I meant to post about this when it actually happened, but I figure it's still worth talking about.
Way back in the summer I was asked to go do a 40 minute BI in a exercise science/nutrition class on avoiding plagiarism and evaluating websites (yeah, I know, two topics that don't exactly go hand and hand). I agreed and to be honest was so not looking forward to it. The instructor left and the new person who inherited the course still wanted me to do it, just could we switch the dates. Without thinking I agreed. It wasn't until late in November that I realized that I would be showing up on the very last day of class.
Recipe for disaster.
Or not.
I have the thing all prepped from the last time, but one night I'm watching TV and one of these horrid commercials on the general greatness of High Fructose Corn Syrup comes on.
Ok, so these are exercise science and nutrition students and they know darn well that this is a load of hooey. And I have them. I can feel it. I point out the web site and say, we'll look at it in a sec, but first I thought you might like this:
And they're dying.
We then go to the link off the first video which leads to the Corn Refiners Association site and then I'm able to talk about bias, how to evaluate web sites etc.
It worked so well I'm hoping I can use this again.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Dude, I know what I'm doing
Scenario: me on the reference desk after 5. Guy in line. Helping a student who like EVERYONE ELSE IN HER CLASS is trying to get her hands on the one recent copy of a textbook for her course. I've helped her earlier in the week on the same issue--helped her do a recall and explained/warned that people could do the same thing to her. Now she is dismayed and indignant that this has actually gone down.
Meanwhile guy in line is getting impatient. I make eye contact, tell him I'll be with him in a minute.
Now the student is looking at getting a previous edition. The only one left that we have is from 1989. She wants that one. Of course, she does. Maybe it's me, but I get awfully nervous when a medical student is willing to learn from a 19 year old book and the subject is not "where is the spleen?" Finally we're done and I turn to the patron.
He needs a "drug desk reference book."
Ok, fine, are we talking PDR?
Yes, no. A drug guide.
I start to walk him over to the reference collection.
No. He wants one he can check out.
Which means an older edition. Ok. Does he have a specific one in mind? Does he have a particular drug he's trying to look up? What does he need to know about the drug?
He tells me "just type in 'drug guide' into the catalog."
I meanwhile am trying to see what we have and am searching for specific titles.
He walks around and goes, "No. Just type in 'drug guide.'
I try to explain that this is not really the best way to search.
He insists. Naturally we get garbage.
"You must not be doing it right."
I'm trying to offer him online options, but in order to do that I need to find out if he's an affiliate. I start to ask and he storms out of the library.
Meanwhile, first student comes back. The 1989 edition is off the shelves. Is there anything older than that available?
It was not a good night.
Meanwhile guy in line is getting impatient. I make eye contact, tell him I'll be with him in a minute.
Now the student is looking at getting a previous edition. The only one left that we have is from 1989. She wants that one. Of course, she does. Maybe it's me, but I get awfully nervous when a medical student is willing to learn from a 19 year old book and the subject is not "where is the spleen?" Finally we're done and I turn to the patron.
He needs a "drug desk reference book."
Ok, fine, are we talking PDR?
Yes, no. A drug guide.
I start to walk him over to the reference collection.
No. He wants one he can check out.
Which means an older edition. Ok. Does he have a specific one in mind? Does he have a particular drug he's trying to look up? What does he need to know about the drug?
He tells me "just type in 'drug guide' into the catalog."
I meanwhile am trying to see what we have and am searching for specific titles.
He walks around and goes, "No. Just type in 'drug guide.'
I try to explain that this is not really the best way to search.
He insists. Naturally we get garbage.
"You must not be doing it right."
I'm trying to offer him online options, but in order to do that I need to find out if he's an affiliate. I start to ask and he storms out of the library.
Meanwhile, first student comes back. The 1989 edition is off the shelves. Is there anything older than that available?
It was not a good night.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
So you're in a car
and you realize (even if its only on a subconscious level) that you are lost. Do you:
I had a reference interview today with two students who were very very lost. Paper is due Friday. And they apologized up and down, this way and that for not knowing what they are doing. I also got the "I'm sorry you must have something important to do." To which I replied, "Yes, helping you."
People don't like to ask for help and I just don't get it. Like the guy who will drive clear into another state rather than stop at a gas station to get directions, they will wander around for days lost and confused. Why? Because it's an admission of what? irredeemable failure? stupidity?
The system is flawed. Sorry, it is. All the OPACS and the Link Resolvers and the databases--it's become so complex.
"The user is not broken."
- Keep on driving
- Look for another car on the rationale that the driver surely must know where he or she is going
- Stop and ask for directions
I had a reference interview today with two students who were very very lost. Paper is due Friday. And they apologized up and down, this way and that for not knowing what they are doing. I also got the "I'm sorry you must have something important to do." To which I replied, "Yes, helping you."
People don't like to ask for help and I just don't get it. Like the guy who will drive clear into another state rather than stop at a gas station to get directions, they will wander around for days lost and confused. Why? Because it's an admission of what? irredeemable failure? stupidity?
The system is flawed. Sorry, it is. All the OPACS and the Link Resolvers and the databases--it's become so complex.
"The user is not broken."
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Would you use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail?
On one of the listservs I read, not too long ago, there was a flurry of exchanges about Wikipedia. Now this is a largely student listserv, so there's always a bit of, well...let's just say passion. It's not a new debate. Wikipedia is a morass of unverified garbage. Wikipedia is what 2.O is all about. Pick your side. Wikipedia freaks people out for some reason. Freaks a lot of librarians out. It scares me to say this, but so does Google (although I must admit I've caught myself saying this on occasion too).
"Well, you know what they do. They go straight to Google."
Well, yeah, they do. So do I. I have Firefox set up with a search plugin for Wikipedia. I also have one for Science Direct and one for EBSCO. But I go to Wikipedia and Google a lot.
That doesn't make me a bad librarian. It doesn't make a user a stupid person either. These are tools. And they are often starting points. What would make me a bad librarian would be if I took what it said on the Wikipedia page and stopped there. It would make the user kind of stupid if he or she did the same. But it is not a bad or evil thing to begin with Wikipedia.
It's not exactly the primrose path to hell. It's a tool. And like any tool, you need to know what its purpose is and when to reach for it. My reference professor spent a lot of time on learning to use reference books. I am profoundly grateful for that. When I train the library school students I work with, I put a lot of emphasis on the books too. It's important. But those are not the only tools we as a profession should be turning to.
The Free Range Librarian posted this about 2 years ago. I have it tacked to my door.
For anyone who actually reads this. I urge you to take a look at it. Because it applies here.
"Well, you know what they do. They go straight to Google."
Well, yeah, they do. So do I. I have Firefox set up with a search plugin for Wikipedia. I also have one for Science Direct and one for EBSCO. But I go to Wikipedia and Google a lot.
That doesn't make me a bad librarian. It doesn't make a user a stupid person either. These are tools. And they are often starting points. What would make me a bad librarian would be if I took what it said on the Wikipedia page and stopped there. It would make the user kind of stupid if he or she did the same. But it is not a bad or evil thing to begin with Wikipedia.
It's not exactly the primrose path to hell. It's a tool. And like any tool, you need to know what its purpose is and when to reach for it. My reference professor spent a lot of time on learning to use reference books. I am profoundly grateful for that. When I train the library school students I work with, I put a lot of emphasis on the books too. It's important. But those are not the only tools we as a profession should be turning to.
The Free Range Librarian posted this about 2 years ago. I have it tacked to my door.
For anyone who actually reads this. I urge you to take a look at it. Because it applies here.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
EAHIL
I came back this weekend from a wonderful library conference. Normally I attend MLA, but I had an opportunity to offer a continuing education course at EAHIL, in Krakow, Poland. So I ended up doing a 4-hour course on teaching methodologies.
There's presenting or teaching in front of students and then there's presenting in front of your peers. I can handle students. Let's just say I was incredibly nervous for this class. To my relief it went rather well. My audience was marvelous and I came away with some great ideas myself.
Because I taught the class, I had the chance to attend the rest of the conference. It's a lot smaller than MLA--about 360 attendees--but it was a really well-organized and informative conference. I particularly liked getting the European perspective on library issues. Interesting to learn that Evidence-based Practice hasn't gotten a firm foothold in many European countries (excluding the UK).
More later...
There's presenting or teaching in front of students and then there's presenting in front of your peers. I can handle students. Let's just say I was incredibly nervous for this class. To my relief it went rather well. My audience was marvelous and I came away with some great ideas myself.
Because I taught the class, I had the chance to attend the rest of the conference. It's a lot smaller than MLA--about 360 attendees--but it was a really well-organized and informative conference. I particularly liked getting the European perspective on library issues. Interesting to learn that Evidence-based Practice hasn't gotten a firm foothold in many European countries (excluding the UK).
More later...
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Addy will know
Directly from a friend of mine with a connection to the band:
"How often are librarians the theme of a popular song?
SNMNMNM's "Addy Will Know" is a musical tribute to the modern Librarian. "Addy" refers to a real librarian and includes actual call numbers in the bridge.
The "contest wiki" at the address below explains how you can win a copy of their new CD "Crawl Inside Your Head." There is also an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming SNMNMNM music video!
"Addy" will hit the college airwaves September, 3 2007. You can contact your local college or university radio station now and request that they "ADD ADDY!"
Want to learn more?
It's all in the wiki!"
Enjoy!
"How often are librarians the theme of a popular song?
SNMNMNM's "Addy Will Know" is a musical tribute to the modern Librarian. "Addy" refers to a real librarian and includes actual call numbers in the bridge.
The "contest wiki" at the address below explains how you can win a copy of their new CD "Crawl Inside Your Head." There is also an opportunity to be featured in an upcoming SNMNMNM music video!
"Addy" will hit the college airwaves September, 3 2007. You can contact your local college or university radio station now and request that they "ADD ADDY!"
Want to learn more?
It's all in the wiki!"
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Why We Teach
I'm in the thick of orientations for the new semester. By this point, I can do EndNote in my sleep. I've taught MEDLINE so many times, it's scary. I'm almost at the point of not needing to go into a class with even a piece of paper. (When I was a newly minted librarian, a ream of notes was not uncommon). My expectations for these sessions are low. I go in with a realistic set of goals and objectives. I figure that a handful of students will remember the majority of what I teach and that the remainder will hopefully remember a couple of key points.
There's no fear anymore. To be honest, there isn't a ton of optimism on my part either.
Today I had a fantastic experience. Let me pause for a moment. "Fantastic experience " and library orientation do not usually go hand-in-hand, particularly when you are dealing with students new to the research process. Normally, they just don't get it. They either think there's nothing to finding the literature or they think their previous efforts are going to cut it. Also, they're not at the point of need.
Reader, today was different. First of all this was a great group. Every class has a personality and anyone who tells you different has no clue. You get a group of people together and something chemical happens to them. Some groups are morose. Some are rowdy. Some would be bored to tears even if I did handstands.
This class was different. They were attentive. They were intelligent. They were funny. They were engaged. Even when we were deep in the MeSH and the mysteries of explode versus focus, I had their attention. They oohed and ahhed when I showed them EndNote. They were writing notes. They were laughing.
In short, it was great. I'm exhausted but it's a good kind of exhaustion. I've had great classes before. It's just that typically those take place in a workshop scenario or when the instruction is tied to an assignment. I think this is the first time it's happened with a general beginning of semester orientation.
So now I'm awaiting my next session with optimism and anticipation.
There's no fear anymore. To be honest, there isn't a ton of optimism on my part either.
Today I had a fantastic experience. Let me pause for a moment. "Fantastic experience " and library orientation do not usually go hand-in-hand, particularly when you are dealing with students new to the research process. Normally, they just don't get it. They either think there's nothing to finding the literature or they think their previous efforts are going to cut it. Also, they're not at the point of need.
Reader, today was different. First of all this was a great group. Every class has a personality and anyone who tells you different has no clue. You get a group of people together and something chemical happens to them. Some groups are morose. Some are rowdy. Some would be bored to tears even if I did handstands.
This class was different. They were attentive. They were intelligent. They were funny. They were engaged. Even when we were deep in the MeSH and the mysteries of explode versus focus, I had their attention. They oohed and ahhed when I showed them EndNote. They were writing notes. They were laughing.
In short, it was great. I'm exhausted but it's a good kind of exhaustion. I've had great classes before. It's just that typically those take place in a workshop scenario or when the instruction is tied to an assignment. I think this is the first time it's happened with a general beginning of semester orientation.
So now I'm awaiting my next session with optimism and anticipation.
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