Kanmani’s Professional Reflective Portfolio

Aug28

Part A: Statement of Personal Philosophy  

An effective teacher librarian (TL) serves as a catalyst of change, spearheading students towards a 21st century educational experience. She transforms the conventional image of the library as a quiet place of study into a vibrant, communal space that encompasses the global community. She possesses great interpersonal skills and collaborates effectively across the school community. She is an expert at sourcing quality literature and nurtures students to become lifelong readers for intellectual and aesthetic purposes. She empowers students with cultural awareness, critical, ethical and creative thinking skills to navigate information available in multimodal formats. She  inspires curiosity and confidence in students to lead a proactive life in an ever-changing world.

Part B: Critical Evaluation of Learning

To gain strong pedagogical knowledge of my teaching content was what drove me to enrol myself in the Master of Education (Teacher Librarianship) [MEdTL] course. As I am nearing its completion, it is timely to reflect on the learning points of this intensive, essential and  comprehensive course.

This reflective portfolio focuses on 3 crucial learning points  that have been most relevant to me in my novice role as a TL. Acquiring an insight into the leadership potential of TLs in schools, harnessing technological advancements that boost library use and building an enthusiastic school reading culture have greatly helped me to grow in my privileged role as a TL.

Leadership

My understanding of school leadership had stemmed from a conservative, top-down school structure wherein the Principal was literally, the decision-maker. Pedagogical practices were derived from a standardised curriculum that emphasised on rote-learning and incessant testing, expecting compliance and conformity from its students. The library was a stand-alone facility, offering books for leisure and extended reading within its four-walls.

However, the subject ETL 504: Teacher Librarian as Leader introduced  me  to the notion that the TL can also play a leadership role in school.  The various leadership styles discussed in this subject along with astute leadership strategies have raised my  confidence  and stressed upon the  importance of increasing my visibility and profile in school. I particularly resonated with Gottlieb’s (2012) perspective of leading from the middle in which everyone is both a leader and a follower and building something together (para. 3). Teacher librarians ideally exist as the bridge of communication between a school’s  executive leadership team and classroom teachers with enhancing students’ learning as the gelling factor. Fortunately, hourly library lessons each week with Preps to Grade Three students at my school, offer me great opportunities and scope to exercise my involvement to achieve school goals and enhance pedagogy in significant ways.

The delivery of this subject (ETL 504) which included a number of Case Studies, provided me with the means to apply leadership theory into a practical context. I picked up valuable leadership approaches not only through addressing the made-up scenarios but also through learning to work collaboratively and effectively with my online course mates [Reflection on Group Work: Case Study 3, 4 & 5]. Particularly, knowledge of strategic planning, forging a positive change management culture and insight into conflict management processes in library leadership and management were most useful. A proactive rather than a reactive approach to problem-solving (Lodge & Pymm, 2007, p.289) would epitomise my leadership style. I am much inspired to adopt Colvin’s (2000) modus operandi [Values-based approach to library management] to build a cohesive workforce and collaborative ownership of my school’s library mission.

Accordingly, my foremost task was to initiate a meeting with my Leading Teacher for Literacy. We had a fruitful discussion on how I could support the curriculum by being the resource personnel. Since I am the TL for the Junior Library covering students from Prep to Grade Threes, we reviewed classroom themes and its ‘Talk for Writing’ programme. We narrowed down topics that needed a variety of resources and I enthusiastically set to task on sourcing what was available in the school and  community libraries and online. Teachers too, have now started approaching me frequently on particular resources, pertaining to a wide range of subject matters. On certain topics whereby, existing resources did not cater to very young learners, I have created personalised teaching resources (PowerPoint [PPT] slides and infographics) to be used by classroom teachers. The authentic resources that  I had created for several of my assignment tasks in MEdTL course ( for example: literary learning resource kit for ETL 402 and infographics for ETL 504)  assured me that I was well-prepared to design quality resources that meet teachers’ expectations.

One such topic was on introducing aboriginal dreamtime stories to Grade 1 students. I created a PPT slideshow that captured the content succinctly and provided websites and books, teachers and students could explore further to gain in-depth knowledge on the subject. Teachers had been very appreciative to the accessibility of these resources and their wonderful ‘thank-you’ notes were very motivating.

 

An example of the inclusion of classroom themes within my library lesson plans is featured below. This was per teachers’ request to familiarise students on technical terms and deepen their deeper understanding on thematic units. In the near future, I plan to co-create inquiry-based units and curated lists for classroom teachers.

 

 

Leadership is a social influence process. Collaboration is a key aspect towards successful leadership. When teachers and librarians work together, lessons can become more engaging for students. Moreover, by including parents, students and teachers to make decisions in selecting, previewing, purchasing and utilising technology and resources would show the critical function library programmes perform in teaching and learning. . These cooperative  practices exhibit transformational leadership and advocacy measures to promote the library as indispensable to the school community. From the TL’s standpoint, it clearly highlights the ‘sweet-spot’ of leading from the middle with a focus on building relationships based on trust as well as letting people take a leading role in areas of strength. It is a win-win situation in raising the TLs profile and in building an interconnected learning environment.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use in the library

The ICT specialist role as a key educational role of the TL was another crucial learning point for me from this course. Initial musings in my blog [Fear and Anxiety – Have I lost the battle at the start? ] depicted my aversion towards social media and a lacklustre attitude of harnessing technology in work. Working through the MEdTL core subjects have definitely altered my apprehension and in intentionally, choosing the elective subject INF506: Social Networking for Information Professionals stands as proof to my present receptiveness to use of ICT in the library.

The TL’s role has transformed from its preoccupation with book collection “to be a powerhouse of expertise…embracing educational and technological developments, sources and resources” (Bales, 2017, pp. 6). Through this course, I have been exposed to a myriad of online tools that can boost my library’s image and quality of my teaching. These would serve to illuminate the multi-dimensional role of the TL, especially in nurturing students to be transliterate in the digital age. It has helped to increase the professionalism, contemporariness and influence of my scope of work.

My first experimentation of putting theory to practice occurred with the utilisation of Seesaw, a digital app in my library lessons. The junior grade teachers in my school were already avid users of Seesaw and I chance upon it as yet another means of establishing collaborative opportunities with the school community. Library lessons were pinned along with classroom lessons, offering a seamless, whole-school  integration of school curriculum.  Additionally, these lessons were also archived onto the ‘School Library’  facilitating accessibility of resources to all teachers. These measures exemplify Purcell’s (2010) vison of TLs facilitating as instructional partners, offering vertical integration (between grade levels) of curriculum and horizontal integration (between subjects)  of learning experiences, and thereby, providing the best learning environment for students (p.32). The screenshot featured below is taken from Seesaw’s activity library.

 

Students were also taught beginner’s research skills and use of multimodal tools to enhance presentation during library lessons. I found helpful tips in Kathleen Morison’s  (2018) blog.

Information literacy and online research skills were skilfully integrated within broader multidisciplinary topics. Through careful planning of content and context, tasks allowed students to be exposed to a variety of print,  eBooks and online resources that  required them to decipher appropriate information to suit the required tasks, their interests, individual needs and exercise higher order thinking skills. Both examples featured below were Grade Two students’ responses on the classroom themes of ‘Insect World’ and ‘Ecological Conservation’. They researched and worked through their presentations during classroom and library lessons.

Successively, through posting students’ work in Seesaw, family trust and support with ongoing visibility into student learning was strongly built. Students’ progress was celebrated through engaging families in conversations centred on students’ learning as reflected in the post below. This was based on a Storytime session and follow-up activity with a Prep class.

 

Exploiting Seesaw’s family-friendly features enabled me to broadcast library activities to parents and carers. A relevant example was the ‘Library Reading Challenge’ that was held over the Summer school holidays in 2020. In addition to the library books that  students had borrowed from the school library, they were given online reading resources in a variety of formats (YouTube videos, audiobooks, eBooks). Another  highlight was the offering of culturally diversified books, particularly relevant to my school’s predominantly, multicultural student population.

Excerpt from the ‘Library Reading Challenge’ booklet  posted on Seesaw:

 

Another happy parent’s grateful acknowledgement is featured below:

 

 

Moving forward, I plan to venture into using Web 2.0 technologies and social media platforms to increase the library’s outreach to its users, school and online community. Acquiescing with Adekunle and Olla’s (2015) assertions on social media being all about building relationships and connecting people irrespective of space and time (p.41), I foresee promising opportunities through embracing it.

Strategically, I hope to tap on social media as a key marketing tool to bring the library story to the school community. By sharing library programmes on social media, it empowers, advertises, and makes them a part of it. This approach I believe, would also demonstrate how libraries are a part of education. It marks the essence of 21st century library service marrying 21st century educational goals.

Setting up professional accounts on Facebook and Instagram in my school name would foster a sense of ownership and accessibility within the school community. Posting pictures of new books’ displays, book reviews, author visits, makerspace in session and storytelling would showcase the library’s liveliness. Sharing student projects, book recommendations and innovations via social media would be a confidence-builder for students. Conducting surveys, opinion polls and competitions through social networking would welcome active parental involvement and increase student voice. Peacemaker, Robinson & Hurst (2016) justifiably proclaim that “relationship building is the crux of public relations” (p.106). Users need to be able to interact and communicate their information needs and be recognised and valued. Giving everyone limitless access to library information and partaking in its operation would materialise Maness (2006) Library 2.0’s vision of prioritising user-centredness, multi-media provisions, social richness and communal innovativeness, in the field of internet library epoch.

Lifelong reading  

Throughout this course, the underlying emphasis on TLs to nurture lifelong readers for quality of life was a key takeaway for me. Inculcating a dynamic reading culture in my school and developing lifelong readers are  paramount goals that I aspire to achieve as a TL. I want my students to immerse themselves and enjoy  reading anywhere, anytime.

Literature strongly espouses (Haven, 2007;  Johnston, 2014; Miller, 2014; Gaiman, 2013) the idea of allowing children to read with freedom and voraciously. Particularly, Gaiman (2013) asserts that in this world of text, email and influx of information;  reading facilitates communication, comprehension and critical analysis and knowledge collection (para.9). Reading nurtures, a complete being and libraries really, are the gates to the future.

I have shared the benefits that I have reaped from being an avid reader since young in my blog [Why read?]. With as much enthusiasm, I continually strive to share that passion in my students. I uphold Miller and Kelly’s (2014, p. xxiii-xxiv) five characteristics of enabling lifelong reading in my library lessons’ non-negotiable’s.

Image credit: https://favpng.com

Termly planning meetings with my senior library teacher, Year Heads and Leading Teacher for Literacy guide me to draw up my comprehensive lesson plans. These are then shared with my School Leaders whose input are valued. Nonetheless, they are by no means  static but a working document which regularly gets updated. The highlights of the lessons include exposing young readers to a variety of topics, providing them with varied resources and hooking them to read more with fun, engaging activities. A sample of my Grade 3 Working plan is featured below.

 

To cater to students’ diverse interests, I have prioritised building a quality collection at my school library that focuses on user access and needs. In the subject ETL 505: Describing and Analysing Education Resources, I was introduced to the concept of Genrefication.

Genrefication is a broad term used to reorganise library collection according to modern subject headings (Outhouse, 2017, p.44). Not wanting to exacerbate the frustration of finding books by authors amongst my Preps to Grade 3s, I adopted genrefication to organise my fiction collections [Future arrangements of fiction collections]. The School Catalogue Information Services (SCIS) controlled list of subject headings, tips from Connections and ACCESS  professional journals and popular librarians’ blogs  have helped me much. Uniquely, my school library’s genrefication expands beyond conventional  literary genres, to include curriculum categories, student-initiated varieties and other specifics unique to my school community (for example: multicultural and aboriginal resources).

Herein, the exposure to  varied literary genres and forms in children’s literature  through the subject ETL 402: Literature across the Curriculum greatly extended my understanding of multimodal literature and thereby, expand students’ reading experiences and interaction with the literary world.

The introduction of Graphic Novels in the library and dedicating a prominent corner stands as proof to fostering reading for pleasure in students. Based on evidence-based data gained through observations and borrowing records, a dedicated space for this popular genre has emerged. Students love for another popular historical fiction series (Our Australian Girl) led to the emergence of this display corner. These initiatives have helped students become engaged and excited readers. These ‘special corners’ have spurred students to devise individual reading plans as observed through their suggestions to have new titles and reserving books in their favourite series during weekly visits. Students also approach me for recommendations of other books written by their favourite authors and series.

     

 

To further stimulate students appetite to recreational reading, the annual Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC) is actively promoted in my school. The PRC book lists which is available online allow students to select any book from the book list, regardless of the year level it has been allocated. Readers can choose what interests them. Parents are encouraged to join PRC’s Facebook and check out its website for excellent resources and related activities with their children.

Credit: https://www.facebook.com/VicPRC

Credit: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/events/prc/Pages/default.aspx

 Appropriate library collections are labelled with PRC stickers for easy access and the library is well-resourced with iPads and laptops for students to fill in their reading logs at school. The provision of these devices have been especially critical for my school community where most of the students do not have adequate means to own them or have proper access to the Internet. Devices are also loaned out to families to access online reading materials. An appreciative parent’s note helps to provide evidence on the success of our reach out to the school community.

The library needs to be the hub in promoting reading for pleasure in schools. Puppetry corners provide creative retelling of stories shared in class by young readers. A Free Little Library strategically located in  the Grade 1 and 2 building entrance was conceived with the idea of making books available at prominent places around the school and “celebrating reading publicly wherever and whenever possible”’ (Lockwood, 2009, p. 22).

          

Through thoughtful projects and structures and with the collaborative support of colleagues, it is hoped that the development of characteristics that avid readers have, are being sown in my students. I aspire to make the most of every wonderful opportunity that enables my young learners to read wide, deep and with absolute pleasure.

 

Part C: Reflective Analysis of Learning

The Australian Library and Information Association  (ALIA) and the Australian School Library  Association (ASLA)  [https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians] standards  stipulate the traits of an excellent TL through three interwoven domains, namely, professional knowledge, practice and commitment. Following the ethos of a reflective practitioner, these guidelines set the benchmark and offer focus to my continual growth and exemplary performance.

An excellent TL is an active proponent of lifelong learning (1.1 and 3.1). While my thirty years of classroom teaching experience had equipped me with good understanding of the national curriculum (1.3) and practical knowledge of high impact teaching strategies across various disciplines (1.2), the job scope of teacher librarianship was relatively new. This course has piqued my interest in the field of  information professionals. Expertise in the areas   of information literacy, ICT, library and information management (1.4) are fundamental to demonstrate leadership and effective collaboration with teachers to provide the best information literacy learning environment for students. I plan to conscientiously keep up with the latest information technology skills and curriculum knowledge to establish my (TL) identity as the crucial link to resourcing the curriculum [Are teacher librarians endangered species?] .

The MEd(TL) course has certainly helped to consolidate the multiple, sporadic library activities that I used to organise in school.  It has offered me structure and a strategic purpose to align activities that transforms the library into a hub for community-based knowledge creation and discourse (2.1 and 2.3). Collaboration with teachers, inquiry-based learning and  developing interdisciplinary learning programmes specifically learning through General Capability skills stated in the Australian Curriculum  are areas that have to be prioritised. Evidence-based library and information practice (2.4) is a critical area that I would undertake to improve my professional practice. To excel in this area, the subject INF 447: Research in Practice enlightened me with knowledge on how to evaluate research literature, interpret research results and then, design my own projects. Most importantly, the issue of abiding by ethical research practices  involving socio-economic status, language and cultural differences are major issues that I would keep in mind.

The axiomatic relationship between research and enhanced professional practice was also clearly perceived in the insightful experiences shared by exemplary information professionals from ETL 507: Professional Experience and Portfolio’s virtual study visits. Their vigour in pursuing higher studies for self-improvement  while providing training and professional development for staff shows professionalism and passion in alleviating the status of TLs.

Thus, continual professional learning and development (3.1 and 3.2) influence the shaping and growth of a TL’s identity in a tremendous way and give maximum benefit to students’ needs and learning outcomes. In contrast to the passive means of modelling lifelong learning though reading research and  journal articles, TLs also need to actively stamp their presence in school, community and other librarians and educators around the world (3.3 and 3.4).  Valenza’s (2010) influential manifesto for 21st century school librarians asserts the need for TLs to tap on social networking tools, like blogging and using social bookmarking tools to share and gain new knowledge. I have subscribed myself to several TL blogs based locally and overseas. The wealth of wisdom, experience and expertise shared is astounding.

 

Wordle based on Valenza’s manifesto (2010)

TLs are to advocate a new brand of their profession, offering visionary service and instruction and caring, helpful relationships. TLs underpin effective education practices that would empower students to transform the world. I will continue to examine and develop my TL identity, placing students’ interests above mine. This would help me to become an excellent TL at both personal and professional levels.

 

References

Adekunle, P. A., & Olla, G. O. (2015). Social media application and the library: An expository discourse. In Tella, A. (Ed.), Social Media Strategies for Dynamic Library Service Development (pp. 41-70). IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-7415-8.ch003

Australian Library and Information Association. (2004). ALIA-ASLA standards of professional excellence for teacher librarians. https://www.alia.org.au/about-alia/policies-standards-and-guidelines/standards-professional-excellence-teacher-librarians

Bales, J. (2017). Collector, curator or collaborator? Connections,  100 (Term 1), 6-7. https://www.scisdata.com/media/1448/connections100.pdf

Colvin, G. (2000, March 6). Managing in the info era. Fortune, 141, 5. http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/03/06/275231/index.htm?iid=sr-link1

Gaiman (2013, October 16). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian.

Gottlieb, H. (2012, October 30). Leading from the middle: Bringing out the best in everyone. Creating the Future. https://creatingthefuture.org/leading-from-the-middle-bringing-out-the-best-in-everyone/

Lockwood, M. (2009). Promoting reading for pleasure in the primary school. SAGE Publications.

Lodge, D., & Pymm, B. (2007). Library managers today: The challenges. In S. Ferguson (Ed.), Libraries in the Twenty First Century: Charting Directions in Information Services (17th  ed., Vol.27, pp. 289-310). Centre for Information Studies.

Maness, J. (2006). Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries. Webology, 3 (2), Article 25. http://www.webology.org/2006/v3n2/a25.html

Miller, D., & Kelley, S. (2013). Reading in the wild : The book whisperer’s keys to cultivating lifelong reading habits. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Morris, K. (2018, February 23). How to Teach Online Research Skills to Students in 5 Steps. [Blog post].  http://www.kathleenamorris.com/2018/02/23/research-filter/

Narayanasamy, K. (2020a, March 15). Fear and Anxiety – Have I lost the battle at the start? [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/03/

Narayanasamy, K. (2020b, May 17). Are teacher librarians endangered species? [Blog Post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/05/17/are/

Narayanasamy, K. (2020c, July 25). Values-based approach to library management [Blog post].                                                                    https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/07/25/values-based-approach-to-library-management/

Narayanasamy, K. (2020d, September 10). Reflection on Group Work: Case Study 3 [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/09/10/reflection-on-group-work-case-study-3/

Narayanasamy, K. (2020e, October 2). Reflection on Group work: Case Studies 4 & 5 [Blog post].https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/10/02/reflecting-on-case-studies-4-5/

Narayanasamy, K. (2021a, March 8). Why Read? [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2021/03/08/why-read/

Narayanasamy, K. (2021b, April 4). Future arrangements of fiction collections. [Blog post]. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2021/04/04/future-arrangements-of-fiction-collections/

Outhouse, R.K. (2017). Genrefication: Introducing and Explaining the Exponential Trend. Media and Technology, 76 (1), 1- 86. https://doi.org/10.17615/j1hv-kq77

Peacemaker, B., Robinson, S., & Hurst, E. J. (2016). Connecting best practices in public relations to social media strategies for academic libraries. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 23 (1), 101–108. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/10691316.2016.1134244

Purcell, M. (2010). All Librarians Do Is Check Out Books, Right? A Look at the Roles of a School Library Media Specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30–33.

Valenza, J. (2010, December 3).  A revised manifesto. School Library Journal. https://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2010/12/03/a-revised-manifesto/

 

ETL 402: Part B – Reflective blog post

May17

This subject has wiped out my naive belief that stories were meant to amuse, entertain and a part of childhood goodness. The aesthetic values that I had experienced through reading narratives is reflected in the initial musings of my first blog  (Why Read?)for this subject. However, children’s literature and the humble ‘story’ has evolved.

Literary learning – literature-based instruction – has become a powerful pedagogical tool used across all curriculum areas to enhance learning and life opportunities. Literature is audaciously presumed to yield the prospect of new and deeper understanding of self, society, and life (Cornett, 2014, p.146). Teacher librarians’ enthusiastic and committed role in promoting and supporting the theory and practice of literary learning within the whole school has become more crucial than ever before.

Ensuring a rich collection of quality literature in my school library shelves would be a foremost priority.  Acquiring multimodal, interactive, linear and nonlinear books would ensure that young learners are kept in tandem with changing times and changing nature of literacies (Anstey & Bull, 2006, p.33). Fostering literacy and literate practices in multiple modes is quintessential to students’ understanding that information and knowledge is not static and thereby, learn to be flexible and strategic problem solvers.

Curating relevant literature across units of study of core content disciplines in my school, would enable teachers and teacher librarians to establish an active, literature-based curriculum. It would also serve as an advocacy tool for the library to become a communal hub and increase collaborative working opportunities with classroom teachers.  Moreover, utilising digital media and tools could extend the accessibility of this service to the school community.

Another important learning point that I had acquired was on how literate practices ought to be inextricably linked with readers’ social and cultural life and experiences. Anstey and Bull (2006) contend that social or cultural experiences greatly influence how well they (students) can complete set tasks (p.36). Ensuring diversity in my collection and equity in accessibility of library resources to students’ needs and interests to maximise their output is on my priority list. I have also shared a positive classroom experience on the value of investing on multicultural literature within my school library collection in this  subject’s discussion forum.

Thus, teacher librarians are proactive enablers to a whole school literary focus to advance student all-round achievement.  Literature must be a part of any rich classroom environment. To advocate that literature has a value well beyond its conventional function for the acquisition of literacy has become my working motto. Integrating the literary arts with a focus on balancing aesthetic enjoyment with information gain (Cornett, 2014, p.193)  through the humble ‘story book’ is the key to achieving this vision. Stories matter!

 

References:

Anstey, M., & Bull, G. (2006). Defining multiliteracies ; The consumption and production of text. In Teaching and learning multiliteracies : Changing times, changing literacies (pp. 19-55, 100-116). Newark, Del. : International Reading Association.

Cornett, C. E. (2014). Integrating the literary arts throughout the curriculum. In Creating meaning through literature and the arts : Arts integration for Classroom teachers (5th ed,) (pp. 144-193). Upper Saddle River : Prentice Hall.

Future arrangements of fiction collections

Apr4

In response to… “If libraries didn’t exist, would we build them today?” (Parkes, 2010, p.23)

Contrary to popular notions of the redundancy of libraries in the digital age and anxiety over diminishing rates of print books, the importance of libraries is more important now than it ever was and be rest assured, print is alive and growing. Libraries, particularly, school libraries have become social learning places for people to read, research, study, gather, work collaborate and interact with resources and technology. They are  certainly more than mere book repositories. Supportively, Gaiman (2013) succinctly asserts “libraries really are the gate to the future”. Libraries have evolved to become communal spaces where the physical and virtual worlds meet.

A well-resourced library, particularly, in terms of choice and access of its fiction collections can transform a school. One of the foremost functions of school libraries is to promote reading fiction, that is, to read for pleasure among its young learners. Students who discover the joy of reading for pleasure are well positioned for “enhanced literacy, language acquisition, cultural understanding, and social skills” (Eichholzer, 2014, p. 4). There are numerous ways to achieving this.

i) Arranging library books by author and genre stickers

As an enabler, teacher librarians have an important role in helping students learn how to find a ‘just right’ book. A vital step for a student towards becoming an engaged reader is knowing how to successfully browse, preview, and select what to read for pleasure. Author arrangement and genre stickers combined to promote exposure to different titles as well as independent access would be a key step in exposing students to a broad range of fiction titles.  This system allows students to quickly find books by authors they know and pique students’ interest as well, to read other authors who have written on the same genre.

Credit: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51336/how-genrefication-makes-school-libraries-more-like-bookstores

ii) Building an inclusive collection

School libraries can send powerful messages about how we value students as individuals, especially if your collection acknowledges and respects the diversity of your school community. Fiction books that accurately reflect diverse culture, written in English by authors from another culture or in more than one language, for example, bilingual materials, or copies of both the original and translated editions of texts would help students to understand themselves and the world. Offering various formats: books and ebooks, including picture books, sophisticated picture books, easy reads and chapter books; audio books and multicultural book websites,  appropriate to different ages and abilities would exemplify a proactive, inclusive library.

Credit:https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=evaluating-a-collection-for-bias-and-stereotypes-with-primary-students

iii) Displaying thematic fiction collections

To ensure visibility and access to diverse collections, teacher librarians must regularly put-up displays aimed at different themes relating to curriculum units or readers’ borrowing records. Strategically positioning the display collections at the library’s entrance would arouse students’ curiosity and invite them into the library. Displays need to be changed regularly to keep students in anticipation of what the library has to offer.

iv) Inviting students to recommend fiction books of their choice

While teacher librarians could elicit readers’ interest by keeping up to date with new and upcoming books in their collections, valuing the readers’ opinion in building the collection is vital. A ‘Book suggestion box’ can be placed near the librarians’ desk to welcome students’ suggestions to the fiction collection based on their individual interest. Teacher librarians could collate the responses and purchase the most popular titles. A sense of ownership and empowerment is developed amongst  library users.

Credit: google.com

Sustaining a passion for reading for pleasure through these measures would lead to a future-ready library. The challenge of school libraries lies in the promotion of its fiction collections, to address the literary needs of its young leaners and offer utopic user experiences.

 

References:

Eichholzer, B.(2014). Taking the guesswork out of genre. Connections, 91(4), 4-5. https://www.scisdata.com/media/1215/scis_connections_issue_91_lr.pdf

Gaiman (16 October 2013). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian.

Parkes, D. (2010). Web 2.0 and libraries: Impacts, technologies and trends . In D. Parkes & G. Walton (Eds.), Transforming the library – e-books and e-buildings, pp. 13-29. Chandos.

 

Why Read?

Mar8

There is so much to convey on the importance of reading that I am fumbling on how to start and where to stop. SO I have decided to reflect on what I have gained from reading.

Reading has made me the person I am today. Putting aside educational benefits that comes with reading, I shall introspect on the emotional, ethical, metaphysical and social development I have gained from reading.

Reading has fostered empathy in me.  Through reading fiction, I am able to put myself in someone else’s shoes, feel their ‘story’ and understand the world through their eyes. Access to global literature, as pointed out by Short (2018) has helped me to “develop empathy and intercultural understanding in an interconnected world” (p.294). The concept of a ‘global village’, viewing people as a united entity is facilitated by my exposure to reading widely.

Reading has kept me in pace with changes in global trends. Where there is fear of digitalisation to replace value in reading print, Gaiman (2013) assures that  “words are more important (now) than they ever were” (para. 9). In this world of text, email and influx of information,  reading enables communication, comprehension and critical analysis and knowledge collection.

Reading makes me occupy my leisure hours fruitfully. It takes me on an imaginative ride to places unknown, past, present and future. It sparks my creativity to take on the persona of a character to better understand an event beyond my personal realm (Barone, 2010, p.5). Gaiman (2013) encourages this ‘escapism’ (para. 21) as it allows readers’ minds to wander, seek ways to solve a predicament, improve the world, to make it better and different. Thus, reading offers purposeful experiences to improving my quality of life.

As an educator, my priority, lies in inculcating the importance and joy of reading amongst my students. This would ideally place my students en route to evolving into lifelong passionate readers and proactive individuals.

References:

 Barone, D. M. (2010). Children’s literature in the classroom : Engaging lifelong readers. Guilford publications.

Gaiman (16 October 2013). Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. The Guardian.

Short, K. (2018). What’s trending in children’s literature and why it matters. Language Arts, 95(5), 287-298.

INF 506: Assessment 2

Jan25

An evaluative statement

Social media has had a huge impact in transforming the professional environment of various organisations. Building relationships and connectivity through participative empowerment amongst consumers, have become fundamental principles of the social networking phenomena. Particularly, information professionals are leveraging the approaches typified by Web 2.0 principles and technology from which social media has evolved, to serve their existing audiences better and reach out to potential beneficiaries at an exponential rate (Miller, 2005, para.19). Social media has opened up bright prospects for knowledge sharing, boosting social relationships and including patrons in decision-making to aid information professionals carry out their tasks more efficiently and effectively (Islam & Tsuji, 2016, p. 44) . The future seems most exciting and promising.

Social media has endowed information professionals with several innovative and dynamic opportunities to improve services. The most common combination of organisations and social media is “broadcast -based promotions and marketing of resources and services” (Young & Rossmann, 2015, p. 21). Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are the top three most used social platforms among global marketers (Guttmann, 2020), producing increased traffic and user-generated content through active and passive marketing strategies. Through their study of Canadian public libraries, Vanscoy et al., (2018) attest that programmes, services and collections formed the largest category of library tweets and program tweets were most likely to be liked and retweeted by followers. Similarly, Instagram’s high-quality, fun  and compact in-app offering: ‘carousel photos’ allows up to ten photos or videos’ upload to promote new collections, celebrations or events’ display, to attract high usage and receive instant user feedback and further transmission. The challenge to information professionals lies in maximising social media platforms’ Web 2.0 technology  and offer  modern, creative twists to traditional means of one-way marketing.

Harnessing social media as an enhanced community-building tool can be advantageous to information professionals. The inextricable relationship between online platforms and societal structures aligns with van Dijck et al.’s, notion of the ‘platform society’ (2018, p.1). A sense of belonging is achieved when a friend/consumer/patron replies or ‘Likes’ a post on Facebook. Social news sites, reddit and Digg  foster norms of shared trust and shared vision with upvotes and curated frontpages, thereby creating opportunities for collective action through information sharing on its sites (Young & Rossman, 2015, p.21). Social media are critical platforms for building online and offline social ties that can increase participation in civic and political life (Boulianne, 2019, p.40). Investing on technological capacities of social media facilitated by Web 2.0, information professionals can provide users with a multidimensional, mobile and a socially connected space that creates value for both.

Social media networks have also been helpful in enabling information professionals engage in professional learning and dialogue. The accelerating pace at which new information emerges and spreads in the ubiquitous information landscape, ongoing learning and development goals need to be met with flexible ways of achieving them. Embracing social media potential for workplace learning has been touted “as a breakthrough across the learning spectrum” (Muyia & Nafukho, 2016, p.1566). The adoption and use of blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Podcasts and YouTube are just a few social networking and media platforms to access formal and informal learning across global sources.

Twitter and Facebook facilitates free, informal and  communal space for professional learning in which participants can form personalised networks. These platforms “break down spatial boundaries across geographical lines and time zones” and accommodate different learning styles of its users  “where some may engage in reciprocal sharing while others may prefer to just listen” (Strum & Quaynor, 2019, p.26). Moreover, planned virtual dialogue groups may be formed using hashtags around topics of interest. Active learning and collaboration as evident though using social media, align with fundamental principles of adult learning and social learning theories to promote workplace learning (Strum & Quaynor, 2019, p.24).

Despite the plethora of social media tools available and the range of personalised and communal benefits they offer, strategic planning is necessary for selective use and application of social media tools. Information professionals can develop Personal Learning Networks (PLN) to connect with learners around the globe and meet their specific needs for self- improvement or address work-related needs. Becoming an organisational trend watcher, attending virtual technology conferences, blogging and commenting on subscribed blogs would help to evolve a consumer into a producer. Information generation, dissemination and collaboration across diverse communities and resources are shared and exchanged, which would have been impossible to access within a sole organisation’s walls (Nielsen, 2008, para.1). Thus, proper use can help  mitigate risks and exploitation associated with social media and set up reciprocated model behaviour.

Understanding the challenges in using social media concerning ethics, individual privacy and copyright laws are also crucial considerations for information professionals. Huwe (2015) admits that “the internet was really designed for performance, not security” (p.21). The tools may be digital, but the people you reach and interact with are real (Young & Rossmann, 2017, p.3). Gaining their trust and assuring quality reflects professionalism and social responsibility.

Information professionals have to prioritise on thinking purposefully about creating an impactful social media presence. Building bridges between people and resources does not suffice information professionals’ present job scope. Nurturing and sustaining collaborative relationships while accessing and sharing resources has come to the forefront. Knowing our varied users, understanding their diverse needs, welcoming their involvement, providing equity in access and leveraging on specific social media platforms’ capabilities that best suits one’s organisation are paramount.

Crafting a social media policy to stipulate guidelines of use to chart responsible and effective use while protecting organisations’ interests is another strategic move to be undertaken by information professionals. A specific crisis response protocol is to be  established before a controversial issue arises (Corsillo, 2019, para. 4). Cultivating partnerships with security experts at various levels within an organisation is a shrewd means of safeguarding privacy. This would help to address hacks to individual data and adherence to and enforcement of content licenses upon spotting inappropriate use (Huwe, 2015, p. 22).  Security reviews ought to be an ongoing feature of  organisations and remain an automatic process for all new projects or initiatives. The social media policy needs to be a ‘living document’ (James, n.d., para. 5). Monitoring usage and reviewing the policy periodically is crucial. It has to be changing and evolving to match the rapid pace of change occurring in the global information and technological landscape.

Thus, information professionals should strive to embed themselves within their user community. Web 2.0 technologies, social media tools in particular, facilitate the transformation of organisations’ static, ‘one-way broadcast’ functionality into becoming interactive community spaces. It is essential for information professionals to embrace the changing conceptions of grasping information and use social networking technologies responsibly and successfully to form a fruitful connection with patrons.

 Word count: 1117 words.

 References

Boulianne, S. (2019). Revolution in the making? Social media effects across the globe. Information, Communication & Society, 22(1), 39-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1353641

Corsillo, G.K. (2019). Staying Social: Why Your Library Needs Social Media Policies. Public libraries online. http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2019/06/staying-social-why-your-library-needs-social-media-policies/

Guttmann, A. (Jul 6, 2020). Leading benefits of using social media for marketing purposes worldwide as of January 2020. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/188447/influence-of-global-social-media-marketing-usage-on-businesses/

Huwe, T. K. (2015). Libraries and the new culture of trust. Computers in Libraries, 35(5), 21-22,24.

Islam, A., & Tsuji. K. (2016). Information professionals’ knowledge sharing practices in social media: A study of professionals in developing countries. International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology, 6(2), 43-66. https://doi.org/10.5865/IJKCT.2016.6.2.043

Miller, P. (2005, October 30). Web 2.0: Building the new library. Ariadne, 45. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue45/miller

Muyia, H. M., & Nafukho, F. M. (2016). Keeping it social: Transforming workplace learning and development through social media. In Management Association, I. (Ed.), Professional development and workplace learning: concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications (pp. 1566-1586). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-8632-8.ch085

Nielsen, L. (2008, 12 October). 5 things you can do to begin developing your personal learning. [Blog post].The Innovative Educator. https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2008/04/5-things-you-can-do-to-begin-developing.html

OCLC. (2007). Sharing, privacy and trust in our networked world: A report to the OCLC membership. https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/oclc/reports/pdfs/sharing.pdf

Sturm, E., & Quaynor, L. (2020). A window, mirror, and wall: How educators use twitter for professional learning. Research in Social Sciences and Technology, 5(1), 22-44. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.05.01.2

van Dijck, J., Poell, T. & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190889760.001.0001

VanScoy, A., Hicks, D. & Cavanagh, M. (2018). What motivates Twitter users to engage with libraries? Information Research, 23 (4). http://informationr.net/ir/23-4/isic2018/isic1807

 

 

A reflective  statement

I chose this elective (INF 506: Social Networking for Information Professionals) as a personal challenge to overcome my reluctance and refrain from joining the social media frenzy that seems to be dominating people’s personal and professional lives.   Belonging to the pre-Internet generation and having started my teaching career with blackboards being used in classrooms, I am accustomed to living life without reliance on advanced technology. Nevertheless, being a teacher librarian (an information specialist) for the past year and a half and wanting to relate better with my enthusiastic and techno-savvy young learners, I understood the need for a change in mindset and pedagogy. This subject has definitely interested me into incorporating social media as an important fixture to my teacher librarian portfolio.

I was thrilled at the range of personalised social networking platforms (Facebook group, blog posts, Twitter and Instagram hashtags and Diigo  social bookmarking service) created to assist students of this subject throughout the course. It certainly piqued the way for active learning and collaboration as course mates “share, participate, create, interact and learn from each other formally and informally”( Muyia & Nafukho, 2016, p. 1568) across geographical boundaries, time and space.  Moreover, facilitating to different users’ learning preferences and needs heed  Williams’ (2018)  rationale of embracing various social media services “to catering for different students on a variety of platforms suited to students’ preferences” (p. 143).

The social bookmarking site ‘Diigo’ was a platform I used regularly and would like to introduce to my school teaching staff and students as  a means of creating  customised directories  based on multi-disciplinary themes. +They can contribute collectively by ‘tagging’ useful Internet research links and be exposed to a wider range of useful resources (Adekunle & Olla, 2015, p. 57) that is impossible with time constraint. The library ideally would act as a virtual, communal space, increasing information-richness, social communication and user-generated content (Nisar et al., 2019, p. 265).

Completing blogging tasks for each topic greatly helped to reflect on course content and promoted deep learning. It improved my self confidence in expressing my opinion on matters relating to social media and opened my mind to value feedback and different perspectives from others ( Maxwell, 2019, p. 23). This is evident from my OLJ task 1 blog entry.  While I could not accept the research findings, I was intrigued by another course mate’s (Michelle Vinall) agreement to it, citing personal experience. Similarly, while attempting to define Librarian 2.0 for my OLJ task 10, it was insightful to read the contributions of others (Vanessa Leung and Amy Wrigglesworth), thereby, deepening my understanding on the complexity of arriving at a definition for an ever-evolving concept. From these collaborative experiences, I am keen to adopt similar knowledge sharing opportunities gained through blogging and use it to track my professional journey. Networking with other libraries and librarians through blogging could lead to innovation and creativity. Additionally, accruing information on emerging technology trends and ideas  in the information professional field, library industry and the world at large (King, 2018, p. 15)  through subscribing to become an individual or organisational trend watcher would certainly contribute to my development as an informational professional.

Through my readings and continual exploration, I was overwhelmed by the numerous  social networking and media tools made possible by Web 2.0 technology to alleviate library service to a whole new level. Reading the blog posts and Facebook responses of fellow course mates on their understanding of these varied technology tools and sharing of working experiences were insightful and timesaving. Social media’s potential to harness collective intelligence and nurture users as co-developers of knowledge was experienced first-hand.  Nevertheless, I was also convinced on the need to adopt a social media strategy to ensure “feasibility, benefits and user appropriateness” (Williams, 2018, p.139) in my future undertakings.

Focusing on equipping my young learners (high school teens) with transliterate skills would be a major  endeavour in my teaching pedagogy. Rapid advancement of Web 2.0 technologies and social media have brought a new perspective to the traditional information specialist role of teacher librarians. From preparing students to access, evaluate and analyse information; they are to portray the ability to now read, write and interact across a range of platforms and media, not tied to space and modality. They are to produce and share content to a global audience and confidently seek open engagement. Sukovic (2016) rightfully claims transliteracy as “a holistic process – a fluid movement across situational, social, cultural and technological contexts” (p.153) and becomes a “natural fit for librarians” (p.8). I have to focus on enabling access to multiplicity of quality information and knowledge while maintaining professional ethos of trust, reliability and equity. Modelling exemplary attitude in using social media would create a ripple effect on my audience.

The first assignment for this subject was an appropriate and enjoyable task of putting theory into practice. On wanting to create a user-centric library environment and reaching out to users from wherever they are, I realised the futility of finding the ‘perfect’ social media platform that will help everyone. Adhering to Peacemaker et al.’s (2016) recommendation of experimenting, anticipating constant change in users’ changing needs and interests and planning accordingly (p.104)  led me to cultivate an open mind. Consistent goal setting, evaluating and focussing pointedly on improving relationships with my audience is vital. It would put me on track towards maintaining or creating new platforms for continued adaptation in an ever-evolving social media landscape.

The new challenge that lies ahead of me is to consider how best to invest in social media and social networking platforms within my school library setting. I am aware of school protocols and safeguarding students’ privacy. With less focus on marketing the library, I hope to  use social media as a communication and collaborative channel to increase students’ spontaneity and authenticity in thoughts to promote their learning to a high level. That marks the essence of 21st century library service!

Admittedly, I had not been an active  participant in the range of social networking channels that were opened for students in this course. I was more of an engrossed observant and ‘freshie’ who was awed by the numerous potential in social media that could be incorporated into library services to sustain its relevance in the education of 21st century learners. I aim to be a strategically creative and reflective social networker, in my personal and professional life. I feel confident of achieving my target through valuable tips acquired from this subject.

Word count : 1067 words

References

Adekunle, P. A., & Olla, G. O. (2015). Social media application and the library: An expository discourse. In Tella, A. (Ed.), Social Media Strategies for Dynamic Library Service Development (pp. 41-70). IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-7415-8.ch003

Kanmani, N. (2020, December 13). OLJ task 1:Social Media and Society [Blog post].

https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2020/12/13/olj-task-1social-media-and-society/

Kanmani, N. (2021, January 9). OLJ Task 10: Defining Librarian 2.0 (Module 4) [Blog post].

https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kanmani/2021/01/09/olj-task-10-defining-librarian-2-0-module-4/

King, D. L. (2018). Trend watching: Who and how to follow. Library Technology Reports, 54(2), 14-23.

Maxwell, L. (2019). A librarian’s journey in blogging. Library Technology Reports, 55(5), 21-24.

Muyia, H. M., & Nafukho, F. M. (2016). Keeping it social: Transforming workplace learning and development through social media. In Management Association, I. (Ed.), Professional Development and Workplace Learning: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 1566-1586). IGI Global. http://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8632-8.ch085

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94, 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.005

Peacemaker, B., Robinson, S. & Hurst, E,J. (2016). Connecting

best practices in public relations to social media strategies for academic libraries. College &Undergraduate Libraries, 23 (1), 101-108. https://doi.org/10.1080/10691316.2016.1134244

Sukovic, S. (2016). Transliteracy in complex information environments. Elsevier Science & Technology.

Vinall, M. (2020, November 20). Social Media and Fear of Missing Out in Adolescents: The Role of Family Characteristics [Blog post].https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/inf506onlinelearningjournalblog/2020/11/20/social-media-and-fear-of-missing-out-in-adolescents-the-role-of-family-characteristics/

Williams, M. L. (2018). The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 52(1), p.137 -149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000618788725

Wrigglesworth, A. (2021, January 9). Module 6: On to the future! [Blog post].https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/amywriggleswortholj/2021/01/03/module-4-defining-librarian-2-0/

Yan, L. W. (2021, January 6). (Module 4) OLJ task 10: Defining librarian 2.0 [Blog post].https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/vanessablog/2021/01/06/module-4-olj-task-10-defining-librarian-2-0/

 

 

 

OLJ Task 18: Thoughts for the future (Module 6)

Jan12

Title of focus article: The Internet of Things serving libraries.

This blog post comments on the exciting opportunities made possible to libraries rising from the phenomena of Internet of things (IoT) technology. The author shares the successful implementation of IoT-automated centralised management system into the Russian State Library for Young Adults’ (RSLYA) building infrastructure. Plans of introducing ‘smart bookshelves’ with RFID (radio frequency identification), an automatic book sorter, central control of lights and technical equipment for events and programmes and even a remote -controlled vending machine are well underway.

The marvels of IoT use around the globe, primarily focussing on library automatization using robots and drones is discussed. While the huge potential of offering library users’ optimal experience through amazing technological advances, the author stresses on the need to retain the human aspect: the atmosphere of knowledge, guidance, comfort, help, mutual understanding and collaboration. Libraries function best via connecting through genuine service and not hi-tech machinery.

As a teacher librarian, the possible integration of IoT-facilitated equipment into my school library could be part of a process of creating a future-ready library. Nevertheless, a robust infrastructure would have its underpinnings of providing equitable digital access to our students and not surmounting to creating an extravagant outlook and incurring unnecessary expenditure. Preparing students to face a digital and technology-driven world with confidence is fundamental. Using innovative technologies to improve students’ learning by providing opportunities at connecting students to explore, share, create knowledge with their peers in their own classroom and around the world becomes an integral part of teacher librarians’ job scope (Australian School Library Association, 2013, p.7). School libraries must become flexible, dynamic, high tech learning centres that are the hub of the learning environment of the school.

For teacher librarians, the integration of IoT technology to expand beyond assisting building infrastructure and into its daily operations and service is an inevitable happening. A smart library system using IoT can help to do complete monitoring and control functionalities of the library environment without library staff (Holland, 2020, p.19). A fear on the irrelevance or reduction of library staff becomes a matter of concern.

Moreover, with privacy and security of the internet on everyone’s mind these days and reports of massive hacks, teacher librarians must guarantee library users of trust and reliability in the services they provide. They must continue to remain the critical bond between the provider and consumer. Teacher librarians  must actively engage in conversations (Massis, 2016, p.291) with the school community for continual improvement of its services and facilitate transmission of necessary information to their learners. Connectivity arising from the human touch is most valuable.

Word count:   427 words

 

References:

Australian School Library Association (2013). Future learning and school libraires. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Resources/2013-ASLA-futures-paper.pdf

Holland, B. (2020). Emerging Technology and Today’s Libraries. In Holland, B. (Eds.), Emerging Trends and Impacts of the Internet of Things in Libraries (pp. 1-33). IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4742-7.ch001

Massis, B. (2016). The internet of things and its impact on the library. New Library World, 117(3), 289-292. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1108/NLW-12-2015-0093

Purnik, A. (2019). The Internet of Things serving libraries [Blog post]. https://www.ifla.org/node/92356

 

OLJ Task 17: Key points on policy (Module 5)

Jan11

Guidelines and strategies that outline social media rules are a necessary investment by organisations. With the widespread use of social media at the workplace as an enhancement tool using both company devices and privately-owned smartphones, the prospect of indulging in online access for private purposes during working hours and inappropriate use are issues for concern. Thus, developing a social media policy that clearly sets out guiding principles for the acceptable use of social media channels, related to work becomes important.

The following five points would serve well for a Social Media Policy Working Group in  a public library. The intended policy would provide library  employees’ “certainty about the expectations, rights and obligations regarding social media use” (Hebblewhite, 2017, p. 167) while using the organisations’ computers/network and time.

i) A social media policy should be carefully tailored to reflect the library’s core values, goals, objectives and character, and deliver a consistent message across every channel of communication. Hebblewhite (2017) asserts that “employees should be clear at all times about who they are representing” (p.169). Protecting the interests of the library and respecting the dignity of each person, staff and patron, have to be prioritised.

ii)The scope of coverage in social media has to be stipulated. The range of popular social media tools that would promote, develop and deliver exemplary library services to its users are to be discussed. Subsequently, a coordinated approach to “content strategies, writing style guidelines, an editor for each platform and editors managing platforms forms on a day-to-day basis” (Peacemaker et.al., 2016, p.105) would ensure a collaborative team effort, while manifesting a specific brand voice  for the library.

iii) A specific crisis response protocol is important to establish before a controversial issue arises (Corsillo, 2019, para.4). Ways to handle negative patrons’ comments or removing offensive posts need to be planned ahead. Along with, clear statements of professional use, private use, and consequences pending breach of use should be explicitly covered in the library’s social media policy (National Library of Australia, 2015). This would help employees on how to conduct themselves professionally in social media.

iv) A social media policy has to be a ‘living document’ (James, n.d., para. 5). Monitoring usage and reviewing the policy periodically is crucial. It has to be changing and evolving to match the rapid pace of change occurring in the global information and technological landscape.

v) Employers must provide ongoing social media training. Employers need to leverage on professional development sessions to make employees focus on positive social media behaviours, like professionalism, collaboration in content creation, which can increase satisfaction and attachment.

Consistency and collaboration are reiterative aspects in the crafting of a social media policy. If sensitively written, it will improve workplace ethos and avoid feelings of mistrust and close monitoring. A healthy working culture is then, established.

Word Count: 467 words

References:

Corsillo, G.K. (2019). Staying Social: Why Your Library Needs Social Media Policies. Public libraries online. http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2019/06/staying-social-why-your-library-needs-social-media-policies/

Hebblewhite, N. (2017). Implementing an effective social media policy. Governance Directions, 69(3), 167-169.

James, S. (n.d.). Social Media Ethics: Why You Should Have a Policy. [Blogpost].streamcreative. https://www.streamcreative.com/blog/bid/52570/Social-Media-Ethics-Why-You-Should-Have-a-Policy

National Library of Australia. (2015, August). Social media policy. https://www.nla.gov.au/policy-and-planning/social-media

Peacemaker, B., Robinson, S., & Hurst, E. J. (2016). Connecting best practices in public relations to social media strategies for academic libraries. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 23(1), 101–108.https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/10691316.2016.1134244

OLJ Task 10: Defining Librarian 2.0 (Module 4)

Jan9

The concept ‘Librarian 2.0’ was coined by Stephen Abram in 2005, almost two decades ago, to incorporate strategic use of Web 2.0 principles and technologies into library services for ultimate user experience. It is still a highly applicable concept to denote the intricate and ongoing need of library and information professionals (LIPs) to cater to constant change and progress in the global landscape. Librarians are a central part of a Web 2.0 world.

                                                                                                                                          Credit: All New Librarian Action Figure by blg3

Attempting to encapsulate essential knowledge, skills and attributes of LIPs into a fixed set of competencies, runs contrary to the ever-changing structure of information networks, technological advancements. LIPs need to be just as innovative and flexible. A discourse on building capacity would foster a development-based organisational culture that prioritises “on-going exploratory and more creative solution -seeking engagements” (Dodd, 2019, p.688).

Librarian 2.0 has to fight serious stereotypes and be a pioneer in leading changes to libraries, information and technology. LIPs need to become confident facilitators of digital and information literacy to students and teachers. Demonstrating ‘knowledge credibility’ in using latest technologies and  adopting a curious, open and active mindset to learn more through professional development and training are marks of exemplary LIPs. Networking with district libraries and guiding classroom teachers to nurture cohesive working culture bodes well to build Librarian 2.0 as a capable instructional leader.

Librarian 2.0 has to adopt “an excellent customer-service focus” (Burton, 2019, p.44) to guide in decision-making. Collaboration, conversation, community and content creation in library management, are four valuable tenets of assuring allegiance to this approach. Harnessing the collective intelligence of its users through implementing  “customisable and participatory services” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2006,p.41), like, user reviews, feedback, inter library loan and active engagement in new technologies and social media platforms, library blogs and wikis would showcase librarians’ efforts at prioritising users’ needs.

Librarian 2.0 must also be future oriented and connect the library to 21st  century future ready initiatives. Future-focused LIPs are seen to contribute to student learning though the school library (Australian School Library Association, 2013, p.17). Cultivating an inquiry learning pedagogy, robust infrastructure, equitable and flexible learning spaces,  all speak of a bold, transformative library.

                                                                                                                                  Credit: https://teachmag.com/archives/10902

As much as there is a need to push towards equipping learners with astute economic skills of  assuring survival in a competitive, globalised world, Librarian 2.0 also has to accentuate the inculcation of ‘soft skills’ amongst its learners and working environment. Value-based learning including cultural sensitivity, social responsibility and ethical practice are essential practices in its teaching and learning process. Modelling personal traits of taking risks, rising from failures, listening to users’ feedback and a team player, placing the school’s strategic goals within library’s goals is much needed.  Thus, dynamic attitudinal changes to epitomise Abram’s (2005)  vision of Librarian 2.0 is needed for LIPs to grow professionally and purposefully.

Word count: 464 words

 

References:

Abram, S. (2005). Web 2.0 – huh?! library 2.0, librarian 2.0. Information Outlook, 9(12), 44-46.

Australian School Library Association (2013). Future learning and school libraires. https://asla.org.au/resources/Documents/Website%20Documents/Resources/2013-ASLA-futures-paper.pdf

Burton, S. (2019). Future Skills for the LIS Profession. Online Searcher, 43(2), 42–45.

Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0 : A guide to participatory library service.

Dodd, J. (2019) Competency or Capacity: Measuring Librarians’ Potential for Success. Journal of Library Administration, 59(6), 684-692. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2019.1626648

 

 

OLJ Task 5: Social news sites (Module 3)

Jan8

                                                                                  Credit: https://www.pingdom.com/blog/traffic-trends-for-digg-vs-nine-other-social-news-sites/

Social news sites are increasingly becoming a strong news source and designed to cater to those who want a personalized news experience. Reddit and Digg, the  top two most popular social news sites (Weinberg, 2009), have a smart, community of users covering a wide, variety of news. Generally, they offer a platform for online communities to share links, texts, videos and images,  and have discussions about news posts, to learn about what’s going in the world. Site content is “mediated not by propriety algorithm, but by user upvotes and downvotes” (Gibeault, 2016, p.206).

Engaging and empowering individuals to become “efficient content distributors”  (Weeks & Holbert, 2013, p. 213) online and engage in discourse epitomise van Dijck et. al.’s (2018) notion of a ‘platform society’ where social networking platforms have penetrated the hearts of societies”(p.2). Thus, social news sites are quickly emerging as prominent outlets for news engagement, with the output of content and its dissemination in the hands of its consumers, related to their unique interests.

Prioritising on a building a ‘community’ and valuing its content, users are to ensure quality in their contributions or face downvotes. The ease with social media consumers can share information with others sets it apart from the  one-way, top-down, sender-driven, time-specific activity of traditional mass communication experience. With social news sites, users “maintain more control over their information environment” (Weeks & Holbert, 2013, p.214). Consumers can now effectively participate by selecting the content they wish to consume at a time that is convenient to them, and also quickly disseminate news to numerous others.

With the rapid expansion of user traffic in social news sites, it has also become a popular and reliable platform for newsmakers to use it as an effective branding tool. Kümpel (2015) acquiesces that  online news sites increasingly rely on referrals to improve their website traffic, article news and ultimately, economic success (p.1).

Viewed from the platform of library pedagogy, the popularity of social news sites  provide huge potential for information literacy instruction. Students can explore how online communities work, explore the nature of popular resources and style of discourse. Teacher librarians are able to foster students’ self-reflection about critically analysing information and develop class discussions on resource selection (Gibeault, 2016, p.2015). A great avenue for exploration and  experimentation for learning and corporate organisations.

Nevertheless, an inclination towards developing or propagating partisanship, especially in the field of politics appears inevitable. The increased participants of journalists and news organisations on these sites (Weeks & Holbert, 2013, p. 226) corelates to higher chances of reception and dissemination of political beliefs or propagandist theories. An acute sense of responsibility and netiquette are required of its consumers.

If searching for news was the most important development of the last decade in digital innovation, sharing news may be among the most important of the next (Weeks & Holbert, 2013, p.213). The fundamental need for developing young learners to become critical thinkers and disseminators of information has become more urgent and relevant through the growing presence of these social news sites.

Word count: 504 words

References:

Gibeault, M. J. (2016). Embracing Geek Culture in Undergraduate Library Instruction: The TIL Subreddit for Resource Evaluation and Qualitative Assessment. Reference Librarian, 57(3), 205–212.

 https://doi-org.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/10.1080/02763877.2015.1132182

Kümpel, A. S., Karnowski, V., & Keyling, T. (2015). News Sharing in Social Media: A Review of Current Research on News Sharing Users, Content, and Networks. Social Media + Society, 1 (2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115610141

van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The Platform Society. Oxford University Press.

Weeks, B. E., & Holbert, R. L. (2013). Predicting dissemination of news content in social media: A focus on reception, friending, and partisanship. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 90(2), 212-232.

Weinberg, T. (2009). The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web. Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, Incorporated.

OLJ Task 2: The influence of technology on society

Jan6

Technology has become a huge part in our society and day-to-day life. It is continuously changing our society in many ways and exerting a strong impact in almost every aspect of our lives: family, health, community life, work, education  and communication. With the accelerating rate of technological innovations, like cloud computing, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality combined with widespread availability of network access through an array of digital, mobile and social media platforms, the influence of technology on society is intense. Technology seem to be shaping the evolution of humanity  in the future with no diminishing fervour in sight.

Accordingly, the tremendous influence of technologies on organisations is not surprising. In the current knowledge-based society, where information is seen as power, it has become imperative for organisations to become increasingly information-based and benefit from information technologies in its processes and activities.

Particularly, embracing social media and mobile digital platforms which have become part of daily life for people of all ages ( Mon & Mon, 2014, p.54) and the quintessential means of information exchange would positively affect organisational performance. Organisations are under constant pressure to adapt to new roles and new realities to succeed. They are being prodded to transform from ‘self-contained organisations’ to become social spaces and technological centres in order to thrive in today’s interconnected world and participatory culture.

Nevertheless, organisations in this post-millennial world need to make strategic moves at innovating and implementing any latest change to avoid short-term success. The need to assess any new technology’s ecosystem and prioritise whether it can satisfy the customer needs and deliver value in a better way is paramount. The 4-point framework : Creative destruction; Robust coexistence, Robust resilience and Illusion of resilience developed by Adner and Kapoor (2016, p.66), outlines scenarios that organisations could adapt at various transitionary periods of implementing a new technological innovation. Flexibility, practicality, risk-taking and collaboration are principal working culture attitudes, organisations ought to adopt.

Knowledge management (KM) – a social-media based information-sharing system that excels at “identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving and sharing all the enterprise’s information assets” (Nisar et. al., 2018, p.264) is another strategic move that can be adopted for organisations to succeed in this Information Age.  The main goal is sharing the knowledge and experience of employees within the organisation. The instantaneity and two-way communication channels which social networking platforms offer, complement how organisations can leverage their employee-generated content. Unlike the need for time-consuming, formal meeting environments and planned agendas, the informal nature of KM, reaps both technical and social benefits. A collaborative organisational structure, knowledge sharing, tracking contributions, gaining insights on new policies and ideas, providing accessibility to employees’ convenience and establishing trust and confidence are gains that assure sustainability of organisations’ success.

Leaders of organisations, thus, need to be skilful in maximising the potential of their  human resources, the information source and practitioners and not prioritise advancement in their technological equipment which are just, tools.

Word count: 485 words

References:

Adner, R., & Kapoor, R. (2016). Right Tech, Wrong Time. Harvard Business Review, 94(11), 60–67.

Kemp, S. (2020). Digital 2020: 3.8 Billion People Use Social Media. We are social. https://wearesocial.com/au/blog/2020/01/digital-2020-3-8-billion-people-use-social-media

Mon, L., & Mon, L. (2014). Social media and library services.

Nisar, T. M., Prabhakar, G., & Strakova, L. (2019). Social media information benefits, knowledge management and smart organizations. Journal of Business Research, 94, 264-272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.005