Literacy Information

There is a debate This House believes that the role of librarian should be that of teacher being held at the Library of Birmingham, UK, 10 February 2015 at 2pm. It is free and organised by the CILIP Information Literacy Group. It is chaired by Jane Secker, and the debaters are Darren Smart, Geoff Walton and Emma Coonan. Booking at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cilip-debate-the-role-of-the-librarian-should-be-that-of-teacher-tickets-15048997958
Photo by Sheila Webber: Leighton House, December 2014

Booking is open for the UK's information literacy conference, LILAC. This is being held in Newcastle University, 8-10 April 2015. Go to http://www.lilacconference.com/WP/register/
Photo by Sheila Webber: sofa fabric, Leighton House, December 2014

If you are a member of the (US) Association of College and Research Libraries, New England Chapter you can apply for various awards, including the Christine Drew Scholarship (ACRL Immersion) (the immersion develops skills in teaching information literacy): if you are a member who plans to attend a track of ACRL Immersion this year or attended ACRL Immersion in the past year, you can apply. "This scholarship has been increased this year and includes up to $2000 registration/travel stipend to attend the ACRL Immersion program and complimentary registration/travel stipend to attend the ACRL/NEC Annual Conference held the year the recipient was awarded the Christine Drew Scholarship." Deadline is 31 January 2015. More information at http://www.acrlnec.org/content/scholarships-awards
Photo by Sheila Webber: spot the peacock, tower, Holland park, London, December 2014

The latest issue of the open access journal IFLA Journal (volume 40 issue 4, 2014) has been published. Articles include:
- Information literacy in Zanzibar universities: Current situation and the way forward by Abbas Mohamed Omar, Haji Ali Haji and Khamis Hamad Mwitumbe
- Information evaluation and the individual’s cognitive state: Some insights from a study of British teenaged users by Andrew K. Shenton, Alison J. Pickard and Andrew Johnson
http://www.ifla.org/node/9290
Photo by Sheila Webber: Lizzie in Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium, December 2014

Volume 8, issue 2 (2014) of the open-access journal Communications in Information Literacy has been published. Articles include:
Teaching Matters: The Information Literacy Implications of the Bohannon Sting by Rudy Leon (the Bohannon Sting was a bogus article being accepted by a large number of journals).
- Engaging Beyond the First College Year: Exploring the Needs of Second-year Students by Elizabeth L. Black
- Peer Review of Teaching: Best Practices for a Non-Programmatic Approach by Jaena Alabi, William H. Weare, Jr.
- Pedagogies of Possibility Within the Disciplines: Critical Information Literacy and Literatures in English by Heidi L.M. Jacobs
- How We Got Here: A Historical Look at the Academic Teaching Library and the Role of the Teaching Librarian by Susan Andriette Ariew
- Information Literacy and the Flipped Classroom: Examining the Impact of a One-Shot Flipped Class on Student Learning and Perceptions by Andrea Wilcox Brooks
Go to: http://www.comminfolit.org/index.php?journal=cil&page=issue&op=view&path[]=16
Photo by Sheila Webber: 'Annunciation' by Andrew Burton, Holland park, December 2014

I am giving a talk MOOCs, information literacy and the role of the librarian at Edinburgh University, Scotland on 12 January 2014, 13:30-14:30. I will start by briefly outlining some general characteristics of MOOCs and my own experience with them. I will go on to identify types of MOOC (network-based, task-based and content-based) and the implications for MOOC pedagogy. As part of this discussion I will note some findings from an investigation into the value of learning analytics for MOOC educators (undertaken by Naomi Colhoun at Sheffield University in summer 2014). In the final part of her presentation I will reflect on the various roles that have been, or could be, adopted by librarians, and the implications for librarian education and development. You can book at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sheila-webber-moocs-information-literacy-and-the-role-of-the-librarian-tickets-14905382400
Photo by Sheila Webber: Romeo, Lady Dinah's cat emporium, December 2014

An article giving examples of collaboration on information between sectors to help students transition.
Peet, L. (2014, 3 December) Conspiring to Educate: Working together for transitioning students. Library Journal. http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/12/library-services/conspiring-to-educate-working-together-for-transitioning-students/#_
And - Happy 2015!
Photo by Sheila Webber: All Saints Church, Sherbourne December 2014