The Blended Librarian

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Opening New Windows of Opportunity:
Creating Breakthrough Instructional Experiences
Thursday, May 15, 2008
3-4 pm EST

Event Description
Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guest, Brian Mathews, invite you to join the next Blended Librarian community event, “Opening New Windows of Opportunity: Creating Breakthrough Instructional Experiences”. Brian Mathews will speak on "breakthrough opportunities" as he shares his latest ideas on creating interactive library experiences for students. This session will feature tactics for engaging students in both the classroom as well as in digital environments. Brian will also discuss possibilities for the library and librarians to become a more integrated part of campus and will highlight his ubiquitous "push-out" philosophy.

Guest Speaker Bio
Brian Mathews is the User Experience Librarian at Georgia Tech. He frequency writes and speaks on the topics of marketing, assessment, and user interactions. His blog, The Ubiquitous Librarian, frequently describes many of his on-going projects aimed at making the library a more user-centered experience.

Registration
Although this event is free, advance registration is required to reserve a virtual seat.

If you are already a member of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, register here: http://home.learningtimes.net/library?go=1199293

If you need to join the Blended Librarians Online Community in order to register (no fee to join):

Go to the Blended Librarian website at http://blendedlibrarian.org
Click on the “Join” button on the home page of Blendedlibrarian.org and follow the instructions.
After you receive confirmation of your Learning Times account you can return to this email message and use the link above for registered members of Learning Times. Click on the link, and then register on the next page (you may need to scroll down to see the register button).
We recommend that those participating in the webcast obtain a microphone or headset in order to make use of the VoIP technology that allows conversation between the speakers and participants. A microphone or headset is not required to participate.
Please plan on allowing yourself sufficient time to log in to the webcast on March 6, 2008. If it is the first time attending a Learning Times event it may take a few extra minutes to log on to their Elluminate webcasting software. Once you have registered for the event you may wish to try the “test room” to make sure your computer is set up and ready to go the day of the webcast.

Designing Instruction to get your Students Involved:
Doing it Successfully in One Class Session
Thursday, March 6, 2008
1-2 pm. EST

Event Description
It's a tough instructional situation: usually one class session (two if you're very lucky) to teach students the basics about the library and its plethora of electronic resources. Most of the time, library teachers can't rely on extrinsic motivators, no points or quizzes. The session may be designed to help students with an assignment, but that's points delayed and not directly relevant to the session at hand. Are there ways to involve students, techniques that don't rely on extrinsic motivators, reasons a teacher can give students, demonstrations that grab attention? During this session we will share possibilities and propose a process whereby techniques can be adapted and assessed, so that the likelihood of their success is increased.

Maryellen Weimer has over 25 years of experience in college teaching. She is a well-known writer, speaker, and proponent of effective teaching practices. She was the director of the Instructional Development Program at Pennsylvania State University for ten years and served as associate director at the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment. She has authored numerous books and presents at workshops and conferences throughout the US and Canada. Currently, she is editor of the "Teaching Professor" newsletter.

View the Archive
The recording of this free webcast is available in the Blended Librarians Online Community under "Archives". To access: go to the Blended Librarian website at http://blendedlibrarian.org. If you are already a registered member of the Learning Times Network, use the login on the Blended Librarian home page to connect to the Learning Times Network. If you are not registered, click on the “Join” button and follow the instructions.

Students, Faculty and Librarians: Making Connections through Course Pages
Thursday, February 7, 2008
3-4 pm. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guests, Margaret Mellinger and Jane Nichols, invite you to join the next Blended Librarian community event, “Students, Faculty and Librarians: Making Connections through Course Pages.”

Event Description
In response to Oregon State University’s Libraries Strategic Plan, librarians planned to make library resources easier to access by building prototype subject portals. However, conversations with faculty and results from a needs assessment changed the direction of our subsequent project. We focused, not on the subject portal, but on course assignment pages built by librarians in close collaboration with faculty because undergraduates clearly wanted to 1) connect with library information at their point of need, the course assignment 2) know that faculty recommended certain library and information resources for success and 3) save time and effort. Join us in a discussion of the merits and challenges of using course specific tools, and share your experiences working with faculty to integrate library resources within courses. For additional information see Mellinger and Nichols’s related article in the October 2007 issue of portal: Libraries and the Academy.

Margaret Mellinger has been Engineering Librarian at Oregon State University Libraries since 2003. She holds an MS in Information Sciences from University of Tennessee, where she gained an appreciation for women's college basketball. Margaret is the Team Lead for the ICAP project and is also a member of the OSU Libraries web team, playfully named "Team 200" after the http status code for "okay." She also contributes to infodoodads.com.

Jane Nichols has been Social Sciences/Humanities Librarian at Oregon State University since 2003. She serves as liaison to the Ethnic Studies, History, Philosophy and Women Studies departments and is Lead of OSU Libraries Usability Team. She blogs at http://infodoodads.com/. She earned her MLIS from Dominican University during one of her tenures in the Midwest.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Instruction:
Using a Problem-based Approach to Address Learner’s Needs
Thursday, December 13, 2007
3-4 pm. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank and their guest Dr. Alexis Smith Macklin presented, “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Literacy Instruction: Using a Problem-based Approach to Address Learner’s Needs.”

Event Description
This webcast features a presentation and discussion about the ICT-PBL Literacy Project. It is a problem-based learning approach to integrating information and communication technology literacy into the curriculum at Purdue University. This project uses the PBL model for information and communication technology literacy to incorporate cognitive and technical skills over a fifteen-week semester in a First-Year Composition course. During this time, students learned how to define their information needs from real-world problems, identify and test possible solutions, and communicate the results using available digital technologies – within the context of an existing curriculum. Dr. Macklin will describe the development of the project, and the results of ICT tests that she conducts in the course. Does the project produce the desired results? Join the webcast and hear what Dr. Macklin discovered through her research.

Dr. Alexis Smith Macklin is Associate Professor of Library Science at Purdue University. She specializes in information literacy and problem-based learning. Her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction focused on integrating information and communication technology into the higher education curriculum. She is a member of the National Advisory Committee for ICT Literacy Assessment. Dr. Macklin can be contacted at alexius@purdue.edu or asmacklin@mac.com.

Designing Deliberately--Putting Pedagogy Into Your Library Instruction Products
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
3-4 p.m. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank and their guest Nadaleen Tempelman-Kluit, Instructional Design Librarian at New York Univeristy's Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, presented the Blended Librarian community event, “Designing Deliberately--Putting Pedagogy Into Your Library Instruction Products” on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 from 3-4 p.m. EST.

Event Description
The designers of web-based library instruction products traditionally pay too little attention to educational learning theories. Instead, their design approach is modeled on print resources. Paying more attention to pedagogy would result in the production of superior web-based learning experiences for library users. This session will focus on why those librarians creating instructional tools should be exploring learning theories for maximum benefit to both themselves, and their users. For more information about Nadaleen Tempelman-Kluit visit: http://homepages.nyu.edu/~ntk2

View the Archive
The recording of this free webcast is available in the Blended Librarians Online Community under "Archives". To access: go to the Blended Librarian website at http://blendedlibrarian.org. If you are already a registered member of the Learning Times Network, use the login on the Blended Librarian home page to connect to the Learning Times Network. If you are not registered, click on the “Join” button and follow the instructions.

Can You Use A Design Approach?
Design Thinking for Blended Librarians
Thursday, September 27, 2007
3-4 p.m. EST

Event Description
Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, invite you to join them for a presentation and discussion about design thinking for librarians. “Can You Use A Design Approach? Design Thinking for Blended Librarians” shares ideas and insights from Steven and John’s recently published book, Academic Librarianship by Design. Their presentation will provide an introduction to design thinking and how it can be used by librarians to design better services. What is design thinking? In short, it examines how librarians can approach problems the way designers approach problems. They’ll explore the connections between design thinking and Blended Librarianship. Join Steven and John to learn more, and share your thoughts on how design thinking might or might not work for you.

Blended Librarian Webcast:
Observing Student Researchers in their Native Habitat
Thursday, May 10, 2007
3-4 p.m. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, and their guest John Law, Director, Strategic Alliances & Platform Managment Proquest CSA presented the Blended Librarian community event, “Observing Student Researchers in their Native Habitat.”

Event Description
Understanding how students in real world situations go about conducting research is essential to ensuring that library resources are best positioned to meet their needs. This presentation will reveal key findings of an ethnographic study observing students in the context of performing research for actual course assignments.

The presentation will include a brief review of study methods and select video clips.

Learn how users begin their research, how they approach a research task, and how they interact with electronic resources. Learn how and when researchers turn to web search engines. Learn what access points to the library are most used and what's important to make them useful.

Blended Librarian/LT Green Room Interview
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
2-3 p.m. EST

Listen to the November 30, 2006 Learning Times Green Room podcast interview, co-hosted by Susan Manning and Dan Balzer, with John Shank and Steven Bell, co-founders of Blended Librarian: http://www.ltgreenroom.org/episodes/15

The LT Green Room is a place for "Renewal, Retooling and Conversations about Learning." The LT Green Room blog entry includes information about the event, a space for community feedback and comments, and a description of the event, from which the below has been excerpted:

They do it all! Is it all about multi-tasking? It’s not just about wearing lots of hats but branching professionally into new areas.

Will multi-tasking make librarians relevant? John says no, but a librarian who has a deeper understanding and can apply these technologies to meet service needs will have lasting power. It’s all about partnerships.

Information literacy skills development is part of the blended librarian’s work. This led to a discussion of whose job it is and some about faculty resistance. John has solutions! Context specific information fluency building.

In addition, the LT Green Room is looking for information from you! Go to the blog entry to share your experience with how librarians and faculty work together.

Conversations with Patrons: Extending Your Library's Presence Online
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
2-3 p.m. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, and their guest Brian Mathews (Subject Librarian: Mechanical Engineering & Computer Science Distance Learning Services Coordinator, Georgia Institute of Technology) hosted the Blended Librarian community event, “Conversations with Patrons: Extending Your Library's Presence Online.”

Event Description
Google, Google Scholar and Wikipedia are emerging as favorite research designations among undergraduate students, while library resource usage seems marginalized. Is it really easier for students to find what they need on those free Internet sites? Where do they turn for help? How can libraries increase usage and relevancy? Are there new modes of instruction effective for the Net Generation? This free, one-hour Blended Librarian webcast explores the social nature of the web and advocates using social networking sites and student blogs to better understand and assist patrons. Blended Librarians need to add Web 2.0 technologies to their skill set, and this presentation will help get you started. Included are strategies for assessment, marketing, reference assistance, and instructional opportunities. Find out how to expand your library's web presence and interact more directly with students.

Tales from a Librarian-Instructional Designer Partnership:
Sharing Resources and Knowledge to Support Course Development
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
3-4 p.m. EST

Event Description
When librarians and instructional designers work together, great things can happen. This free, one-hour Blended Librarian webcast event explores how a librarian and instructional designer at North Carolina State University work together to support graduate-level distance education courses. Kim Duckett, Principal Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning, and Dede Nelson, Instructional Designer in NCSU's Adult and Higher Education department, share the story of how they became partners and the synergy they discovered. They offer strategies for collaboration and give an overview of their "checklist" project, a strategy for spreading knowledge about library and other learning resources to faculty, instructional designers, and educational technologists across campus.

Kim Duckett Biography
Kim Duckett is the Principal Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. She has a M.S.L.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked at the NCSU Libraries for five years in roles related to distance learning services, library instruction, and learning technologies.

Dede Nelson Biography
Dede Nelson is currently an instructional designer for the Department of Adult and Higher Education at North Carolina State University and previously worked in the university's Faculty Development Services unit, a part of Learning Technology Service. Dede holds an M.Ed. in Training and Development with a specialty in technology from NC State University and has experience in both K-12 and Higher Education course development.

Blended Librarian Webcast:
A Look at Newly Emerging Positions at Academic Libraries
Thursday, April 27, 2006
3-4 p.m. EST

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, and their guests Kathryn Shaughnessy, Instructional Services Librarian, St. Johns University and Sean Cordes, Instructional Technology Librarian, Iowa State University hosted the Blended Librarian community event, "Blended Librarians: A look at Newly Emerging Positions at Academic Libraries," on Thursday, April 27th at 3 p.m. EST. This is a free, one-hour webcast event.

Event Description
This session explores newly emerging positions at academic libraries that integrate instruction design and technology skills and knowledge. The session starts with an overview of a research study that analyzed recently advertised academic library positions such as Instructional Design Librarian, Instructional Technology Librarian, Instructional Development Librarian, and other variants on the Blended Librarian. The session then focuses on two real-world examples of Blended Librarians and investigate the types of instructional techniques and technologies that these positions are utilizing to further collaboration with faculty and enhance the library's integration into their institutions' teaching and learning process.

Designing Library Experiences For Users
Tuesday Feb 7, 2006
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community, and their guest Aradhana Goel hosted the community event, "Designing Library Experiences for Users."

For February's Blended Librarians Online Learning Community Webcast we are exploring some new territory by examining a different area of the world of design. We are fortunate to have as our guest Aradhana Goel of MAYA Design who will share with us her insights into designing library "experiences" for users. We will explore how design can impact on the way in which users experience our libraries and resources. The work of MAYA Design for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh was featured in this Library Journal article:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6289901.html

Event Description
Libraries thrive on complexity. But sometimes the physical and organizational structures that manage this complexity break down. This "environmental complexity" becomes apparent in an information overload of sights, sounds, signs, technology devices, official- and unofficial-looking people that, together, confuse or intimidate users. Users drift away when they're unsure where to turn for help or whom to ask. A large-scale capital improvement project to update and upgrade nearly every library building in its network became a perfect opportunity for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to rethink how it interacts with and serves its customers (and attracts new ones). The library wanted to make deep organizational changes, evaluate and adopt technological advances, and try innovative ways to organize and provide information. By working with the Carnegie Library to understand how digital, physical, and human aspects of the library converge, MAYA developed an information architecture that gives the library a framework not only for a single renovated space, but also for system-wide organizational change and ongoing evolution. This workshop offers a valuable model to reduce library's complexity and put people (rather than the system) at the center of a 360-degree seamless experience with information.

For more info on this project, please see: http://www.maya.com/web/what/clients/what_client_clp_dyninfo.mtml

Shifting the Balance: Faculty-Led Information Literacy Instruction
Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

This event, led by William Miller, Steven Bell, and John Shank, discussed changing the balance of teaching Information Literacy from strictly the domain of the librarian to one in which faculty members move to the forefront while librarians provide essential support for user education. During the webcast potential risks and challenges to accepted notions about how information literacy happens in a higher education setting were discussed.

Powerful PowerPoint: Tips for Ending PowerPointlessness
Thu, Nov 10, 2005
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

""Powerful PowerPoint: Tips for Ending PowerPointlessness," was presented by Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarian Online Learning Community and their guest Kristopher Wiemer.

We've all see ineffective PowerPoint presentations where the slideshow distracts from the content being presented: slides covered intext, slides with too many bells and whistles, or worse. However, PowerPoint can be a very useful and powerful tool. In this session attendees will receive tips for making a PowerPoint presentation more effective, and will discover how to use it as an active learning tool.

Kristopher Wiemer is the Academic Technology Coordinator at Deerfield Academy in Western Massachusetts. He has been working in the instructional technology field for over nine years in both K-12 and Higher Education. He has a Master's degree in Teaching with Internet Technologies from the Graduate Center at Marlboro College and an M.Ed. (Math & Computer Education) and a B.S. (Mathematics) from the University of Massachusetts.

View the Archive
The recording of this free webcast is available in the Blended Librarians Online Community under "Archives". To acces: go to the Blended Librarian website at http://blendedlibrarian.org. If you are already a registered member of the Learning Times Network, use the login on the Blended Librarian home page to connect to the Learning Times Network. If you are not registered, click on the “Join” button and follow the instructions.

Emerging Positions in Academic Libraries:
A Case Study of the Learning Technologies Center librarian @ Kutztown University Libraries
Thu, Sep 29, 2005
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

The community event "Emerging Positions in Academic Libraries: A Case Study of the Learning Technologies Center librarian @ Kutztown University Libraries," led by Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarian Online Learning Community and their guests Margaret Devlin and William Jefferson, discussed newly emerging librarian positions designed to assist library and teaching faculty with new and emerging technologies. The Learning Technologies Center librarian position at Kutztown University, which assists faculty members in using technology to accomplish their instructional goals and to train staff on software packages that will benefit their daily work experience and facilitate their tasks, was showcased.

Last updated: April 24, 2008

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