Project 3: Creating an Instructional Library Document

The source I put together is a basic powerpoint tutorial that could show a viewer what to keep in mind and what to look for when utilizing online/web resources. I then give some simple examples using resources that were covered in the course to answer some basic reference questions.

Sources: 

Cassell, Kay Ann and Uma Hiremath. Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century: An Introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2011.

LIB 204 Final Project

Blog Reflection # 8

Although I cannot remember ever having any type of formal library instruction, I must have been shown or taught at some point on how to look things up and find materials in the library. It seems kind of odd thinking about it now, but how else would I (or others for that matter) know how to use a library without someone – most likely a librarian – showing them at some point?

I guess that’s why this class is so important to many of us who are planning or thinking about becoming librarians for a career/profession, as well as those who are already working as librarians and are expanding their education and/or knowledge base. 

The course has helped me to think about how library users view and approach the library, and the library’s staff. As library users ourselves (i.e. those in this course), we have our own experiences in using a library and its resources and in interacting with library personnel, and the knowledge that our fellow classmates have shared from their experiences help to broaden our insights.

Many of the practices that have been discussed in this course have made clear the importance of explaining and showing library users how to find resources, as well as how to communicate in a dialogue rather than simply answering a question and moving on to the next task at hand. Personally speaking, in order to be able to teach someone how to do something or explain how something works, I feel that I have to know how to do that thing myself, so this class has been greatly beneficial in this respect, by having exposed us to resources that can find information from resources that are pretty easy to use once you know about them.

I decided to look at medical libraries – The National Library of Medicine, in particular. As our national population ages, healthcare and medically related issues will play an ever-increasing role in all aspects of life.

The patron type of a medical library includes “scientists, health professionals, historians, and the general public.” So this could include doctors, nurses, medical students, biologists, as well as anyone who is in need of medical information of some type.

Some of the resources for instruction that a medical library can provide some of the things that can be found at the National Library of Medicine’s Health Services Research & Public Health Information Programs web page (see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hsrph.html). These include health and environmental databases, information on healthcare quality, information and results on medical studies, and online webinars, tutorials, and interactive exhibitions.

While all of these resource tools seem beneficial, my only concern would be that not enough people are made aware of them, and that all the time and work that went into developing them will go unused by people who could benefit from them.

Blog Reflection # 7

A person is researching the topic “Crashes Caused by Driving while Texting.”


They are texting whilst asking for help on researching said topic. 


You ask them a question, they say, “I’m sorry, what did you say? I was texting my friend.”

Just kidding, but I bet something like that happens all the time. People are addicted to texting, but I guess that I am lucky to be addicted to older, more traditional things. Again, I am just kidding.

So, I would first try to find out what the scope of the research project is. Are they writing a short one- or two-page paper on the facts available on texting while driving, or something longer? Do they need to cite their sources, and if so, how many sources? Do they need to have statistics for their paper/project?

After finding out about the scope of their project, I would have better idea of how “in-depth” their research needed to be. For me, the importance in making this determination is to not inundate or overload the student with resources or materials they are not going to use.

To get a basic understanding of the issue and its effects in the real world, I would start off with a database search, looking for general interest magazines and newspaper articles. A good one is the EBSCO Host Newspaper Source Plus, which will return tons of stories on the perils of texting and driving.

From there, if needed, I would go to usa.gov, which provides a lot of studies on the subject backed with statistics, provided by the CDC, FCC, OHSHA, and other abbreviated agencies. There is even a government website dedicated to this issue, http://www.distraction.gov/. Which in turn will lead users to still more sites and resources.

Bottom line: When driving, don’t do ANYTHING but drive. If you need to sneeze, just don’t think about it. You can sneeze after you’ve reached your destination...or you may face the consequences.

If the student needed more formal or academic resources, I would suggest something like ProQuest, or additional scholarly journal articles through a similar database.

Because of the recent development/ phenomena of the topic, I would try to utilize the most current resources available, and would not recommend Encyclopedia.com or Encyclopedia Brittanica.com. (I check these online encyclopedias; they didn’t have anything)

So, the general order of resources would be:

a) ProQuest or another electronic journal/newspaper index such as EBSCO

b) Government sponsored (.gov) data and information websites

c) Searching via their favorite search engine

d) Encyclopedia.com (NOT RECOMMENDED)

e) Encyclopedia Brittanica.com subscription offered through library access (NOT RECOMMENDED)

f) Wikipedia (NOT RECOMMENDED)

Project # 2

Project 2: Proposal to create Reference Library

The library that I would be interested in proposing would be one that was focused on the promotion, study, and education of creative writing in all of its forms.

Los Angeles has a very distinct literary history, and this history, combined with its diverse mix of cultures, helps create an ideal environment for the exploration – and celebration – of literary styles that are as diverse as the city itself.

A library that can serve as a writer’s workshop, an educational institution for the overall community, and a place where writers can do thoughtful research and exchange ideas with fellow writers would be an invaluable addition to Los Angeles’ already flourishing arts scene.

Demographics:

  The Library will be located in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is known for being one of the most diverse and culturally rich cities of anywhere in the world. Here are some basic demographic and social characteristics:

-       Population: 3,792,000

-       Education:

-       High school: 492,000

-       Some college: 428,000

-       Associate’s degree: 146,000

-       Bachelor’s degree: 491,000

-       Graduate degree or higher: 250,000

-       Place of Birth:

-       Born in U.S.: 2,277,000

-       Foreign born: 1,500,000

-       Language:

-       English only: 1,415,000

-       Spanish: 1,515,000

-       Asian & Pacific Islander: 302,000

-       Other: 47,000

-        Ethnicity (%):

-       White: 49.8

-       Black: 9.6

-       Asian: 11.3

-       Hispanic/Latino: 48.5

-       White, non-Hispanic: 28.7

U.S. Census Bureau – Selected Social Characteristics – Los Angeles

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

U.S. Census Bureau – Quick Facts – Los Angeles

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0644000.html

Other Libraries in the city:

  There are several notable libraries in Los Angeles and the greater Los Angeles area, such as the Huntington Library, the Santa Monica Public Library, the research library at the Getty Museum, and the Powell Library at UCLA, but because of the numerous branches that cover a large geographical area, the County of Los Angeles Public Library (http://www.colapublib.org/index.html) with over 80 locations, and the Los Angeles Public Library (http://www.lapl.org/index.php) with over 60 locations, together serve the greatest number of people in Los Angeles/greater Los Angeles area in terms of basic library services. Both libraries offer a number of events and programs.

  For example, the County of Los Angeles Public Library everything from story times and arts and crafts clubs (such as soap making), to SAT/ACT and nutrition workshops. The Los Angeles Public Library offers adult literacy and English proficiency programs, teen reading clubs and homework/tutoring help, its [ALOUD] lecture series, and exhibits ranging from subjects from historical maps of Los Angeles to the Mexican Revolution.

See article “The Best Libraries in Los Angeles”:

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/03/26/best-libraries-in-los-angeles/

Reference philosophy for our library:

  The Library would strive to offer guidance, direction, and one-on-one service to patrons. Some ways to encourage that patrons ask for assistance would be the following:

-       Have more than one librarian at peak hours covering the reference area so that patrons do not have to wait for help or ask a question.

-       The traditional “reference desk,” that is characterized by a large circular or rectangular desk and with the reference librarian sitting behind a computer and surrounded by books, papers, and often exuding a cluttered workspace, would be replaced by an open area, with only several computer screens, where patrons would not be symbolically “separated” from the librarian. The purpose of this type of set up would be to foster a more approachable reference experience. If a patron had a question, they would be invited to sit down next to the librarian, and where the librarian would show them, step-by-step, what tools or resources they were using on the computer in order to find information.

-       Services that the library would provide include creating writing workshops, author readings, and self-publishing, printmaking, and bookbinding courses and workshops.

Reference collection and reference databases:

  The reference collection would include many basic reference materials, such as dictionaries, thesauri, and general encyclopedias, but the emphasis would be on literature-related resources, such as short story, fiction, and poetry indexes, and encyclopedias on the history of literature and criticism.

  A diverse selection of academic and more general databases would be accessible to library patrons, and would include the Literature Resource Center, JSTOR Language and Literature Collection, Electronic Book Collection, Online Books Page, ERIC, ProQuest, and other literature-related and general information reference sources.

  The library’s website would offer access to the library catalog, real-time messaging with library staff, information on upcoming events, and video of past events.

Blog Reflection # 6

There are really so many good resources that have been discussed in the course so far. I am sure that I am not alone in saying that I was unaware of many of the resources we have covered and written about.

I guess it could be overwhelming with all these new information sources that we have been learning about, but not really anymore overwhelming than trying to sort through and find quality information using a search engine.

When it comes to online resources, one thing that does affect my opinion or judgment – rightly or wrongly – is the layout and overall quality of the website I am looking at. For example, we have talked a lot about the credibility problem of Wikipedia, but part of the reason that so many people use it is due partly to what I would call the ease of use factor. A site like refdesk.com, which we have also covered, could be more user friendly if, in my opinion, it wasn’t so cluttered looking. So I think layout, design, and organization play a big part in the perception of functionality and usability of web resources.

Another point that I think is worth addressing is the importance of being exposed to a variety and mix of different resources, as we have in this course. It reminds me of the saying about “having the right tool for the right job.” If you are aware of the many different resources (tools) that are out there, you are better prepared to find useful information, and in turn produce better research, papers, assignments, etc. If you rely on simply using a search engine, then the range of information you can find will be limited, or will be so discrepant as to provide no authoritative, definitive results. To use another tool-related saying: “If the only tool you have is a hammer [search engine], then everything looks like a nail [the correct result].”

So I would promote the use of diverse resources. Librarians (and the future librarians taking this course) are in an ideal position to influence the search habits of students, professionals, and public library patrons by emphasizing the value in learning about alternate resources, rather than relying entirely on the major Internet search engines.