This handout is meant to introduce students to the logic of complete Dewey Decimal Classification numbers.
The handout provides a one-page explanation of DDC numbers and two examples of number building. The vocabulary is directed to middle grade students and higher.
An introduction to Dewey handout and worksheet are available here.
Images of the handout and a link for downloading are available below the cut.
Link for downloading:
Dewey after the Decimal Handout
Feedback on this handout is welcomed and appreciated!
This handout and worksheet set is meant to introduce students to the meaning and use of Dewey Decimal Classification.
The handout provides a brief introduction to how DDC uses the ten classes, hundred divisions, and thousand sections to signify meaning and establish organization.
The worksheet gives students an opportunity to use their critical thinking skills. The questions have been designed to be challenging, but able to answer given the breakdown of the ten main classes on the handout.
A “Dewey After the Decimal” handout is available here.
Images of the set and links for downloading are available below the cut.
This worksheet set aims to provide new researchers with the guidance they need in learning how to prepare for doing research, choose good resources, collect information from resources, and begin writing about their research.
These worksheets present the necessary steps of research in an easy to read, half-page format. Students may wish to use the slips as bookmarks in order to keep their place and remind them to fill in the blanks. Presented with a vocabulary that is meant to be accessible to upper elementary and middle grade students, these worksheets may prove useful in situations when older students lack practice in using their research skills.
Images of the worksheets and links for downloading are available below the cut.
Links for downloading:
Research Preparation
Choosing Good Resources
Learning from Resources
Writing about Research
Feedback on these worksheets is welcomed and appreciated!
When describing my ideal library environment and the type of librarian I hope I am, four words come to mind again and again. This list isn’t a set of comprehensive or complete definitions. Instead, it provides a snapshot of what I intend at this time, with an idealistic mindset and focus on supporting our vital community centers.
Enthusiasm
• Desire to be present
• Desire to be helpful
• Patience to find resources
• Patrons know the library exists to serve
Positivity
• Teamwork is a given, not a struggle or distant ideal
• Patrons feel comfortable approaching with any question
• Open communication among staff
• Mutual respect among staff as stewards to/for the community
Community-Oriented
• Evolve in response to current reality and projections
• Open to and seek out patron suggestions
• Facilitate community connections through actively bringing in organizations/groups
• Engage in learning programs for all ages
Productive
• Work completed in a timely manner
• Use resources wisely, including not wasting time with excess deliberation
• Regularly consider new methods to improve upon the standards
• Engage staff in a continual loop of assessing issues and implementing solutions
A Proposed Study on the Benefits and Risks of Intergenerational Programming in Public Libraries
A requirement of ILS-Z505 “Evaluation of Resources and Services” is the creation of a research proposal or research report. Due to constraints on time and resources, I chose to develop a research proposal on the effects of intergenerational programming (IGP) on youth and senior participants.
Research on IGP has looked at schools, retirement and nursing communities, and community centers other than public libraries. My proposed study focuses on the library environment in order to determine how library-based IGP exposes participants to positive responses (e.g., better physical health, more positive perceptions of the other age group) as well as negative responses (e.g., increased irritability, more negative perceptions of the other age group).
A number of caveats appeared while writing this proposal. Foremost is the issue of collecting appropriate statistics from the program participants. The voluntary nature of the survey—and the precautions taken to ensure that participants’ privacy would be respected—makes it difficult to use this method in reality and to appropriately assess the survey responses. Second, the survey questions and format are my preliminary attempt at survey writing. The questions and format require updates, ideally in collaboration with experienced researchers. Finally, the assessment method will need to be updated to match the improved research methods. In updating the assessment, the potential for creating guidelines and gaining insight into the function of IGP may change.
The following is the abstract and introduction for my proposal. The complete proposal may be posted at a later date.
Abstract
This proposal suggests a method of assessment of intergenerational programs in public libraries in order to determine if participation in the program has negative outcomes for the participants. The study fills a gap in the knowledge of how participants are affected by participation in intergenerational programs in the public library environment. The study will use questionnaires both before the program begins and after the final program session to assess changes in self-reported perceptions of the other generation as well as senior participants’ assessment of their own health status. Observational data will also be collected to provide greater detail to the events that occurred during the program period. The data collected from the surveys and observation will determine if negative outcomes occurred. The results of the study may influence the future program offerings to mitigate the negative outcomes that may occur in the version of the program that is studied as well as provide examples of beneficial and hazardous program elements for other libraries to consider in their own programs. Public libraries can use this study to assess their programs and establish a set of best practices in providing intergenerational programming.
Introduction
A fundamental part of public library services is providing interesting and appropriate programming opportunities for the community. Public library programming may range from childhood development classes that encourage early literacy and social skills to activity-specific sessions, such as quilting circles or computer classes. Public libraries provide programming in order to foster a sense of community among participants as well as establish the public library as a third place, or a space outside of home or work that is for personal and social development.
In light of the aging population, in which the number of people above 65 years old is expected to double within the next 25 years (Generations United, 2007), a growing area of interest in programming initiatives is intergenerational programming. Generations United defines intergenerational programming as “social vehicles that offer younger and older generations the opportunities to interact and become engaged in issues concerning our society” (2007, n.p.). For public libraries, intergenerational programming may take shape in educational or mentorship programs or in programs with a greater focus on social interaction, such as hobby groups. Regardless of the program goal or activity, intergenerational programming is typified by sessions that foster connection between youths and seniors. Intergenerational programming is an attractive programming option because it allows libraries to reach multiple groups through one program offering. With the knowledge that 89 million people attended 3.81 million programs at public libraries during 2011 (“Public library use,” 2014), public libraries may be interested in choosing options that maximize the number of participants in order to offer programs that are both interesting and a responsible use of resources.
While intergenerational programming has been shown to provide a number of benefits to both the senior and youth participants (Gamliel & Gabay, 2014; Peacock & O'Quin, 2006), there are risk factors that intergenerational programming providers should consider before implementing an intergenerational program plan (Herrmann, Sipsas-Herrmann, Stafford, & Herrmann, 2005). In instances of intergenerational programming, benefits may include increasing emotional or mental wellness and risks may include exhibiting negative behavior or demonstrating negative health outcomes, such as higher rates of depression (Hernandez & Gonzalez, 2008; Proller, 1989; Salari, 2002). For the purpose of this study, all positive outcomes will be referred to as benefits and all negative outcomes will be referred to as risks. This generous delineation is made to cover all potential outcomes from the study because each outcome will show that some type of change has occurred, whether for the better or the worse for the participants. Additionally, participants between the ages of 10 and 17 will be referred to with the designation “youths” or “youth participants” while participants age 60 and over will be referred to as “seniors” or “senior participants” in this proposal. These terms simply illustrate the age difference between the groups and are not meant to connote any particular qualities upon the participants.
The published knowledge on the benefits and risks of intergenerational programming lacks information collected through studies by public libraries that provide their own intergenerational programming or partner with a community group in the library space. In the literature, there is an emphasis on studying intergenerational programming within school or adult care environments by psychologists and gerontologists. This gap in the literature leaves public libraries without a way to assess whether intergenerational programming is beneficial to both the library and the participants with minimal risks. Without an understanding of how intergenerational programming affects the participants and the library’s commitment to serving the public, the execution of intergenerational programming may have unforeseen consequences.
Public libraries may benefit from studying their programming offerings because doing so will allow shortcomings and inadequacies to come to light. The public library has a commitment to using its resources to provide services for the maximum number of community members. Without considering the outcomes of providing intergenerational programs, libraries may be misusing resources that could be directed to other programming opportunities or find that their programming requires more resources for success. The findings may also impact how other programs are analyzed before and during implementation in regards to benefits and risks. The application of studies based in educational institutions or provided through community partnerships in the public library denies the necessity of knowing whether the program is worth the resources it requires as well as valuable to the most patrons as possible. Through the library’s understanding of the community’s needs and preferences, patrons will also benefit from more conscientious library programming.
This proposal seeks to provide a method for public libraries looking to evaluate their intergenerational programming by utilizing the methods used in other studies, tailored to the unique needs and questions that in-library intergenerational programming poses. By using surveys and observation, as seen in research performed by Kamei et al. (2011) and Lynott and Merola (2007), a library can collect information on stereotypical perceptions and mental health from the youths and seniors who participate in the library’s intergenerational programming. The survey responses and the observational data can illuminate instances of positive and negative outcomes that the library can later encourage or avoid. The study seeks to answer the question of how participants rate the benefits and risks of participating in intergenerational programming as well as how those benefits and risks impact the public library’s mission to provide public services. By executing the proposed study, public libraries should be able to determine how intergenerational programming both benefits and harms the programming participants, as well as the benefits and risks for library in terms of public perception and mindful use of resources.
References
Gamliel, T., & Gabay, N. (2014). Knowledge exchange, social interactions, and empowerment in an intergenerational technology program at school. Educational Gerontology, 40(8), 597-617. doi: 10.1080/03601277.2013.863097
Generations United. (2007). the benefits of intergenerational programs. Washington, DC.
Hernandez, C. R., & Gonzalez, M. Z. (2008). Effects of intergenerational interaction on aging. Educational Gerontology, 34(4), 292-305. doi: 10.1080/03601270701883908
Herrmann, D. S., Sipsas-Herrmann, A., Stafford, M., & Herrmann, N. C. (2005). Benefits and risks of intergenerational program participation by senior citizens. Educational Gerontology, 31(2), 123-138. doi: 10.1080/03601270590891522
Kamei, T., Itoi, W., Kajii, F., Kawakami, C., Hasegawa, M., & Sugimoto, T. (2011). Six month outcomes of an innovative weekly intergenerational day program with older adults and school‐aged children in a Japanese urban community. Japan Journal of Nursing Science, 8(1), 95-107.
Lynott, P. P., & Merola, P. R. (2007). Improving the attitudes of 4th graders toward older people through a multidimensional intergenerational program. Educational Gerontology, 33(1), 63-74.
Proller, N. L. (1989). The effects of an adoptive grandparent program on youth and elderly participants. Journal of Children in Contemporary Society, 20(3-4), 195-203.
Salari, S. M. (2002). Intergenerational partnerships in adult day centers: Importance of age-appropriate environments and behaviors. The Gerontologist, 42(3), 321-333.
Peacock, J. R., & O'Quin, J. A. (2006). Higher education and foster grandparent programs: Exploring mutual benefits. Educational Gerontology, 32(5), 367-378. doi: 10.1080/03601270600564112
Public library use. (2014, 1 September 2014). from http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet06
