has stemmed from the independent learning and massive open online course (MOOC) frameworks of empowering and motivating learners to complete noncredit academic work, either from a distance or at a self designated pace." -- Alan Reid and Denise Paster, Inside Higher Ed Career Advice, 10/11/13

A Refreshingly Simple Guide To Twitter for Teachers
"Teachers are on Twitter every minute of every day. There are daily hashtag chats where educators from around the globe collaborate, share interesting tidbits, and make lifelong connections never before possible. There are people with tens of thousands of followers who are viewed as thought and opinion leaders. It’s a minute-by-minute pulse of the education world. It’s exhausting. It’s overwhelming. It’s hard to imagine where to start." -- Jeff Dunn, Edudemic, 9/18/13

How to Archive Your Favorite Tweets
"We recently heard the great news that once again we can start using If This, Then That (IFTTT) to archive the tweets that we favorite. The problem is, how do you archive those tweets that were favorited during the period that IFTTT wasn’t working, or if you’re like me, you never started using IFTTT to begin with?"-- Skallerup Bessette, Prof Hacker, The Chronicle, 9/10/13.

Fostering the Reciprocity of Learning
"In the July 10, 2013 post, I shared some ideas about learning with students precipitated by an article that made an interesting distinction between “doing for” students and “learning with” students. The post generated some good responses and prompted Aron Reppmann, a philosophy professor at Trinity Christian College in Illinois, to send me an email. “I think you have your finger on something that’s often missed in debates about professors’ posture toward students: namely that to say that we learn with and from our students is not necessarily to say that we are always learning in the same way as our students.” -- Maryellen Weimer, Teaching Professor Blog, 9/4/13

ALAO 2013: Registration Deadline

Registration Deadline:

October 14, 2013

39th Annual Academic Library Association of Ohio Conference 

University Center, Kent State University at Stark - North Canton, OH

October 25, 2013

Nancy Fried Foster, Senior Anthropologist at Ithaca S+R. Research, will present the conference keynote address "Changing Libraries by Design" focusing on collaborative library design incorporating information that is generated in the participatory design process. Dr. Foster's research interests include participatory design of library technologies and spaces. For almost ten years, Dr. Foster directed anthropological research at the University of Rochester’s River Campus Libraries.

The schedule-at-a-glance and preliminary program information, including session abstracts and posters, are available on the ALAO 2013 Conference web site.

Conference Registration information is available @ http://goo.gl/ePDUmS

ALAO 2013: Conference Registration

39th Annual Academic Library Association of Ohio Conference 

University Center, Kent State University at Stark - North Canton, OH

October 25, 2013

Nancy Fried Foster, Senior Anthropologist at Ithaca S+R. Research, will present the conference keynote address "Changing Libraries by Design" focusing on collaborative library design incorporating information that is generated in the participatory design process. Dr. Foster's research interests include participatory design of library technologies and spaces. For almost ten years, Dr. Foster directed anthropological research at the University of Rochester’s River Campus Libraries.

The schedule-at-a-glance and preliminary program information, including session abstracts and posters, are available on the ALAO 2013 Conference web site.

Lodging is available at the Marriott Courtyard Canton, 4375 Metro Circle NW · North Canton, Ohio 44720 USA. For more information on lodging, please visit the conference website or the hotel website.

Conference Registration information is available @ http://goo.gl/ePDUmS

Discover More Corps

I was not familiar with Discover More Corps until recently and caution this post includes shameless self-promotion.

"The ProQuest Discover More Corps is a new social network where you can connect with a global community of current and future librarians, have access to our popular Quantum2 professional development series, and explore a different complimentary resource each month." -- About Discover More Corps

The site came to my attention after receiving an email from Elizabeth McGough, MLIS, their Social Media Marketing Manager, inviting me to co-present a professional development webinar on the topic of Pinterest and Instagram. Several emails and conference calls later, I'm excited to be part of one of the upcoming October webinars presenting with Danielle Salomon, UCLA Powell Library.

Monday, October 14, 2013, 12:00pm EST/ 11:00 Central 
Using Pinterest and Instagram to Connect with Customers 

Danielle Salomon, Teaching and Learning Services Librarian and Social Media Manager at UCLA, will discuss how UCLA's Powell Library uses Instagram to connect with undergraduates and engage in teaching and learning. Topics covered include: why an academic library might have more success using Instagram instead of Facebook or Twitter; the user demographics of Instagram; tips for posting; and examples of teaching and learning opportunities.

Diane Schrecker, Curriculum Librarian and Instructional Resource Center Manager at Ashland University, will present an overview of Pinterest, the popular online ‘pinboard.’ Topics explored will include how to: integrate existing library information resources to the Pinterest platform, develop original content using Pinstamatic, utilize web tools for creating audio and video content, cultivate boards that may be easily refreshed throughout the year, and present ideas for supporting education course work from a librarian and adjunct instructor’s perspective.

Learn More, here.
Register for the free webinar.

ALAO 2013: Pre-conference

ALAO Pre-conference: Social Media Spark
Tips and Tech Tools to Ignite Your Community

Stark State College, North Canton, Ohio - October 24, 2013

Many experts will tell you how to succeed at social media, but very few will lay out a clear path to failure. Learn what the most common points of failure are for libraries, and why libraries often are not getting what they want out of this new medium. Find out if your library is on its way to a social shipwreck and how you might be able to change course.

Preconference speaker: Laura Solomon, MCIW, MLS

Laura Solomon is the Library Services Manager for the Ohio Public Library Information Network and the former Web Applications Manager for the Cleveland Public Library. She is a 2010 Library Journal Mover & Shaker. Her book Doing Social Media So It Matters: A Librarian’s Guide was published in late 2010 and The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Social Media was published in 2013.

About the workshop: This is an interactive workshop and participants will need to bring a laptop.

How many times have you heard about an interesting, new tech tool and made a note to experiment with it later, but simply never found the time? This fun, interactive workshop will open with a rapid-fire demonstration of tech tools and apps. We will then rotate between different workshop tables to learn from table facilitators. At the end of the day we will gather together as a whole group to share some of our tips, creations, and applications!

Preconference website: http://goo.gl/VWT5Wl
Preconference registration: http://goo.gl/XTZaeL

Register early; space is limited and the deadline is October 14, 2013.
Cost: $25 and includes boxed lunch.

Weekly Reader

Practices of Communities
"I've been around long enough that I remember the first e-mail I ever sent (mistakenly putting the entire message in the subject line because I had no idea how it worked; the person I was trying to reply to kindly called me on the phone and talked me through it). I remember the first time I joined a professional Listserv and how amazing it was to be in conversation with several hundred professionals around the world who were interested in the same things as me." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 8/15/13

Get Used to Sharing Digital Content Says U. of Texas at Austin President
"Professors at the University of Texas at Austin should get comfortable with the idea of using online course materials created by their colleagues at other institutions, according to William C. Powers Jr., the university president." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 8/15/13

How England's Studio Schools Can Help Colleges Across the Pond
"In a TED Talk posted in September 2011, Geoff Mulgan spoke about the concept of the “studio school” and its success in some high schools that have adopted the model in England. The idea of the studio school is that rather than structuring school around subjects and classes and making grades the primary goal, we should structure school in terms of projects, with teams of students working together to see each one through to the end."-- Courtney Buell, edCetera, 8/15/13

Make Your Own Comic Strips: Using Bitstrips for Projects or Assignments
"You might have noticed that one by one, your Facebook friends have been turned into comic strip characters. The culprit: the free and extremely addictive application Bitstrips, which allows you to quickly create comic strips without needing to know how to draw." --Adeline Kon, ProfHacker, 8/15/13

More with IFTTT & Blogs

After successfully using IFTTT to tweet new IRC News & Information blog posts, I decided to create a new recipe to do the same with the general Library News Blog and IRC Twitter account. I quickly learned that once a blog channel has been selected, in my case Blogger, a second trigger can not be developed for a different Blogger blog. It presumes a second trigger with Blogger should be created with the blog channel already selected. However, a second blog can easily be set up using RSS feeds.

I first tried to copy Twitter post text used with the blog and found IFTTT uses a slightly different vocabulary with RSS (entry vs post). I used the same basic format of introductory narrative, title, content, URL, and hashtag for Library blog posts.

From the AU Library News Blog: Looking @ The New AU Home Page Ashland University recently updated the home page.  If you are having troub...
— IRC - AU Library (@IRCaulibrary) September 2, 2013

From the AU Library News Blog: AU Library Hours: Fall 2013 The library fall 2013 hours schedule begins Tuesday, September 3rd.  A comple...
— IRC - AU Library (@IRCaulibrary) September 3, 2013

After viewing the results, I have had to revise the layout removing content from the recipe in order for the URL to publish. The next library blog post is not yet authored (or scheduled), so results of the latest 'tweaking' will have to wait.

Working with IFTTT & Blogs

The IFTTT - aka If This Then That - app has been patiently residing on my iPhone with other web resources, many which have been ignored for an extended period of time. Waffling about actual need for the service,  I have been following conversations in the twitter-sphere (yes, lurking) regarding ease of use and the variety of channels available. After being invited to participate in a faculty college session on social media resources being used personally and professionally, I was surprised by the number of attendees who did not know the IRC had a blog, twitter account, or Pinterest site. I decided it was time to explore ways to make these accounts work together.

I signed up for an account (free) and determined the simplest way to begin was having IRC blog posts automatically Tweet to the IRC account when published. Blogger, the platform used for the IRC blog, is one of the available channels. After providing login credentials for the IRC blog and twitter accounts, I created a recipe; new posts published to the IRC News and information blog are tweeted to @IRCaulibrary.  After determining what text and post information (title, content, URL) should accompany the tweet, I also decided to include the hashtag #IRCblog. The first entry posted with new juvenile books:

From the IRC News Blog: Juvenile Books: Fiction http://t.co/mqFw8hBKGh The following new books have been added to the juvenile circula...
— IRC - AU Library (@IRCaulibrary) August 29, 2013

With post title and content ingredients in place, the hashtag did not display. I adjusted the recipe and removed the content component leaving text, post title, URL, and hashtag in place for the second juvenile books blog post.

From the IRC News Blog: Juvenile Books: Fiction http://t.co/M4jogdbC8S #IRCblog
— IRC - AU Library (@IRCaulibrary) August 29, 2013

The hashtag was visible, but without accompanying post information it lacked interest; I missed the narrative. I made a 'final' recipe adjustment and moved the hashtag directly after the text and returned the content element. The next blog post tweeted picture books added to the collection.

From the IRC News Blog #IRCblog Juvenile Books: Picture Books The following new books have been added to the ju... http://t.co/mRAKaFPE25
— IRC - AU Library (@IRCaulibrary) August 29, 2013

This is the current IFTTT recipe for published IRC blog posts to automatically tweet.  I've watched it display on the library digital sign for a few days now and like the updated content it presents. That said there's no telling when I may change my mind again.

I am a {social} librarian: infographic

A fun librarian infographic from "Elsevier's Library Connect Newsletter (@library_connect) and Joe Murphy (@libraryfuture)." Read more about it here and download your own copy here.

Weekly Reader

Need Help? Join.me Online
"When librarians first began offering chat reference, most envisioned it as a medium to answer quick and simple questions. Involved research questions were best answered in person. Somehow, our patrons didn’t get the memo on this, and many chat interactions are just as involved as face-to-face reference sessions." -- Meredith Farkas, American Libraries Magazine, June 2013

The Ultimate, Mega, Essential Web Site Design Guide - 115 Tools and Resources
"Whether you’re building your first website or re-designing an existing one for your organization, this all-in-one guide will get you started with tools and resources for creating today’s modern websites."-- Ellyssa Kroski, OEDb, 6/26/13

A Quick Guide to YouTube Privacy
"While we don't share as much personal information on YouTube as on other social networks, if you're conscious of online privacy, you may want to take a look at your privacy settings. We've taken a quick look at how to protect your privacy on the video-sharing site with a few easy steps to ensure your account is set up in a way that satisfies your need for online confidentiality." -- Amy-Mae Elliott, Mashable, 8/7/13

10 Must Ask-Questions for the Campus Interview
"Visiting a campus for the first time can be a dizzying and chaotic experience even when you are simply attending a conference or visiting a colleague. When you are in town to interview for a position it can be even more stressful, which is one reason why it’s important to think ahead about questions you want answered or people you want to meet while there." -- Menachem Wecker, Vitae, 8/6/13

5 Flipped Classroom Issues (and Solutions) for Teachers
"Have you been thinking about flipping your classroom this fall? Flipping can let you make the most of face-to-face time with your students. Rather than taking class time to introduce content and using homework to review concepts, flip the process so that students gain basic knowledge at home and then create, collaborate, and make connections in school." -- Beth Holland and Samantha Morra,  Edudemic, 8/12/13

Pinterest Targets Casual Visitors with New "Pinterest for Teachers" Site, May Add More Content Hubs in Future
"Pinterest has launched what may be the first of several official “hubs” featuring content targeting a particular segment of its user base, with today’s debut of a new “Pinterest for Teachers” site at pinterest.com/teachers. Obviously timed to coincide with the back-to-school rush and news cycle, the company tells us that the new hub will also serve as something of a test to see if it makes more sense to continue down this path in the future, with more hubs devoted to other interests or groups." -- Sara Perez, Tech Crunch, 8/13/13

17 Pinterest Metrics Every Brand Should Track
"Pinterest has established itself as the dominant online source of visual inspiration. The social bookmarking site enables users collect and share photos of their favorite events, interests, and hobbies. Pinterest users spend more money, shop more frequently, and purchase items more often and in larger quantities than users on any other social network." -- Pam Dyer, Social Media Today, 8/12/13

Weekly Reader

California Puts MOOC Bill on Ice
"Legislation in California originally aimed at getting state colleges to award credit for massive open online courses and other offerings from non-university providers has been shelved for at least a year." -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 8/1/13

Two New Services Offer Ready-To-Launch Websites for Libraries
"Library web hosting provider LISHost this month launched Library CMS, a modular, Drupal-based content management system template tailored to the needs of library websites. The move follows the March debut of Prefab, a WordPress-based CMS template designed for libraries by user experience (UX) consultancy Influx." -- Matt Enis, The Digital Shift, 7/31/13

All the Project Based Learning Terms You Should Know
"Project-based learning is far and away one of the most popular strategies teachers are discussing right now. Whether it’s at conferences, on social media, or in the school hallways, it’s easy to see that this trend is not slowing down." -- Jeff Dunn, Edudemic, 7/24/13

Snap Your Joy

Great video from Soul Pancake on YouTube: "SoulPancake set up a giant camera on the street and captured people's expressions of happiness. How will you express yourself today?"

(Dated) Weekly Reader

A Printable Guide to Creative Commons
"Something you probably see a lot of these days as you browse the internet is Creative Commons licensing. You’ll see many graphics that say something like ‘shared under a Creative Commons license’, or you’ll see a little rectangular graphic with some signs in them. Since we live in an age where most of our information comes from the internet in some way or another, its useful to know when and how it is ok to use something that you've found." -- Kati Lepi, Edudemic, 7/4/13

Best Web Sites for Teaching & Learning 2013
"Here in Chicago, AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching & Learning Committee just released its standards-aligned 2013 list. Sites and tools are selected because they engage users through innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration. Honored websites, tools, and resources will provide exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning." -- Joyce Valenza, Never Ending Search SLJ, 6/29/13

Tacit Knowledge and the Student Researcher
"I’m old enough that the annual Beloit Mindset List (created to help instructors avoid making what they think are contemporary cultural references that are actually historical to their students) is full of references to things that I never got around to knowing before they became passé." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 6/25/13

What it Takes to be a Boss Everyone Loves
"Being a successful leader means being good at what you do and possessing integrity. But more than anything, it's about your ability to build healthy relationships with others -- particularly those who work for you."-- Mark Sanborn, Entrepreneur, 6/25/13

ALAO 2013: Conference App

Have you downloaded the ALAO 2013 conference app? It's free and filled with useful - and timely - information.  Learn more about our Keynote speaker Nancy Fried Foster, submit your proposal online (posters, lightning talk, and discussion table submissions are open!), consider applying for a student or support staff ALAO presenter grant, and follow the official ALAO Twitter account ALAOorg and the conference hashtag #ALAO2013.

Interested? Here's how it works:

1. Download YappBox to your mobile device (phone or tablet), it's free from the iTunes Store and Google Play.
2. Install the ALAO Conference app by visiting this page, http://my.yapp.us/3CCFY9 via your device.
3. OR - use the "Add a Yapp" function in YappBox and enter the code: 3CCFY9
4. OR - follow this link to send the link to your mobile device.
5. OR - Scan the QR Code

Once loaded on your device, updates will be automatically offered each time the app is accessed.

Weekly Reader

Who is Driving the Online Locomotive?
"Proponents of online learning often use train metaphors to describe its growing impact on the educational landscape. Those of us who teach at two-year colleges, especially, are constantly encouraged, prodded, hectored, cajoled—and sometimes even ordered—to get on board. Otherwise, we're told, we're likely to be run over." - Rob Jenkins, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/26/13

Web-Hosting Project Hopes to Help Students Reclaim Digital Destinies
"Jim Groom and Tim Owens believe that college students are not being adequately prepared to be good “digital citizens” of the 21st century. Partly to blame, they say, is the prebuilt and prepackaged software that many use to create digital identities or to curate their interests online." -- Sara Grossman, Wired Campus, 7/25/13

How to Answer "so you need a degree to do that?"
"This oft encountered, teeth grinding question is something of a rite of passage for every one who joins the librarian field and was part of Tumblr post that came across my feed. I’ll even admit it makes my eye twitch as I summon up the willpower to provide a rationale and polite answer to this query." -- Andy Woodworth, Agnostic, Maybe,  7/24/13

Welcome to the Palace of Ambiguity
"Funny how sometimes you read an article and it feels like a smack on the forehead. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that before? Usually that means you had thought of it before, in vague, inchoate terms, but somebody else has put it into words. Bam." -- Barbara Fister, Library Babel Fish, 7/18/13

ALAO 2013: Posters, Lightning Talks, Discussion Tables

ALAO 39th Annual Conference 

University Center Kent State University at Stark North Canton, Ohio 

October 25, 2013

The ALAO 2013 Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit proposals for Poster Sessions, Lightning Talks, and Round Table Discussions. Applicants are encouraged to develop creative proposals that show thoughtful exploration of this year’s conference theme: The Changing Faces of Academic Libraries: Transforming, Reorganizing, Re‐imagining.

Poster Sessions, Lightning Rounds, & Round Table Discussions
Accepting Proposals July 15 - August 16, 2013

Poster: Presentations should graphically represent a topic and include text, tables, and images. Handouts are welcome and encouraged. Presenters will share their ideas with attendees during a designated time slot of the conference.

Lightning Talk: Designed to be fast-paced, thought provoking, and energizing. Lightning Talk presenters will have 7 minutes to deliver their practical or conceptual topics. There will not be scheduled time for Q & A; however, presenters may use part of their 7 minutes for this purpose.

Round-tables Discussion: This format is structured for small, informal group discussions to facilitate networking and information exchange. Discussion leaders should identify and develop a topic that will allow participants to discuss how they are dealing with specific issues at their libraries. Please include 2-3 questions to be addressed during the discussion in the proposal.

Guidelines and the proposal submission form may be found here:
Submit your proposal to ALAO 2013 CPC

Students wishing to submit proposals should do so here:
Submit your proposal to ALAO 2013 CPC

If you are a support staff member or student, don't forget presenter grant opportunities are available.

Pinterest: Number of pins (short)

While updating IRC Pinterest boards this morning I noticed a new feature; the number of pins an individual  board contains is now available.  I initially thought it was limited to site owners (quick visual), but signed out of Pinterest and the number remained view-able.  It is interesting and made it glaringly obvious I should develop more Voki tours.

I am not so sure I like it added to my board cover real estate.

Multi-weekly reader

New Research Effort Aims to Examine Effectiveness of MOOCs
"As more and more colleges experiment with massive open online courses, or MOOCs, a new project hopes to cut through the hype and gauge the effectiveness of the courses.The MOOC Research Initiative, financed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will award grants of $10,000 to $25,000 to researchers seeking to explore issues such as student experiences in MOOCs and the free courses’ systemic impact." -- Sara Grossman, Wired Campus, 6/10/13

Reflections on Teaching: Learning from Our Stories
"Here’s a great story. A graduate student is attending a lecture being given by one of her intellectual heroes, the Brazilian educator and theorist Paulo Freire. She takes notes furiously, trying to capture as many of his words as possible. Seeing that she is keenly interested in what Freire had to say, his translator asks if she would like to meet him. Of course! She is introduced and he begins by inquiring about her work. Then he graciously agrees to respond to a set of questions she and her colleagues hoped they would get the chance to ask him. She is impressed beyond belief, but time prevents her from asking one last, difficult question."-- Maryellen Weimer, PhD, Teaching Professor Blog, 6/12/13

Pinterest, One Man's Surprising Journey
"Pinterest is one of the most popular social media networks on the planet, yet for many men it remains a profound mystery. So I decided it was time to see what was really going on over there." -- Brian S. Hall, RWW, 6/13/13

10 Ways to use IFTTT to Automate Your Social Media Branding
"IFFT is a new service that stands for If This, Then That. It’s an incredibly easy to use website that lets you set up or copy recipes for automating just about anything. I’ve written about this handy tool before, however in a nutshell it works with 60 different applications including most of the major social media channels, and necessitates filling out simple online forms." -- Ellyssa Kroski, OEDB, 5/24/13

Embedded Librarians 101: How to Get Started
"As librarians, we can’t wait for students to ask us questions. We know that! That’s why we’ve had “virtual” reference services since the early 2000′s. But it’s simply not enough to have an online presence. The key is being online where the students are. For most universities, this means the learning management system (Moodle, Blackboard, D2L, etc…). It’s where students spend their academic time. It’s where librarians need to be. It’s embedded librarianship." -- Joe Hardenbrook, Mr. Library Dude, 6/17/13

A Developmental View of Information Literacy
"How do students become information literate? That’s a question I have asked myself many times. I’m particularly interested in the relationship between cognitive development and information literacy learning." -- Amanda Hovious, Designer Librarian, 6/14/13

The Evolving Use of Badges in Education
"Today’s schools commonly use grade-based evaluations where students get rewarded for the knowledge they gain. Students are evaluated and rewarded with grades and sometimes other types of rewards, for tasks such as projects, behavior, skills, and taking tests. Evaluations are one way to reward learning. The rewards may come in the form of a grade (number, letter), words, badges, stickers, certificates, medals, trophies, money, or prizes. The rewards may be determined by peer, self, or teacher-based assessments. Rewards are a way to motivate students to learn." -- Nellie Deutsch, Emerging EdTech, 6/12/13

ALAO 2013: Deadline Extended

ALAO 39th Annual Conference | October 25, 2013 

University Center Kent State University at Stark | North Canton, Ohio 

Deadline for proposals extended to  June 14, 2013!

Proposals should be submitted via the online submission form:
ALAO 2013 Presentation Proposal

For additional information, visit the conference web site @ http://goo.gl/ryXMa

Weekly Reader

On the Academic Library as A Critical Institution
"Everyone agrees: libraries are critical institutions. Librarians certainly feel that way, but so does the general population and even (mostly) politicians—especially if asked publicly. In fact, a person of normal intelligence is no more likely to disagree publicly with the statement “libraries are critical institutions” than to answer “no” when an ALA-sponsored pollster asks “Do you love books?” (Headline: 99% of Americans Still Love Books, ALA Informs Grateful Nation.)" -- Rick Anderson, Library Journal - Peer to Peer,  6/6/13

My Advice for New Instruction Librarians
"In the last three months, I’ve been interviewed about information literacy by two students. One was working on her MLIS and taking her first instruction course. The other was working on a dissertation, and I was a participant in her study on information literacy programs. These interviews started me thinking about what I’d tell new librarians interested in information literacy instruction."-- Troy A. Swanson, Tame the Web, 6/7/13

Your Essential "How to" Guide for Using Prezi in an Academic Environment
"Prezi.com is a zooming presentation tool which offers an alternative to PowerPoint. As it grows in popularity it is being seen more and more often across campuses; presentations created not just by academics and librarians but by students too. The quality of these presentations is variable; when used well Prezi can be a fabulous communication tool, but when used badly it can leave the audience feeling bamboozled, and potentially slightly sea-sick… There’s a lot of academic interest to it, so with that in mind here’s a brief guide." - Ned Potter, Impact of Social Sciences, 6/7/13

Once a Librarian, Always a Librarian?
"Dear ALA, Library Journal, and others: I have an MLS. I paid good money for it. I earned it. I am a librarian. Forever. The fact that I do not currently (nor may ever again) work in a library does not change that fact. Please make room for me on your surveys etc. Thank you. Bobbi, MLS Forever." -- Bobbi Newman, Librarian by Day, 6/4/13

Quick Guide to Making Your Website Social Media Friendly
"I'm often asked by clients to work with their web designers/developers to ensure their new website is going to be built and presented in a way that ensures social media tech plays a part in the user's experience. Usually I'm asked to do this after jumping up and down a lot and ramming home the importance of thinking social when it comes to websites!" -- Mike McGrail, Social Media Today, 6/4/13

YouTube: Viva La Library

A video gem from Dr. James McGrath of Butler University: Viva La Library (The Information Literacy Song) ... enjoy.

ALAO 2013: Help with your proposal

"Make this the year you present at ALAO! Whether you are a first time presenter, or an ALAO presentation veteran, crafting and submitting a proposal to present is sometimes a daunting challenge." - ALAO 2013: Proposal's: Need Help?

First time and seasoned presenters are encouraged to submit their proposal for the 39th Annual ALAO Conference. If you are having trouble getting started, or would like a quick refresher on creating conference proposals, visit the conference web site. Among the resources available for presenter are abstracts from previous conferences, submission tips from ALA and ACRL, and general ALAO proposal submission FAQs.

There is still time to submit your session proposal!
Proposal Submission Form:  http://goo.gl/CgrBm

Weekly Reader

Social Media Etiquette 101: Attribution
"Today, we are in desperate need of an etiquette manual for the internet. Some believe that social media is much like the wild west of old—anything and everything goes. It creates an energy and excitement that gives birth to creativity and collaboration. Unfortunately, that also means that civil behavior and professional standards are often overlooked. In our race to be first or gain more influence, we often overlook those who helped us find that important information to begin with." -- Chris Syme, Social Media Today, 5/30/13

But What if I Can't Find it on the Internet?
"But because of cost-cutting policies and the mantra of ''digitisation at all cost'', we are in danger of decreasing rather than increasing our access to information over time. Nowhere is this trend more evident than in libraries. It is driven by an over-reliance on new technology, in turn propelled by the forces of managerialism and economic rationalism." -- Pauline Westwood, The Canberra Times, 5/27/13

10 Ways to Use IFTTT To Automate Your Social Media Branding
"IFFT is a new service that stands for If This, Then That. It’s an incredibly easy to use website that lets you set up or copy recipes for automating just about anything. I’ve written about this handy tool before, however in a nutshell it works with 60 different applications including most of the major social media channels, and necessitates filling out simple online forms." -- Ellyssa Kroski, Open Education Database, 5/24/13

5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 Years
"We’re seeing more and more recruiters use the web as a place to search for talent and conduct employment background searches. This trend is set to increase year over year and I’ve been predicting that an “online presence search” will become as common as a drug test since 2007."-- Dan Schwabel, Forbes Entrepreneurs, 2/21/11

ALAO 2013: Call for Proposals

ALAO 39th Annual Conference 

October 25, 2013 

University Center Kent State University at Stark 

North Canton, Ohio 

The ALAO 2013 Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit proposals for presentations for the 39th Annual Conference. Applicants are encouraged to develop creative proposals that show thoughtful exploration of this year’s conference theme:

“The Changing Faces of Academic Libraries:
Transforming, Reorganizing, Re‐imagining.”

Share your experiences, solutions, expertise, and innovative practices with colleagues from all types of academic libraries. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: 

Transforming: 

• Collaboration – departments, community, groups 
• Collections – print vs. electronic 
• Outside the box – new initiatives 
• Services – areas of student experience 

Reorganizing: 

• Library spaces – physical and virtual, active learning
• Staffing – new roles, new positions, new responsibilities
• Budget (electronic vs. print) 
• Collections – maintenance 
• Services 

Re‐imagining: 

• Library instruction – 1st year, second year groups, international, special groups (veterans), online 
• Library reference – online, in person, new methods, assessment, tools used 
• Library services 
• Collaboration 
• Budget – expertise needed?, IT 
• Collections – digital initiatives, data 
• Assessment 
• Library as information portal 

Proposal Guidelines: 

Multiple proposals are welcome, however no more than two (2) will be included in the final program.  Proposals are blind‐reviewed for content, relevance to the conference theme, and overall appeal. A concise, clearly written description and abstract will help the reviewers evaluate your offering more clearly. Presentations may take the form of contributed papers, demonstrations, workshops, research, or panel discussions.

• Exclude the name of your institution, department and any personal names in the abstract to expedite the blind review process. 
• You will be contacted regarding your AV/technology requirements when your proposal is accepted. 
• All presenters will be responsible for their own registration and travel costs. 

Please print a copy of the completed form for your records before submitting. You will receive an email confirmation upon successful proposal submission. If you do not receive this confirmation email, please contact: Diane Schrecker, Ashland University Library using the ALAO 2013 Conference Planning Committee email: alao.cpc at gmail.com 

Deadline for proposals is June 7, 2013.

Proposals should be submitted via the online submission form:
ALAO 2013 Presentation Proposal

For additional information, visit the conference web site @ http://goo.gl/ryXMa

Weekly Reader

Leadership Lessons for Higher Education Administration
"Thinking about academic library administration as your next career step? When you do, you become a higher education administrator too. Here are some things you may want to know about moving into higher education administration, and some leadership lessons you’ll learn when you do." -- Steven Bell, Leading from the Library / Library Journal, 5/22/13

What Explanation and Design Have in Common
"We hear a lot about design these days. Apple products are probably the most popular examples. The idea is that Apple became one of the most valuable companies in the world, in part, because they focus on the design of their products.But what does that mean, really? What do organizations who focus on design do differently?" -- Lee LeFever, Common Craft Blog, 5/23/13

MOOC Professors Claim No Responsibility for How Courses Are Used
"Robert Ghrist, a professor of mathematics and electrical and systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, knows that wielding vast networks on behalf of nonuniversity benefactors can be tricky business. Mr. Ghrist specializes in applied topology, an abstract math field. In practice, topological math can help someone harness huge collections of sensory inputs—like those collected by cellphones, for example—to model large environments and solve problems" -- Steve Kolowich, Wired Campus, 5/21/13

Open Access: A Quick Factual Post
"Given the growing amount of nonsense being repeated in various ways about OA, here are four simple facts" -- Walt Crawford, Walt at Random, 5/21/13

2013 Social Media Marketing Report
"Are you wondering how your peers are using social media? Wondering if you should focus on Pinterest or podcasting, or put more effort into Facebook? In our fifth annual social media study, more than 3000 marketers reveal where they focus their social media activities, how much time they invest, what the rewards are and where they’ll plan their future efforts." -- Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner, 5/21/13

Are People Stealing Your Content? How (and When) to Fight Back
"If you're drinking the inbound marketing Kool-Aid and regularly publishing content online, there's a good chance you may have experienced content theft at one point or another. Many of us are all too familiar with the feelings that follow the discovery of content thievery: your stomach drops, quickly followed by thoughts of "Why me?" Then the anger sets in." -- Ginny Soskey, The Hub, 5/21/13

Pinterest Widgets

One of my new favorite Pinterest tools is the Button and Widget Builder. Available (located) with the Pinterest for Business resources, I have found it useful for promoting specific IRC Pinterest boards on the IRC News Blog (see IRC Pinterest Book Trailers, National Poetry Month, and New Ellison Dies); with one click, users access the full board from the blog.

I began pinning infographics, blog posts, and other items of interest about Pinterest on my ACRL 2013 Resources board for my workshop and have continued the practice on my Pinterest News & Info board. Here are examples of the embedded boards.




Update: Well, that was certainly embarrassing (don't forget to load the java). The boards should both be visible now.

Weekly Reader

Tips for Personal Branding in the Digital Era 
"It doesn’t matter if you have the perfect job and have no plans of leaving — consistent networking and personal branding efforts ensure you’ll stay on the top of your network’s members’ minds and be viewed as an authority in your field. Womenonbusiness.com suggests focusing on building a brand instead of a career. That starts with your interaction with others — even in the space of digital. Crafting a beneficial digital brand involves everything from visual development, to content strategy, to digital public relations. Think of yourself as a brand, and start reaping the rewards of your networking efforts." -- Mike Frey, Social Media Today, 5/17/13

Tips from Mentor Scouts Mentor of the Year
"Mentoring can be a difficult relationship to navigate for both mentors and mentees, but there are several steps that participants can take to ensure that they get the most out of the relationship. Finalists for Mentor Scout’s Mentor of the Year award recently talked with Nobscot CEO Beth Carvin about some things to keep in mind when working on establishing a good mentoring relationship."-- Julia Russell, Smart Blog on Leadership, 5/16/13

Five Great Tools for Creating Your Own Educational Infographics
"These fun, mostly free tools can help educators easily create their own Infographics, and bring a very modern twist to instruction. 'A picture is worth thousand words.' That is what infographics do. They convey a wealth of information in a largely graphical format. They can help communicate visually even the most complex concepts in a simple and lucid way. They can be a great educational resource. Have you ever considered creating one for a course you teach?" -- Kathryn Smith, Emerging EdTech, 5/15/13

It's the Small Things That Make a Leader Great
"How unfortunate that our popular ideas of what a good leader should be are so often grandiose. Through current media, television and movies, we expect perfection; a leader is strong, fearless and flawless. If we believe that myth, they should be superheroes, royalty and saviors all rolled into one." -- Mary Jo Asmus, Smart Blog on Leadership, 5/15/13

Simple Steps to Successful Presentations
"Picture this: You’re at a conference, waiting to hear a speaker whose talk you’ve been looking forward to for months. As you sit down, you realize that he appears rattled and is gripping onto the lectern for dear life. He begins to talk, ever so slowly." -- Shannon Alter, Smart Blog on Leadership, 5/10/13

The Ultimate Google+ Cheat Sheet
"Social Media Marketers need to squeeze the most value out of every social media update. Google Plus has some of the most robust posting & sharing capabilities of any social network. From rich snippets to photo editing to individual circles, there are so many features that can make your post stand out from the pack. Here are some highlights from a cheat sheet that I built (Download and print here) to get the most out of Google Plus posts." -- Tatiana Aders, Social Media Today, 5/16/13