Lesson #5: Points of Access

Reflection #1:

Study the above information. Reflect on how students and teachers could access data about this particular book. What would be the most common ways? Title, key words in the title, author, subject, or key words in the subject.

Comments:

The provided bibliographic record is clear and concise. If students have been taught how to use the school library catalogue, and how to locate materials in the library non-fiction section, this record provides a very complete picture of what they would find if they went to the call number listed. I think that looking up "nursery rhymes" as the search would be the most useful, as it would come up both under keyword search and subject search.

Reflection #2

Consider the reading for this week by Connors and discusses how the catalogue record and the rules around choosing 'access points' are evolving.

I am old enough to remember the days of doing research using a card catalogue. I actually loved doing research (my first year of university was in 1981) and was fascinated by the treasure hunt nature of looking in the card catalogues, then going off into the book stacks to find books and journals. 

That experience seems to have nothing to do with accessing information these days. Accessing the readings and information for this course, for example, is a good example of the new way of becoming informed, and how the necessary information is disseminated. There aren't even any books involved, only website addresses.

It is still essential to be able to identify resources in a library. I would say that the minimum for a point of access is the title of a work. However, depending on the physical nature of the resource (book, map, DVD, CD, realia), the way to identify it would have to change. 

The way a resource is identified also depends on how the library's particular cataloguing system works, and what information is deemed relevant. As the article discusses, the future seems to be about multiple access points and collocating a resource. In the end, as long as the resource can be found on the data base and found in the physical sense in the library, then archaic rules seem irrelevant in this new age of computer data bases. 

Lesson #3: What's the Meta?

Check out this image:

/http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2595497078/

There must be a way to get the actual image into my blog, but I couldn't figure that out. But go to this link, and enjoy the photo and its message.

This image is a must for those of us involved with finding information in a professional capacity, and important to remember. The amount of accessible information is indeed overwhelming and over abundant. Personally, when there is too much of anything, it loses value. When something is scarce, it becomes more valuable. That could apply to information, or the carrots you grow in your garden.

Metadata

Metadata is data associated with objects which relieves their potential users of having full advance knowledge of their existence or characteristics.

Metadata is a systematic method for describing resources and thereby improving access to them.

Resource description is important because good descriptions of information resources are the most important determinant of whether people will find what they are looking for.

Metadata provides the essential link between the information creator and the information user.


Reflection:
Consider how a mastery of search engine anatomy would help with the role of the teacher librarian in developing information literacy with colleagues and students.


Understanding how to search for information on the internet effectively would help to develop information literacy. However, learning how to limit and weed the massive amount of information that's out there is also an important part of this skill. Perhaps putting a time limit on searches? Choosing a couple of sites and looking at them in-depth rather than skimming? Using a variety of mediums besides web pages, including YouTube and blogs? Trying out a couple of search engines? I didn't know that there were so many out there. For kids, using kid-friendly search engines is helpful. 


Perhaps asking colleagues and friends, finding a good "techie" person to consult, putting questions out there on Facebook (I found the solution to a Garage Band problem that way) for suggestions, favorites, preferences.......


Honestly, the more I learn, the more I get bogged down in how much is out there. It often seems like you need a bit of luck and the time to find what you're looking for. The image of the fire hydrant just keeps haunting me.

Lesson #2: To Web or Not to Web

The "Digital Library Collection"

First, this concept pre-supposes a couple of things: that everyone has access to up-to-date computers; that internet connections are fast and reliable; that people have their own personal devices (cell phones, iPads etc, ebook readers). 

Teaching at a First Nations school in an isolated area means you cannot assume the above, meaning that there are limitations to how the internet can be used as a teaching tool and as an information source and interactive learning tool.

The families of our school are often poor, and I would say that most have no home internet access or computers. Our internet is not always accessible, and it is often slow, so that downloading can also be slow. We do not have cell phone reception everywhere, so accessing the internet via cell phones is not always possible. Families probably cannot afford ebook readers. The overall literacy rate is low, and basic literacy is not modeled in many homes. Many families have little education, thus modeling internet use would be limited.

How strong are your biases for or against digital media? 

Well, I am one of your "middle-aged" colleagues. Though I am not against digital media, I am of the philosophy that the simplest solution is often the best. Digital media is complicated, and requires access to the various modes of accessing internet information. I have one laptop computer which meets all my personal needs. I don't need/want a cell phone, ebook reader (I go to the library where books are FREE and virtually unlimited), or whatever the latest "i" thingy happens to be.

I do value the resources and the various web 2.0 applications I have used personally, and for kids, including blogs and wikis, digital photos, online book review sites, TeacherTube and YouTube videos, etc.

Reflection: How have you provided ongoing support for digital media including Internet sites, school or library websites, online encyclopedias and reference materials, social networks such as "Facebook", blogs, etc.?

Currently, students do their computer work in the computer lab. It is almost always fully booked for "computer" classes. I only have two computers in the library, and students generally do AR reading quizzes there. I realize that I should be helping students learn how to find information in the library AND access relevant information on the internet, but would have to have more computers in the library in order to do both. This is surely the future of information. For younger students, however, I think books are still the best choice, rather than the internet.

I do have plans to create some sort of website (blog/wiki/delicious) to communicate info to kids about websites etc. that I find that are applicable to their classes, and so they can reply back to me. Navigating the internet can be a trying experience, because there is so much information out there, even for an experienced reader. It helps to weed out the wheat from the chaff for young learners. 

Facebook is blocked in our school. 

Currently, our library has no subscriptions to digital databases. Literacy is generally so low, and research projects so minimal, that they would be wasted on our student population.

LIBE 465 Lesson #1: Dear Dewey

Good old Dewey. Where would we be without him and his lovely system of organization? But with the increase in online resources, will Dewey go the way of the dinosaur? Hard to tell.

A close relative of Dewey is "Dewey the Library Cat". For those of you who haven't read this lovely book, look it up. Now available are picture books of Dewey which kids love.

http://www.deweyreadmorebooks.com/

Question for reflection: After reviewing the two example competencies, look through the entire document again to determine if there are many areas of Professional or Personal Competencies that do not require a knowledge of how to organize and a commitment to good organization.

The following quote from CASL sums up the absolute imperative of organization in the library:

Students' Information Literacy Needs in the 21st Century: Competencies for Teacher-Librarians

Students in Canada today need to be able to think rationally and logically. With more and more sources of information, both print and electronic, and the increasing difficulty of ensuring that students can derive meaning from this information, the role of the teacher-librarian becomes central. Teacher-librarians are skilled in accessing and evaluating information regardless of delivery system, book or computer, and providing leadership in the appropriate use of newer information technologies.

Particularly note "with more and more sources of information, both print and electronic" being highly important. Today, there is so much information out there, yet finding what is appropriate and relevant, particularly for kids who are learning to read and developing the skills to evaluate information, the librarian's job is more important than ever. BUT, we have to be able to find the information ourselves, so having a good understanding of the physical collection as well as online resources is essential. Otherwise, it's too easy to get lost in the information jungle.

I still think that for younger children, the first step in learning information literacy skills must parallel their acquisition of reading literacy skills: start with books! The supply is limited and manageable, the books are finite, they can take them to their classroom, put them in their desks, share them with friends, sit in a quiet corner and read them, and enjoy their physical presence. My experience is, that kids LOVE books! I don't work with them in the computer lab, though I know they love computers as well.