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Sign White House Petition to Protect the Right to Read

May 23rd, 2013 by Kara Malenfant in Advocacy

From ALA’s Washington Office:

Don’t let big companies deny the print disabled access to books. The American Library Association supports a copyright exception to a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) international treaty to increase access to information for people with print disabilities – those who are blind, have low vision, are dyslexic, have a learning disability or other disability that prevents them from accessing print.

The exception would ask WIPO member nations to establish a national exception that authorizes the making of accessible copies. This exception would be similar to the Chafee Amendment  (17 USC §121) in US copyright law. In addition, the exception would allow countries to share accessible copies (Braille, large print, digital formats like accessible e-books) across borders.

Negotiations are reaching a fever pitch with many powerful corporations, including General Electric, Exxon, and the motion picture and publishing industries opposing the treaty.  We need your help now.  Sign this petition and let the Obama Administration and the US delegation to WIPO know that you support the right to read for all.

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Keeping Up With… Gamification

May 23rd, 2013 by David Free in Keeping Up With, TechConnect

The second edition of Keeping Up With…, ACRL’s new online current awareness publication featuring concise briefs on trends in academic librarianship and higher education, is now available.  This month’s issue features a discussion of Gamification by Bohyun Kim, editor of the ACRL TechConnect blog.

Keeping Up With… is available on the ACRL website and each issue will be send via email to ACRL members. Non-members  can visit our email subscription page to sign up to receive Keeping Up With… and a variety of other ACRL awareness publications including the ACRL Update newsletter and table of contents alerts for C&RL and C&RL News.

ACRL is currently accepting topic suggestions for future editions of Keeping Up With… . Visit the Keeping Up With… website for more information or contact David Free at dfree@ala.org with questions or to submit topics.

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ACRL 2013 People’s Choice Awards

May 22nd, 2013 by Margot Conahan in ACRL 2013

ACRL 2013 People’s Choice awards were selected by conference attendees onsite using their mobile devices to rate the sessions. Speakers in each of the winning sessions will receive a $50 Amazon Gift card. Congratulations to all of the winners and those who received Honorable Mention!

CONTRIBUTED PAPERS

Winner:
The Copyright Axis of Evil Redux:  The Academic Library Must Confront Threats to User Rights
Speaker: James Neal, Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian, Columbia University

Honorable Mention:

  • How do you like me now?: An image-rating study of librarian approachability
  • The Second Half of Reference: An Analysis of Point-of-Need Roving Reference Questions
  • This Library Orientation is Fun!: Building a Successful VIrtual Tour Experience for Students
  • Advocating for the Devil:  Transforming Conflict in Libraries
  • Once a Library Ambassador, Always a Library Ambassador!  Using Peer Mentoring to Integrate the Library into the First-Year Academic Experience and Beyond
  • Braving the present: experience and copyright risk assessment for digitizing recent historical collections
  • Beer Cans in the Stacks?  Using a Photo Study to Reveal How Students Use Library Spaces

CYBER ZED SHED

Winner:
When Social Media Fails to Inspire: Transforming your library’s social media presence
Speakers: Molly Beestrum, Library Instruction Coordinator, Columbia College Chicago Library; Kerri Willette, Emerging Technologies Librarian, University of Wisconsin – Parkside; Amy Wainwright, Access Services Assistant, Columbia College Chicago

Honorable Mention:

  • Student Collaboration in Mobile Application Design
  • SCVNGR: Everything Old is New Again
  • Help them help themselves: Developing interactive tools to help faculty deal with copyright and fair use

PANEL

Winner:
“Love your library”: Building Goodwill from the Inside Out and the Outside In
Speakers: Alice Whiteside, Librarian & Instructional Technology Consultant, Mount Holyoke College; Char Booth, Instruction Services Manager & E-Learning Librarian, Claremont Colleges; Lia Friedman, Director of Learning Services, UC San Diego Library; Adrienne Lai, Emerging Technologies Librarian, North Carolina State University Libraries

Honorable Mention:

  • Imagining the Future of Library Instruction: How Feminist Pedagogy Can Transform the Way You Teach and How Students Learn
  • Experience is Everything: Making the Case for Moving From Usability to Totality
  • From research to action: pairing information literacy and service-learning
  • From the Periphery into the Mainstream: Library DIY culture(s) and the academy

WORKSHOP

Winner:
Higher Learning: Effective and Engaging Information Literacy Instruction for Upper-Level Students
Speakers: Jenny Dale, First-Year Instruction Coordinator and Reference Librarian, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Lynda Kellam, Data Services & Government Information Librarian, UNCG, Jackson Library

Honorable Mention:

  • Riding the RAILS of Rubric Assessment to Keep Information Literacy Learning on Track
  • Disciplinary Literacy in First-Year Writing Courses:  A Collaborative Context For Critical Information Literacy Instruction
  • Get Writing!  Overcome Procrastination, Remove Roadblocks and Create a Map for Success

TOO-MANY-POSITIVE-VOTES-TO-IGNORE-BUT-DOESN’T-FALL-INTO- CONTENT-CATEGORIES

Honorable Mention:

Battle Decks! – Imagine, Improvise, Inflict: Get Inspired or Die Trying

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Applications/Nominations Invited For RBM, PIL Editors

May 21st, 2013 by David Free in Publications, RBM

ACRL is currently accepting applications, and nominations are invited, for the positions of editor of RBM, a biannual research journal covering issues pertaining to special collections libraries and cultural heritage institutions, and of Publications in Librarianship (PIL), an imprint of ACRL book publications.

The RBM editor is appointed for a three-year term, which may be renewed for two additional three year terms. Membership in ALA and ACRL is required at the time of appointment. Qualifications include professional experience in academic libraries, a record of scholarly publication, editing experience, an ability to meet publication deadlines, an understanding of the scholarly communication process, and a broad knowledge of the issues confronting academic libraries. Appointment will be made by the ACRL Board of Directors following the 2013 ALA Annual Conference upon the recommendation of the search committee and the ACRL Publications Coordinating Committee. The incoming editor will become editor-designate upon appointment in July 2013 and assume full editorial responsibility in July 2014.

Appointed for a nonrenewable five-year term, the PIL editor works closely with the ACRL content strategist and PIL Editorial Board to acquire and develop appropriate research-based monographic publications. Membership in ALA and ACRL is required at the time of appointment. Qualifications include professional experience in academic libraries, a record of scholarly publication, editing experience, a willingness to proactively seek content and proposals, effective communication skills and experience working with a group, and a broad knowledge of the issues confronting academic libraries. Appointment will be made by the ACRL Board of Directors following the 2013 ALA Annual Conference upon the recommendation of the search committee and of the ACRL Publications Coordinating Committee. The incoming editor will become editor-designate upon appointment in July 2013 and assume full editorial responsibility in July 2014.

Nominations or resumes and letters of application for either editorship, including the names of three references, should be sent to either RBM Search Committee or PIL Search Committee c/o Dawn Mueller, ACRL, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611 or email to dmueller@ala.org.

The deadline for receipt of applications for both positions is June 7, 2013. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

Finalists will be interviewed by phone following the 2013 ALA Annual Conference.

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Member of the Week: Julie Judkins

May 21st, 2013 by Mary Jane Petrowski in Member of the Week

Julie JudkinsJulie Judkins is Digital Curator at the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine in Ann Arbor. Julie has been an ACRL member since 2010, is a 2013 ALA Emerging Leader,  and your ACRL member of the week for May 20, 2013.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Curious, Creative, Passionate.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your mobile device)? For the 826michigan volunteer book club, the Reading Robots, I’m reading The Shadow of the Wind (La sombra del viento) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. For my other book club, composed of fellow University of Michigan School of Information grads, I’m reading Michael Ridley’s Beyond Literacy. I’ve been  listening to Justin Cronin’s The Twelve on CD.

3. Describe ACRL in three words:  Innovative, Supportive, Community.

4. What do you value about ACRL? I appreciate ACRL’s sponsorship of professional development and the many opportunities to network and learn from peers. I also appreciate ACRL’s advocacy for the value of libraries and librarians within the higher education environment.

5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? I love that my job as a Digital Curator at the Center for the History of Medicine allows me to translate my colleagues’ important research into an educational resource for the University of Michigan’s students and faculty (as well as researchers all over the world.)

6. In your own words: I feel privileged to work on a university campus, especially one as vibrant as the University of Michigan. I once heard Edward Norton say he became an actor because it was an excuse to never stop learning. I feel very much the same about librarianship. I’m grateful that an academic library career allows me to unite my passions for teaching, research, and public service.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

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Applications Sought for Instruction Section (IS) List Administrator

May 16th, 2013 by David Free in Sections

The ACRL Instruction Section is now accepting applications for the Instruction Section (IS) List Administrator position. The IS List Administrator serves a one-year term and is responsible for maintaining the Section’s closed committee discussion lists, under the general direction of the IS Executive Committee and through consultation with the IS Web Site Administrator(s). The IS lists are crucial to maintaining communication within the Advisory Council, the Executive Committee, and other IS committees and task forces.

These lists will be hosted by ALA’s Sympa software, the same software used to host public listservs such as ILI-L and COLLIB-L.

The List Administrator has an appointment as a member of the Communication Committee and, as such, participates in the work of the committee throughout the year.

List administration responsibilities include:

* Maintaining lists with closed memberships for the IS Executive Committee and IS Advisory Council.

* Creating and maintaining additional closed lists for Instruction Section committees and task forces.

* Maintaining membership of Section lists and acting as list owner for settings and other changes.

* Updating the document Tips for the IS Committee List Administrator as needed.

Qualifications:

* Membership in the ACRL Instruction Section.

* Ability to meet deadlines and to communicate effectively through email.

* Commitment to respond quickly to the Section’s needs.

* Experience with mailing list software or list ownership, or demonstrated ability to learn.

* Knowledge of mailing list software settings and etiquette, or demonstrated ability to learn.

Appointment and term:

The IS Committee List Administrator is a volunteer who serves a one-year term, upon selection by the Executive Committee and appointment by the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect. The appointment begins immediately after the ALA Annual Conference in 2013.

Application process:

Please submit a curriculum vitae or resume and cover letter to Kenneth Simon, Chair, IS Communication Committee, at kssimon@pasadena.edu. The letter of interest should outline experience and knowledge applicable to the position. Any samples of relevant work will also be accepted. The application deadline is Friday, May 31, 2013.

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Speakers Announced for Upcoming SPARC-ACRL Forum at ALA in Chicago

May 15th, 2013 by Kara Malenfant in Conferences, Events, Scholarly Communication

Please join SPARC and ACRL for our 11th annual forum, which will take place on Saturday, June 29th at 3pm at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel – Grand A, during the ALA Annual Conference.

Understanding the Implications of Open Education:  MOOCs and More

The open access movement has focused on making scholarship freely available, expanding distribution while lowering barriers for re-use.  The open educational resources movement has focused on making teaching and learning materials freely accessible and openly licensed.  The skyrocketing rise in the popularity of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) has put this trend squarely on the front burner, bringing openness to pedagogy in a way not previously experienced in higher education – and expanding free distribution of a university course to tens of thousands of students around the globe.

This convergence holds great promise for open education, and also raises questions on what that future might look like.  Our panel of experts will explore the recent developments and policy implications of open education, the rise of open resources, and the potential impacts of this trend on libraries and higher education.  They will also discuss both the promise and potential pitfalls of MOOCs and OER as part of open education.

We are pleased to announce our featured speakers:

  • Kyle K. Courtney – Harvard Law School
  • Cable Green, Director of Global Learning – Creative Commons
  • Deirdre Woods, Interim Executive Director, Open Learning Initiative – University of Pennsylvania

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Immersion Program application extended to May 24, 2013

May 15th, 2013 by Margot Conahan in Events, Information Literacy

The application deadline for the ACRL Immersion Program Assessment and Intentional Teaching Tracks has been extended to Friday, May 24, 2013. The Information Literacy Immersion Program allows you to embrace your educational role by embarking on a path of teacher development and pedagogical inquiry in a community of practice for academic librarians devoted to collaborative learning and individual renewal.  The Assessment and Intentional Teaching Tracks will be offered November 20-24, 2013, in Nashville.  During the program, nationally-recognized faculty will lead participants through intensive information literacy training and education.

Assessment: Demonstrating the Educational Value of the Academic Library Track – Discover how to approach assessment from a learning-centered perspective. Participants will emerge with a broader understanding of assessment and how to use assessment as an important tool to guide evidence-based classroom, curriculum and program development,  This track is intended for experienced academic librarians who are active in teaching and learning or those in leadership roles for information literacy program development who want to improve their knowledge and practice of both classroom and program assessment

Intentional Teaching: Reflective Teaching to Improve Student Learning Track – Find out how to become more self-aware and self-directed as a teacher.  This track is aimed at the experienced academic librarian (5+ years teaching experience, in a library or other setting) and facilitates the process of critical reflection through peer discussion, readings and personal reflection as a pathway to professional growth and renewal.  The program offers a mixture of structured and co-constructed learning segments such as peer discussions, individual reading and reflection times, and participant-led communities of practice.

Visit the Immersion website for complete details about the program, including curriculum, learning outcomes and application instructions. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Central, Friday, May 24, 2013.  Questions concerning the program or application process should be directed to Margot Conahan at (312) 280-2522 or mconahan@ala.org.

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Library Copyright Alliance Applauds Introduction of Unlocking Technology Act

May 14th, 2013 by Kara Malenfant in Uncategorized

Library Copyright Alliance LogoThe Library Copyright Alliance (of which ACRL is a member) released the following statement (pdf) on May 13:

The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) applauds the introduction in the US House of Representatives on May 9, 2013, of H.R. 1892, the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO). The bill guarantees that legitimate uses of digital works and technologies will not run afoul of copyright law, even if they require breaking digital locks. Prompted by the recent uproar over cell phone unlocking, the bill recognizes that issue as a symptom of a much larger problem and would fix that problem permanently.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed in 1998, made it illegal for owners of legally purchased digital media and technologies to modify their property if it would break digital rights management (DRM) and other forms of digital locks. The DMCA placed a shadow over a host of normal activities of libraries and their patrons: ripping DVDs to facilitate teaching and learning, converting e-books to accessible formats, modifying tablets to run different software, and more. Under current law, libraries and their patrons must ask the Copyright Office for special carve-outs every three years to allow these kinds of uses, even though they don’t infringe copyright. The Copyright Office has issued some favorable rules for library uses, but those rules are limited in scope, difficult to win, and can be revoked by the office at any future rulemaking. Indeed, it was the revocation of the cell phone unlocking exception that raised recent alarms about the DMCA and the power it gives the Copyright Office.

The Unlocking Technology Act does away with this bizarre aspect of the DMCA, freeing all non-infringing uses regardless of their effect on DRM. Importantly, the Unlocking Technology Act also permits the creation and distribution of tools required for unlocking, without which the right to unlock would be useless. LCA applauds the bill’s sponsors for their leadership and vision, and urges others in the House to support this important bill.

The sponsors’ press release, full text of the bill, and a section-by-section summary are available on Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s website.

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Member of the Week: Paul Kelsey

May 13th, 2013 by Mary Jane Petrowski in Member of the Week

Paul KelseyPaul Kelsey is Head of Acquisitions at the Southeastern Louisiana University Sims Memorial Library in Hammond, Louisiana. Paul has been an ACRL member since 2005  and is your ACRL member of the week for May 13, 2013.

1. Describe yourself in three words:  Caring, innovative, creative.

2. What are you reading right now (or listening to on your mobile device)? I am reading Tik Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum to my 10-year-old son along with Building and Managing E-Book Collections, edited by Richard Kaplan, for my own professional interests.

3. Describe ACRL in three words:  Exciting, helpful, authoritative.

4. What do you value about ACRL? ACRL provides unparalleled opportunities for networking and professional development.

5. What do you, as an academic librarian, contribute to your campus? As an academic librarian working in acquisitions, I contribute to the library by selecting and purchasing new collections of ebooks and print titles for the collection.  I have noticed that the students at Southeastern Louisiana University are studious and intellectually curious, and really use our library resources. I feel like I am contributing to their education in a very tangible and fundamental way.

6. In your own words: Although I don’t work in a public service area, I enjoy working in an academic library and being surrounded by students and faculty. I am also fortunate to be able to work with exceptional colleagues, who help to make my career interesting and enjoyable.

Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.

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