A Quick Bite to Eat My Words

Posts about libraries, education, technology, and probably cats.

[adstarkel-blog]

I would argue that the notion of reproducible research in the humanities just doesn’t have much currency, the way it does in the sciences, because humanists tend to believe that the scholar’s own subject position is inextricably linked to the scholarship she produces.

Humanities Data: A Necessary Contradiction by Miriam Posner

[adstarkel-blog]

NMC Horizon Report - 2015 Higher Education Edition

Very interesting snippet:  “Concepts like open content, open data, and open resources, along with notions of transparency and easy access to data and information — is becoming a value across education. As traditional sources of authority are augmented by downloadable content, however, there is need for more curation and other forms of validation that can communicate the credibility of a resource. Complicating the landscape in some ways, “open” has become a term often applied in very different contexts. Sometimes mistaken to simply mean “free,” open education advocates are working towards a common vision that defines “open” more broadly — not just free in economic terms, but educational materials that are freely copiable, freely remixable, and free of barriers to access, sharing, and educational use.”

Preview PDF

Full Report

[adstarkel-blog]

Covert Affairs: Undercover Ways to Become a Better Liaison Librarian

I was given a new liaison area last fall (English department) and haven’t had much time to reach out and form relationships. The few attempts I’ve made to get information and feedback haven’t had many takers. I’ve also noticed some self-doubt when it comes to this subject area - there’s a lot to it and my undergrad degree doesn’t feel like adequate preparation.

So during the summer slowdown, I’m trying to be intentional about researching and upping my skills and outreach efforts. I decided to start searching to see if I could find advice from other English liaison librarians - not about specific resources, but about how they formed relationships and became more informed about the needs of their department.

Once of the first items I came across was a book chapter by Janelle M. Zauha titled “English Literature.”  It has solid suggestions that don’t rely on responsive faculty. I feel like a lot of this content was known to me, but it was good to have it spelled out and refreshed. I’m listing some of the suggestions here, along with some of my own additions:

Research the curriculum. Determine which courses are required, which include non-majors, etc. If possible, identify SLOs for the courses.

Look up & read faculty publications to better understand their areas of interest and expertise

Ask the ILL office about the habits of the department

See if any syllabi from courses are available

Explore the MLA webpage

Read and promote department publications

Follow and engage with social media feeds for the department, faculty, and student groups

The chapter was a good read, and the rest of the book seems pretty decent too. “English Literature” is within in the larger work Information Literacy Instruction That Works: A Guide to Teaching by Discipline and Student Population.

Sometime in the near future, you can look forward to posts about updating LibGuides and instructional materials related to this area. Yipee!

[adstarkel-blog]

Seems like an appropriate way to start this endeavor.

Image from Next TwentyEight.  Used under CC BY 2.0.