Librarian by Day » skills

Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:37:34 +0000

We know it, but no one else seems to.

Many organizations are looking at the definition of literacy and expanding it to include the knowledge and skills it takes to be an active participant in today’s society. What baffles me as I read through reports and recommendations from so many organizations is the lack of mention of libraries and librarians. There are a few such as this one from the Report from the Knight Commission:

Recommendation 7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults.

or this one in a white paper from the MacAuthor Foundation

If anything, these traditional skills assume even greater importance as students venture beyond collections that have been screened by librarians and into the more open space of the web. Some of these skills have traditionally been taught by librarians who, in the modern era, are reconceptualizing their role less as curators of bounded collection and more as information facilitators who can help users find what they need, online or off, and can cultivate good strategies for searching material.

These are the only two I have found. Why are libraries missing?

The only place most people can receive instruction on these new literacies is at a library. There is no one else. While some students may be fortunate enough to be exposed in at school, either through teachers or the library, most are not. Adults have nowhere to turn but the public library. While I applaud all of these organizations for their efforts and reports and recommendations, I am dismayed at the lack of recommendations for funding and support for libraries. It is all well and good to write a report and a recommendation but what about real world application?

We (library people) know we are the ones providing this training. We know there is no one else. I have to ask – What are we doing wrong that no one else seems to know this? How do we communicate our role?

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Transliterate Divide – Working Definition

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:19:59 +0000

CC Image courtesy of ElektraCute on Flickr

Transliterate Divide – The gap between people who have the skills to understand (read) and create (write) a message (information) and interact using a variety of tools across multiple media and platforms and the ability to apply those skills to new situations and formats and those who do not.

My interest in transliteracy is tied to the skills one needs to be transliterate and determining the role of libraries in the acquisition and development of such skills. Although the primary direction of my work and this blog is tied to the internet and digital content, transliteracy is not.

I’ve been reading. A lot. Reading about literacy and all the different types of literacies, technology, the digital divide and anything specifically written about transliteracy. My research and subsequent note-taking on a relatively new term (the practice is in no way new) has created a need for definitions. What about those who are not transliterate, un-transliterate, non-transliterate, transilliterate? I don’t know, I gave up on moved on leaving the decision, if any, to individuals wiser than me.

This lead to my next issue, since I’m more interested in the skills and the development of those skills, I am interested in the divide between those with the skills and those without them and what that divide represents. I need to talk about that divide and have a understanding of my meaning. Based on my knowledge of transliteracy, definitions of transliteracy, digital divide and literacy divide* I worked up the term transliterat divide and a definition. Is it needed? I don’t know. Will anyone other than me use it? I have no idea. Will I use? All signs point to yes. It is a working definition, not set in stone and certainly open to questions, suggestions and modifications .

Definitions accessed

Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.
Literacy Divide – literacy divide of the 20th century distinguished between people who could functionally read and those who could not
Digital Divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen
Digital Divide – the gap between those individuals and communities that have, and do not have, access to the information technologies that are transforming our lives.
Digital Divide- the divide between those with access to new technologies and those without

What I was reading

*Although the term “literacy divide” is used frequently I had trouble finding a definition for it.Similar Posts:

Library 101: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Bobbi Newman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:10:27 +0000

The newest video from David Lee King & Michael Porter debuted at Internet Librarian to a room full of people and a live remote audience thanks to streaming by the Shanachies.

Library 101 is more than just a video, it’s a project with a website that includes essays from libraryland leaders about what Library 101 means to them. It also has a great source page that lists 101 Things to Know.

Disclosure: I’m in the video and listed in the blogs on the Things to Know page (no pressure right?)

PS The video made Boing Boing!!!!Similar Posts:

ALA Learning – On Demand Training for Staff

Bobbi Newman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:57:55 +0000

I have a new post over at ALA Learning about on demand training for staff, the benefits of it and how to make it happen.

Because these impromptu, or on demand, sessions are one on one, people often feel more comfortable asking questions they may not ask in front of a group. One on one sessions have other advantages too. You move at the pace of the individual, not the group or a schedule. You can walk them through the process step by step, more than once if needed. You can see if the person doesn’t understand right away and explain it again or in a different way.

I also find that providing on demand training can make staff more interested in attending your training classes, give you new ideas for training sessions and even get you invited to department meetings for training!

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“Go be secretly awesome. Then tell someone.”

Bobbi Newman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:40:19 +0000

I’ve never been fortunate enough to hear Jessamyn West speak and based on Jenica’s notes from last week, I’m really missing out. Some of my favorite bits

The digital divide is real, and our system for technology education scales very badly. There are economies of scale in most library work – processing 30 books does not take 30 times as long as processing one book – but teaching 30 people about the internet and computers takes 30 times longer than teaching one person. Libraries have become the social safety net for many Americans to learn what the tech-savvy think of as remedial technology skills, but the project doesn’t scale.

“We are living in a future that they are not that interested in.”

“Librarianship both is and is not sexy. Exploit that. Go be secretly awesome. Then tell someone.”

These are some really good things to think about, but we’re supposed to do more than just think – “Go be secretly awesome. Then tell someone.”Similar Posts: