WebJunction - Library Education Programs

RE: What Is Reference About?

2009-11-06T17:46:38Z

The following seems important for the future of reference: The Age of the Informavore.

In part:

We are apparently now in a situation where modern technology is changing the way people behave, people talk, people react, people think, and people remember. And you encounter this not only in a theoretical way, but when you meet people, when suddenly people start forgetting things, when suddenly people depend on their gadgets, and other stuff, to remember certain things. This is the beginning, its just an experience. But if you think about it and you think about your own behavior, you suddenly realize that something fundamental is going on.

On another note ... is there a place at WJ where people can drop links to interesting topics? I could do so at St. Jerry's, of course, but that seems self-indulgent.

Expats in Canada

2009-10-27T08:39:03Z

Good day. I would like to know some information from anyone here about residences offered to expats in Canada because I have a friend who will be moving there next year and I’m helping here find a place to stay. Can anyone help me? I would be very thankful if anyone can share some information.

RE: What Is Reference About?

2009-10-13T20:09:32Z

Heh. Once they need a citation, sure. But that's seldom what they really want. People seek knowledge (an internal state); information is contained in a proxy (book, db, etc.) that we can actually handle, but using information assumes having sufficient personal knowledge to interpret/use what is presented.

Reference is often an art of interpretation, of both need and material. It relies much more on the librarian's understanding of the user's need (question) than it does on collections themselves (particularly in this age of search engines).

RE: Credibility of Online Degrees

2009-10-12T15:05:45Z

Those are largely advantages for the person taking the course ... and not a bad thing by themselves. The larger questions, though, are: 1) What are the advantages to the profession (in terms of trained personnel) and 2) What are the advantages to the hiring organization ... do they get the quality they need?

English school Boston from Beginner to Advanced

2009-10-12T09:35:15Z

Hello! I know somebody who has studied in an English school Boston and I believe the experience has taught her well. The school is able to create a study plan that prepares you an English course from Beginner to Advanced.

RE: Credibility of Online Degrees

2009-10-12T06:07:08Z

Online Degrees still has credibility and when we talk about the advantages:
1. Automatic registration
2. The ability to work full time while still pursuing your studies
3. The ability to study in the comfort of your own home
4. Reduced tuition fees
5. The ability to revisit passed lectures without losing pace with the program
6. Examinations are usually open book and done online

RE: What Is Reference About?

2009-10-12T05:55:21Z

Reference work includes finding out what information people need and using library resources to provide that information and it's composed with:
1. Author(s)
2. Journal
3. Year
4. ISSN
5. DOI:
6. Publisher

Knowledge River Now Accepting Applications!

2009-01-14T21:58:44Z

Dear Colleague,

It is a pleasure to announce that Knowledge River is now accepting applications
for our 8th cohort. Based at the University of Arizona?s School of
Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS), Knowledge River is concerned
with the information interests and needs of Hispanics and Native Americans. Our
program offers students the opportunity to earn a Master of Arts degree in
Information Resources and Library Science, enhanced with Hispanic and Native
American cultural perspectives. Our degree is fully accredited by the American
Library Association.

Since its inception six years ago, Knowledge River has become a leader in
graduate professional education of Hispanic and Native American librarians and
information specialists. When the current cohort graduates, more than one
hundred Hispanic and Native American librarians will have entered the field
through Knowledge River.

Cohort 8 begins with one introductory class (IRLS 504: Foundation of Library
and Information Services) requiring a one-week residency in Tucson. Information
on dates is available on our website at http://sirls.arizona.edu. Full-time
semester attendance in Tucson is required in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. Most
students complete the 36-credit degree with an additional summer and/or fall
semester. Support offered to KR scholars includes tuition and fees for IRLS
504, a graduate assistantship for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 (usually involving
20 hours of work per week in a library), customized academic advising and
support, and peer support from fellow students. Additional funds for completing
the degree are usually available.

Knowledge River scholars must be accepted for admission into the SIRLS graduate
program. Application materials must be submitted no later than February 1,
2008. More information, including how to apply, can be found on our website:
http://sirls.arizona.edu/KR/indexl . Anyone interested is encouraged to email
us at KRiver@mail.sbs.arizona.edu, or call us at 520-621-3565 and ask to speak
to someone about Knowledge River applications.

Librarians today are front line information providers, and Knowledge River
scholars bring the benefits of the Information Age to Native American and
Hispanic communities. We appreciate your support by posting our brochure and
sharing this information with others. Assistance from colleagues such as you is
essential for the ongoing recruitment of the most qualified applicants. Thank
you!

Sincerely,

Jana Bradley
Professor and Director, SIRLS

RE: Credibility of Online Degrees

2008-08-14T19:09:31Z

I tend to think that management (moi!) would look at an online degree through the prism of what a particular job requires.

Tech services requires a great deal of familiarity with, and use of, specific tools. I'd be concerned about an online degree here inasmuch as my experiences in the long ago showed me that day-to-day association with a skilled practitioner was important.

On the other hand, for a person who brings a great deal of experience, subject knowledge, and curiosity to a reference position I might see an online degree as proper credentialing.

RE: Credibility of Online Degrees

2008-08-14T18:54:46Z

John Zogby said in a recent book that Americans will soon embrace distance education. See an article in
the Chronicle of Higher Education.

When we were looking at job candidates my boss frowned on a degree from the University of Phoenix. I'm not sure if it was because of the school or the fact that it was online.

What Is Reference About?

2008-08-12T14:17:53Z

This simple question has non-trivial answers that define reference librarianship and its appropriate education. This is a place to talk about that.

(Typo edited a couple days later!)

What Is Reference About?

2008-08-13T19:48:39Z

Juicy links! Thanks!

RE: What Is Reference About?

2008-08-13T16:19:35Z

"Rumors of the “death of reference” have been greatly exaggerated!"

This is the hook for the recent (Aug 4-5) Reference Renaissance conference. I heard from two librarians I know that the conference was great and energizing. Some attendees blogged it ---I hope to get time to read the posts.

And here's the podcast from the inimitable George Needham and Joan Frye Williams on Resurrecting Reference.

RE: What Is Reference About?

2008-08-12T14:27:57Z

In my view, it is not about books or databases ... it's about imparting information that becomes the reader's/viewer's/listener's knowledge.

Books (etc.) are essential resources, of course, but the "reference problem" lies in the need of the reference practitioner to know enough about the question at hand (and perhaps something of the questioner's background) to find an appropriate source.

Reference, in other words, depends upon the "social literacy" of the reference librarian, with "social literacy" being variable according to the subject area.

In Dewey's era, at the cusp of the information explosion, it is likely true that a well-rounded college graduate could cope as a generalized reference librarian. That was well over 100 year of scientific discovery and cross-cultural effervescence ago ... the world is much more complicated today than any one individual can grasp.

This makes "reference education" problematic at best. It's the education one gets in specific subject areas ... or in the overall global and national culture and events ... that is critical.

But how do we accomplish this? Is a new profession required?

Knowledge River Now Accepting Applications!

2007-11-16T18:44:41Z

Knowledge River is currently accepting applications for our next cohort

What is Knowledge River?

Knowledge River, at the University of Arizona's School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS), is concerned with the special information interests
and needs of Hispanics and Native Americans. Knowledge River offers students the opportunity to attain a Master's Degree in Information Resources and Library
Science and develop special areas of expertise, enhanced by our unique multicultural learning community.

Since its inception six years ago, Knowledge River has become a leader in graduate professional education of Hispanic and Native American librarians and
information specialists. When the current cohort graduates, more than 100 Hispanic and Native American librarians will have entered the field though Knowledge River.

Apply now to be in our next class!

Cohort seven begins with one introductory class (IRLS504) requiring a one-week residency (August 1-7, 2008) in Tucson. Full-time semester attendance in Tucson is required in Fall 08 and Spring 09. Most students complete the 36-credit
degree with an additional summer and/or fall semester.

Support offered to KR scholars includes tuition and fees for IRLS 504, a graduate assistantship for Fall 08 and Spring 09, (usually involving 20 hours of work per week in a library), customized academic advising and support, and peer support from fellow students. Additional funds for completing the degree are usually available on a competitive basis.

Knowledge River Scholars must be accepted for admission into the SIRLS graduate program by submitting application materials no later than February 1, 2008. Application information and materials are available on our
website: http://knowledgeriver.arizona.edu.

Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions you may have regarding Knowledge River, application procedures, academic requirements, financial aid, etc. For more information, contact us at kriver@mail.sbs.arizona.edu, or call (520) 621-3958.

Re: Perks of being a student

2007-07-25T19:57:19Z

I'm shameless with asking about student discounts. It's surprising the places that will end up taking them. My current favorite is the local theatre here that gave me 20% off. It definitely can't hurt to ask.

Re: Perks of being a student

2007-07-25T15:59:51Z

Another perk is a discount on NMLA annual membership dues!

Re: Perks of being a student

2007-07-23T20:59:04Z

I bought a cellphone (plan) this weekend and I got 15% because I am a student. This has little to do with being an MLIS student per se, but at least a direct response to the title question asked over one and a half years ago. :-)

Re: LIS students: introduce yourselves here!

2007-04-10T03:41:45Z

Wow Kathleen, that sounds like a great opportunity. Thanks for the [url http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=10814]info about the internship/fieldwork program[/url]. It seems to be flexible enough to work with individual strengths and interests while benefiting the larger WJ community.

Thanks for pointing out the [url http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2007/04/08/365-library-days-project-the-beginning/] 365 Library Days Project[/url] created by Michael Porter (who I happened to "run into" today on the [url http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6430041.html]"frontdesk" page in Library Journal[/url]). It's great that we're hearing about this from the beginning so that we can see it develop over the year and find out how the project fared in 2008 :-)

Re: LIS students: introduce yourselves here!

2007-04-09T16:01:53Z

Hi,

Thanks! I'm happy to talk about my internship. I'm working with Michael Porter who is a Community Associate at WebJunction and author of the <a href="http://libraryman.com/blog/">LibraryMan blog.</a> (He's just started a cool 365 Days Library project, which you can read all about <a href="http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2007/04/08/365-library-days-project-the-beginning/">here</a>.) For my internship, I'm working with another MLIS student from the iSchool and we are developing a methodology and some content for <a href="http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=388">two regular features:</a> Library of the Month and Member Spotlight. Once we're done with that, I am going to work do some work in the community discussion space. If you want more info about the program, there's some good info online <a href="http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=10814">here</a> about the internship/fieldwork program.

-Kathleen