ACRL 2013 Conference Notes: Panel Session on Queering the Library

ACRL Panel Session
Topic: "Queering the Library: What are YOU Doing to Serve Your LGBTQ Community?"
Date: Saturday, April 13, 2013, 8:30am

• (I was interested in this panel because I do have an interest in the topic, both as a librarian, and as an ally. I do have to note that this was an interest I could not always express, certainly not "too much" in my previous workplace, but let us leave that behind. In addition, since I have done some reading on the topic-- see here, here, and over here--, I figured this would be a good follow-up. It definitely was worth it getting up early on the last day of the conference for this panel.)
• See http://librarylea.com/queerlib for the presentation slides. 
• LGBTQ issues and needs of students is a good research topic; case studies can be meaningful. There is a lack in the LIS Literature (I know. I have not seen a lot of this neither). 
• Look at the LGBT Campus Climate Index (I did check. Curiously, neither my previous place nor my current place are listed. Though if I go by experience, my current place is lot more friendly, so to speak). 
• From cited survey by Rankin (it refers to this. Note, it is not a free product. However, I did check WorldCat, and a few libraries have it, so ILL may be possible): 
• 31% of LGBTQ students identify their campus as phobic. 
• 21% experience harassment. 
• Many students consider leaving campus as a result. This has an impact on retention (and I would guess it may have some impact on reputation as well, at least among LGBTQ people). Campus responses have been less than adequate.
• This is a library issue. 
• We are about equality. 
• Show that the library supports all students with materials and access. The challenge is the line between visibility and privacy. 
• Safe spaces to access materials are necessary. Also, work with any LGBTQ campus center, if it exists. Such places often have their own libraries as well. 
• Overall, LGBTQ centers are still rare on campuses. 
•  From the Q&A: I am one voice. What can I do? 
• Put yourself out. Still, let others know you are a resource. Start by making your office a safe space. You being visible is an act of subversion. 
• From the Q&A: Could this get me in trouble? (The basic answer is yes. Sort of implied in the discussion is that you have to measure your own risk tolerance and act accordingly, but act.)
• Embrace discomfort and trouble. 
• In hostile environments, maybe keep the faith as change is coming (this seemed a bit on the idealistic side to me. In some cases, change may be extremely slow to come, if at all. Still, try to remain positive). 
• In hostile environments, do be aware of yourself and others. Gather your thoughts and support base. At the end of the day, do take the time to decompress. 
• In an extreme case, getting fired may be worth it (though here I would say, again, measure your risk tolerance. If you are single with nothing to lose, you can probably do this with ease. If others depend on you, like family, maybe instead of getting fired you bide your time and move the hell out of Dodge. Don't burn bridges unnecessarily, but when you do move and secure a new position, make sure the old place knows exactly why you are leaving). 

ACRL 2013 Conference Notes: Contributed Papers on librarians, faculty, and assessment

ACRL Contributed Papers Group 2
Topics: Faculty and IL Rubrics, Assessment Leadership, and Instruction/Assessment
Date: Friday, April 12, 2013, 4:00pm

Again, reminder that the proceedings with the papers are at this link. I will be also linking the individual titles below, which lead to PDFs.

I. "'How is this different from critical thinking?': The Risks and Rewards of Deepening Faculty Involvement in an Information Literacy Rubric."

• While working with faculty, reinforce that librarians are educational experts and researchers (I will admit this is not always easy since often librarians can be their own worst enemies in this regard whether by just being shy or, as I have been subjected to, taking down other librarians and saying things such as "you are not a real teacher." By the way, I will put my teaching credentials up against any librarian or faculty out there any day, any time). We then gain benefit from faculty strengths.
• The paper reports on a study comparing how faculty and librarians score items on a rubric, their common elements and differences. 
• Difficulty in assessing how students evaluate sources. Librarians go across disciplines where faculty go deep in their discipline. (See, we are strong in different things, and that is good)
• Overall though, the study found few differences between the librarians and the faculty. 
• Risk of credibility and expertise. 
• Gains: librarians identified as peers. Advancing information literacy. 

II. "Becoming a Campus Assessment Leader: Collaborating for Campus Wide IL Assessment."

•  (I was interested in this paper to go along with what I learned in the preconference I did earlier in the week)
• A common problem on campuses is a lack of information literacy in campus curricular assessment.
• Note that the paper includes the survey instrument. 
• Survey distribution:
• Target specific departments. Start with the ones you have connections with. 
• End of semester distribution. 
• Stress that the assessment will not be used to judge faculty. 

III. "Just-in-time Instruction, Regular Reflection, and Integrated Assessment: A Sustainable Model for Student Growth."

• (I did not get a whole lot out of this presentation. We got referred to go online to find the handouts. This is one I need to read in full soon. By the way, the handout is in the conference schedule part as a PDF, which is not link-friendly. So here is the link to the program, hoping ACRL will not muck it up down the road. Way I see it, it should have been included with the paper's link to have it all in one place). 
• Paper reports on a collaboration between a faculty member and a librarian. 
• Embarking on parallel, non-communicated work does not really help our students. 

ACRL 2013 Conference Notes: Contributed Papers on Undergraduate Information Literacy

ACRL Contributed Papers Group 1
Topics: Information seeking strategies, undergraduate research, and basic IL instruction
Date: Friday, April 12, 2013, 1:30pm

As noted previously, the conference proceedings with the contributed papers are at this link. I am also linking the specific titles below (these links go to PDF files). 

I. "When the Helicopters are Silent; The Information Seeking Strategies of First Generation College Students."

• (A big reason I was interested in this paper is that we have a significant undergraduate population at my current workplace that is first generation students. So, anything I can learn to help me serve them better I am interested)
• This is a review of traits of first generation students. However, according to the speaker, no previous study has addressed the information seeking behaviors of first generation students. (By the way, if you want a decent book on today's incoming college students, Generation on a Tightrope provides a nice overview. See my review.)
• The paper reports on four focus groups. The study was asking about daily information seeking behaviors. 
• Methods of information gathering by the students: 
• Formal university systems. These were seen as confusing by students. The fact that there are advisors at various levels of a campus was confusing.
• Family: Family can encourage, but they cannot provide advice. Note that students also often try to "protect" the family from campus information, if they are not doing well, etc. 
• Informal college networks: Campus organizations, friends. They seek out people who look like them. (In this regard, we may have an advantage locally thanks to our labor program, which enables us to hire and train students to work in reference, thus providing the students with "someone like them" with librarians to back them up)
• Overall, the students felt information poor. They were also confronted by jargon. Frustrated and confused, they stop asking for information. 
• Campus services are usually fragmented. In high school, you turned to your guidance counselor (who pretty much was "one stop shopping"). In college, you have various units and departments such as financial aid, the bursar, the registrar, etc.
• Librarians see themselves as sources of information. However, students still feel that libraries are confusing places; in larger settings, the library can be seen as fragmented (again, we can have local advantage given we have one central location, and our extreme focus on student service). As a result, students may avoid the library. 
• This can go back to meeting the students where they are at. 

II. "Supporting the Dissemination of Undergraduate Research: An Emerging Role for Academic Librarians."

•  Undergraduate research is gaining popularity. (We certainly have examples of that here locally with the capstone projects and their end of year presentations)
• This was inspired by the 1998 Boyer Report "Reinventing Undergraduate Education." 
• This kind of student needs targeted information literacy support. 
• Partner with the undergraduate research office or program director. 
• Offer specialized workshops in support of dissemination and production of research for undergraduate researchers.
• Scholarly communication and dissemination. 
• These students are creating new knowledge. 
• Modern information technology makes publishing easier, so address formal and informal publication venues such as social media. 
• See http://acrl.ala.org/intersections for more on the topic. 

III. "They Not Only CAN But They SHOULD: Why Undergraduates Should Provide Basic IL Instruction."

• (I was definitely interested in this paper given our student workers and their abilities. This is certainly something that would fall within their abilities if trained. Something to consider down the road perhaps)
• Reasons to do it: 
• Pedagogy: Peers do learn from peers. This can foster cognitive collaboration. 
• Their Lib RATs (Reference Assistance Technician)( in a way are very similar to our reference student workers).
• Increased instructional capacity and flexibility. You can teach more sessions and do more when you need them. 
• Librarians can then focus on more advanced skills. 
• Gain traction for instruction by sharing evaluations. 
• The instruction peers provide a built-in focus group. 
• Opportunity costs go do down. This can create librarian opportunities beyond instruction (however, careful here: some could get the idea of reducing library funding with this). 
•  Evidence for success: 
• Increased demand. 
• Evidence from student session participants; used Likert scale surveys. 
• From faculty participants, also using Likert scale surveys. 
• See libguides.calpoly.edu/libratprogram to learn more.    

ACRL 2013 Conference Notes: Contributed Papers on Learning and Information Literacy

ACRL Contributed Papers Group 1
Topics: on problem-based learning, narratives, and emotional intelligence
Date: Friday, April 12, 2013, 11:00am

As before, notes on these are going to be brief (for some reason, paper presentations do not lend themselves as well to taking notes. Part may be the over-reliance on PowerPoint). The good news is that papers are available online (so my four readers and I can review them later. Direct links, leading to PDFs, included in title).

I. "Using Problem-Based Learning to Facilitate Student Learning Across the Curriculum."

• Problem-Based Learning (PBL): 
• Librarian as facilitator. 
• Focus on cognition and metacognition. 
• Uses real life problems. 
• It is a conceptual model of facilitated learning. 
• Encourages student-directed solutions. 
•  PBL and metacognition: 
• Believes the problem-solver can change his/her thinking and thus their behavior. 
• PBL: 
• Promotes critical thinking. 
• Promotes peer-to-peer learning, which is more closely aligned to student preferences. 
• Some concepts taught: 
• Open versus hidden web. 
• Primary/Secondary/Tertiary sources. 
• Scholarly versus Popular sources. 
• Move students from googling everything to entering the academic conversation. 
•  It is important to meet with faculty to agree on outcomes and class activities as well as to collaborate. 
• Sample idea: give students cards listing sources to sort out, say for primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. See then how they sort them, which can reveal how they are thinking. 

II. "Tell Me a Story: The Use of Narrative as an Instructional Tool." 

•  Definitions of narrative. 
• Literary: linear. Beginning--> events --> conclusion. It is a representation of events. See Cambridge Introduction to Narrative (2008).
• Social science: Events are framed in larger structures. People do not deal with the world event by event. 
•  Learning theories
• Constructivist. 
• Learning occurs from experience. 
• It only occurs if the learner has experience, interacts with it, and change occurs. The process is recurrent. 
• MBE (Mind, Brain, Education) Science. (This link out of Johns Hopkins School of Education might help).
• Learning involves emotion, cognition, reflection, and there are changes in the brain. The brain needs practical context, including narratives. 
• Sample class exercise/lesson: Find a banana (or some other item):
• The general store: Google Scholar (ok, you can probably get a simple banana here).
• The grocery store: A database, say CSA or Web of Science. 
• The farmers' market: Specialized databases, say ERIC or Education Full Text. 

III.  "Feeling our Way: Emotional Intelligence and Information Literacy Competency."

• Students who better manage emotions can better navigate information literacy skills and tasks. This is the paper's hypothesis. This positive element was supported by their research.
• Emotional intelligence affects learning and thinking. 
• Awareness of intervention points for instruction and reference. Watch for cognitive overload. 

As was the case before, I really did this session for one of the papers, in this case the one about narratives given my interest in the topic. (Again, a case of it is not easy to leave the room once you are in it, plus not to mention locations are not exactly close enough to get to another paper on time. That was not a feature that endeared me to the conference planners). The third paper sounded good, but the presentation was just not that great (means I would probably be better off reading the paper to see what I can get out of it. I just think there could have been more to the presentation).

ACRL 2013 Conference Notes: On Creating a Culture of Assessment

ACRL Panel Session
Topic: Creating a Culture of Assessment: Determinants of Success
Date: Friday, April 12, 2013, 8:30am

Since I did the preconference on assessment earlier, I figured this would be a nice addition to my learning experience. Plus, the preconference presenters did recommend it.

• On defining a culture of assessment. Definitions can vary. One idea: an "organizational environment in which decisions are based on facts, research, and analysis." 
• What it means: 
• Assessment is the norm and regular practice. 
• It is done for improvement, not accountability. 
• It is user-focused. 
• It is driven by learning and curiosity. 
• Decisions are based on the results of the assessments. 
• We hold ourselves to the same standards as other departments. 
• Assessment can be used for advocacy and to inform teaching. 
• Suggested reading: Haviland, Don, "Leading Assessment: From Faculty Reluctance to Faculty Engagement." Academic Leadership 7.1 (2009). (The citation as provided in the panel was not correct. Took some digging, but here it is.)
• Culture of assessment requires changing people's thinking. 
• Suggested reading: Lakos, Amos and Shelley E. Phipps, "Creating a Culture of Assessment: A Catalyst for Organizational Change." portal: Libraries and the Academy. 4.3 (July 2004). (I thought these authors were familiar, so I checked to see if I had read this particular article. I have not, but I read another article where they are cited, thus my small sense of deja vu. I will have to read it and write it up when I get a moment).
• A learning culture committed to learning. 
• We need administrators who are unfailing in terms of support and use assessment results in planning and decisions. Some say, however, that administration cannot be top down. 
• Librarians need to be empowered and act on what they have learned. 
• Suggested reading: Nodye, Abdou and Michele A. Parker, "Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Assessment." Planning for Higher Education 38.2 (2010). (Nice to see this one is open online).
• A couple of facilitating factors: 
• If there is a campus-wide initiative for assessment. 
• If the library gets involved in said initiative. 
• Presenters report finding that "culture of assessment" is in the eye of the beholder. Some people may report not having a culture of assessment in their institutions, but they may have some traits of it. 
• Without institutional commitment to assess, the culture of assessment is not likely to exist.
• Having faculty status (for librarians) isn't associated with culture of assessment. Some report having the culture due the obligations of tenure, or viceversa, tenure prevents assessment. 
• Of the libraries reporting clear expectations and having an assessment plan, 92% reported having a culture of assessment. 
• In the end: Having a clear understanding of, expectations for, and a plan for assessment. Having an administration that makes assessment a priority and leads by example by using assessment data. These are the most important factors related to a library achieving a culture of assessment.