Tag: lis education

Link Round-Up: December 4 – 8, 2017

This shows a bar style set up of a long table and high bar stool like chairs against a colorful wall. It's an example of what a library room might look like.
Interior designer Margaret Sullivan’s vision for the future of libraries.

As always, there is lot going on in the library and information sciences world, so here is a small sampling from this past week! Happy reading!

New Archives Projects

Newcomb adds digital archives to document LGBTQ+ history  via Tulane Hullabaloo
Newcomb Institute at Tulane University is diversifying its historical archives by adding its first-ever completely digital-born collection to preserve the history of LGBTQ+ activism in New Orleans. The featured image above is from the Newcomb.

Long Island University (LIU) gets $1M grant to expand project to preserve Long Island history via Blank Slate Media
LIU Post’s Palmer School of Library and Information Science was awarded a $1 million grant from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation to expand an important project to both preserve Long Island’s history and make it more accessible. 

Design

10 Questions…with Margaret Sullivan, an Interior Designer  via InteriorDesign.net
“With her six-person studio in NYC, Margaret Sullivan is on a mission to design the public library of the 21st century. Libraries, often fated with lackluster interiors, function as gathering spots and learning hubs for local residents of all ages. Sullivan knows a well-designed library will benefit the entire community…We ask the designer to share what she’s doing to keep these public spaces relevant.”

Why Austin’s New Central Library is a Vision for the Future via Austin American-Statesman
“The Austin Public Library recently opened its spectacular facility with much fanfare to respond to a diversity of needs in the Austin community. Transformed from a traditional library filled with books and other sources of information including media, the new open design sets itself apart as a new standard to address user needs in the 21st century. The timing of the opening of the new Austin Public Library is a perfect opportunity to highlight the resurgence of the central role of libraries in their respective communities, whether public, academic or school libraries, as they rethink their relevance amidst fast-paced changes.”

Education

Coding Creativity Reigns During Computer Science Education Week via EdTechMagazine
“Computer science is often top of mind for 21st-century educators, but this week, you’ll likely hear more about it than ever before. From Dec. 4-10, teachers and students across the globe will celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Many classrooms are expected to participate in an Hour of Code, during which students spend at least one hour working on a coding activity.”

What We Know and What They Know: Scholarly Communication, Usability, and Un-Usability via ACRLog
“Over the past handful of years, a lot of digital ink has been spilled on library responses to #icanhazpdf, SciHub, and, most recently, the #Twitterlibraryloan movement. This hit home in my life because in recent discussion with students at my University, we found that students told us outright that they used SciHub because of its ability to “get most things.” How we talk about piracy with our patrons is an important topic for discussion, and places a tremendous amount of emphasis on the ethics of a for-profit publishing model. But it places librarians in a precarious situation defending publishing practices that build barriers to research.”

infoDocket News Roundup via Library Journal
A list of LIS news from the past week.

 

Core and More: Identifying Key Skills and Qualifications for LIS

by Eileen Abels and Laura Saunders

The LIS field is changing rapidly, and encompasses a wide range of career paths and directions, all of which must be considered when preparing new LIS professionals. In addition to more traditional skills related to information organization and soft skills like customer service orientation and interpersonal skills, employers are also looking skills and qualifications in areas like emerging technologies, preservation of print and non-print materials, design thinking, and cultural competency. It is incumbent on LIS schools to ensure that their curricula are meeting the needs of the field. But which skills are core—meaning that all students should have a foundation in those skills, regardless of their area of focus or ultimate career path—and which are specialized, meaning that only professionals in specific positions are likely to need those skills?

In spring 2017, Simmons SLIS undertook a survey to address these questions. The survey went out to area employers, internship and practicum supervisors, faculty, and alums. Respondents were asked to rank 53 skills on a scale of “core” to “specialized,” and were also given an opportunity to identify additional skills that they did not see represented in the original list. We received over 1100 responses, which we will be analyzing and using to inform our curriculum.

Attached is the executive summary of the survey. We would like to thank everyone who participated, and we look forward to continued conversations about how best to prepare our LIS graduates for success. Click this link to access the Executive Summary of the Survey: Executive Summary