Distance learning materials and fair use

Here's an interesting article for online LIS students. I'll be interested to see how it plays out. Maybe my profs will have to cut back on the assigned readings? ;-)

[Found at Library Link of the Day.]

Value of an MLIS?

Library Research Service has a quick survey: The value of an MLIS to you. Students can participate, but they're really aiming for feedback from those in the field. I'm interested to see the results. It doesn't claim to be scientific, but should give a Q&D picture.

I can think of a few fellow students who question the value of an MLIS. But these are the same folks who complain about the workload and the emphasis on theory versus practical training. By the end of the semester, I'm usually with them on the work load. But on the issue of theory vs practicality. I tend to side with the other camp: Give me the theory; I can get the practical training on the job or at training courses. This is a graduate program. For the time, effort and money I am putting into this, I want an education, not a job training program.

I've found that the debate surrounding practical vs theoretical emphasis of MLIS programs is not limited to my program and classmates. At first, I was surprised by this. (Again, master's program...hello?) But different people have different goals and perspectives. Some are pursuing the MLIS purely for advancement. If they've been successful to date without the degree and theoretical background, I can see where they might question its value.

I've also heard many people question: Do you really need a master's degree to do the job? This is particularly true for people outside of the library world. My family and friends were surprised that I needed to pursue (yet another) degree for this career change.

I've joined late in the game, so I'm missing some of the history on this. Is the MLIS requirement relatively new? I heard somewhere that ALA pushed for the MLIS requirement. Is that true? Is so, didn't that action reflect the wishes of the membership?

And maybe all of this is the point of the survey? If so, it barely scratches the surface of the issue.

Cool new toy in beta!

Try Boolify for your next web search. You can construct Boolean searches visually with puzzle pieces. Seriously, check it out. It still has some bugs and functionality issues that need to be worked out but, WOW! The creators at the Public Learning Media Laboratory are developing a curriculum to accompany it that includes web searching and evaluation of sources. Check it out and join in on the beta test.

Citation frustration? Try this simple explanation!

One of the most frustrating things about writing papers is getting my citations and references into proper format -- especially for electronic sources. Grammar Girl's latest episode (102) does a nice job of addressing this topic. She covers the why's, how's, and risks of electronic citations. Risks? Yup. GG talks about evaluating credibility and considering permanence.

After you listen, be sure to read the online transcript. GG provides examples of website and podcast citations in APA, MLA and Chicago Manual styles.

IMHO, an excellent podcast for sharing with middle school and high school students. GG packs a lot of information in a neat, easily digestible little podcast.

another assignment done!

This one might even be useful in the future:

Social Software in Middle and High School Instruction: A Webliography for Educators

There is so much info out there, it was hard to limit it to the 7-10 resources specified in the assignment. (So difficult, in fact, that I included 12!) This little site might make a good start for a wiki. Yes?

traffic stats and teachable moments

Okay, so you know how giddy I am over the traffic stats for my site? I now have hits from all over the globe, including somewhere in the Atlantic off the coast of Africa. lol

Anyway, my kids are getting a kick out of it, too. Statcounter includes a visitor map, which puts little clickable pushpins all over a map of the world with info on folks who visit your website. (Statcounter even includes a little image of the country's flag.) Last night, we saw that I had a hit in Kyrgyzstan. We then looked for it on our globe, and Googled it to find the correct pronunciation. (Turns out not too many folks agree on how to pronounce Krgyzstan.)

This would be great in the classroom. You'd need to do some viral marketing to get hits - ask people to email the link to their farthest friends/relatives, get people to include your link on their blog, etc. Great for teaching about social studies, geography, politics (which countries restrict online information and access), the spread of information (and potential misinformation) online, marketing, language, connectedness, ... and I'm sure there is more you can think of.

toolkit: how to use the web for research

http://www.internettutorials.net/

Extremely useful and usable info on web-based research. Credit: "All tutorials are maintained by Laura Cohen, Web Support Librarian, University at Albany, SUNY."

I especially like the page on choosing a search engine/directory: http://www.internettutorials.net/choose.html

Found at Gen Y Librarian's blog.