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PIL: Part 2

May 11th, 2012 by

An earlier post discussed one of the Project Information Literacy reports concerning students’ thoughts on conducting research.  Another report, Balancing Act:  How College Students Manage Technology while in the Library during Crunch Time,  issued in late 2011 discusses the activities college students engage in while in the library during crunch time.  Crunch time is finals week and the interviews took place at 10 US colleges & universities with 560 undergraduates participating in the study. 

To quickly summarize:

With heads bent before flickering screens and fingertips tapping the keyboards, today’s students rarely  enter the stacks or consult a librarian. Instead, they seek out the quiet of the library as a refuge  from  distractions and a space in which to forage, select, create, and communicate in a vast and constantly  changing digital universe. Most use a few information sources they have independently cobbled together (p.2).

And …

 All in all, our findings suggest that students while in the library, may be trying to mindfully manage technology  when the  pressure is at its most intense, using practical and reliable methods to harness IT devices for working  more efficiently, staying  focused on coursework, conserving their everdwindling time, and still remaining  connected to the people in their lives (p.3).

 From the earlier report, we learned students are frustrated by such factors as not knowing what to look for, information overload, trying to meet another’s expectations, and looking for the perfect source.  All this plus they are self proclaimed procrastinators! 

For Fall 2012, the Library is developing a series of short seminars/workshops designed for students to address a variety of  topics we hope will help eleviate these frustrations,  ease the anxiety experienced during crunch time, and improve upon the sources that previously were cobbled together.  The sessions will address such topics as identifying articles & books, basic & advanced researching techniques, citing sources, initiating borrowing requests, etc.  Workshop topics and times will be announced through a variety of venues including our web page.  Hopefully you will recommend them to others  and provide topic suggestions for future sessions.  

We look forward to seeing you in August! 

  Image source 

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I See You

May 7th, 2012 by

The month of May opened with Privacy Week, and though the week is over, the idea of privacy should be on our minds.  Take a look at the video below and take the short quiz too. 

You might be wondering about your privacy as it relates to your library transactions.  We respect your privacy and seek to avoid placing private information in the public view. If you have questions or concerns about confidentiality or our privacy practices, please contact Circulation (3352) or the Director (3350).

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Friends

Apr 18th, 2012 by

You may have heard about the black lab, Grace, who stayed with her friend who was struck by a car on a busy street in Los Angeles.  A driver  stopped, put out traffic cones, and called 911 to request animal control come to the site.  Grace is being hailed as a true friend.

Did you know friendship has been examined by philosophers like Aristotle,  Plato, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard,   the orator Cicero, and  the early Christians?  The concept is still studied today with  Facebook’s spin on friends adding an interesting twist.  You can learn more about friends by looking at the research guide, What are Friends For?

The librarians  have been developing guides on other topics too.  Some are designed for specific courses while others are informational or just for fun.  Be sure to look at the subject categories to see if there is a guide on a topic that interests you.  You also can make suggestions by simply leaving a comment with this post.

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Digital Collections

Apr 9th, 2012 by

Did you know you can find back issues of Saint Xavier’s Opus, Meeting Place, college catalogs,  and yearbooks online?   They  are available through the CARLI Digital Collections website.  You can search by institution and then by publication.  To look at old yearbooks, simply use the CARLI link, search by institution, and then once you have selected Saint Xavier University, choose the publication and then the year you would like to examine.  If you don’t find the year you want, send a message to archives@sxu.edu.  It is an ongoing project, so keep checking back to see the new additions.

While you are at the CARLI site, take some time and browse the other libraries’ collections.  You’ll find digital reproductions of photographs, letters, sheet music, art, sports programs, and more. Some of the collections are just fascinating.

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Nourishing Books

Apr 5th, 2012 by

(Def): Book —an object consisting of printed pages collated together inside the front and back covers. Its purpose is to convey the content of the printed pages to the reader.
That’s a pretty basic definition of a book as we’ve known it for centuries since the invention of the printing press. Now we can expand the definition to the e-books and audio books that still have the purpose of conveying the content to the reader. But what are we to make of edible books and their role? We may still argue that they convey the content to the reader but they are meant to nourish your taste buds more than the mind. Each year, several local and international festivals of edible books are held for bibliophiles and book lovers to create books out of edible materials. University libraries of Duke University and our neighbor University of Illinois, Urbana sponsor annual Edible Book Festivals. And the annual International Edible Book Festival has been held around April 1st in different countries since 2000.

Mmmm…Yummy….This is the first edible cookbook produced by a German design studio promoted as:

The first and only Cookbook you can actually read, cook and eat. Made out of 100% fresh pasta it can be opened, filled with ingredients and finally be cooked. Packaged as classic lasagne. The Cookbook was designed as a special project for a large publishing house.

 

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Obama Health Care Law

Mar 28th, 2012 by

Today is the third and final day of oral arguments in the case of Department of Health and Human Servs. v. Florida,  presented before the Supreme Court of the United States. Known by its popular name as Obama Health Care Act, the law enacted by the U.S Congress is challenged in the Supreme Court. The law, if implemented, would change significantly how we as citizens get health care and how we pay for it. Like any legal act of this magnitude, it is complicated and debated from variety of angles, primarily its constitutional standing. Luckily, there are now authoritative sources on the Web from legal experts who help us understand the provisions of the law, the arguments in the Supreme Court and the practical implications of the law. Where is  the best place to start getting the information?

The Supreme Court of the United States website provides the most comprehensive and updated information on the subject, including transcripts in audio and text files (as you know, cameras are not allowed in the Supreme Court), and the information about the Docket, i.e. orders and case filings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Cases (Yes, there are 4 challengers listed in the Docket). These (including the transcripts) are all considered primary sources, i.e. original documents.

The Wall Street Journal is a respected national newspaper and it communicates the daily transcripts of the arguments in audio and text form.  But it also provides valuable annotations from legal experts to the transcripts highlighting the important points of the arguments for the general audience.

 

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PIL – Project Information Literacy

Mar 23rd, 2012 by

PIL, or Project Information Literacy, is a multi-phase research project conducted on public and private college and university campuses across the United States.  Reports began appearing in early 2009.  The first report, What Today’s College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age,  found students are frustrated by such things as

  • too much information
  • beginning and getting started on research projects
  • trying to find the perfect source
  • not knowing what to look for
  • conducting research to meet another’s expectations
  • information overload (p. 4)

Another interesting revelation .. 

Most of the students we interviewed—8 out of 10—were self-described procrastinators. There was a strong consensus among students that they waited until course-related research assignments were nearly due to begin or to really expend time and effort on an assignment. That is, a large majority of students reported spending three hours on research and another two hours on writing—one or two days before a 5-7 page course-related research paper was due. (p. 7)

The reasons given for procrastinating were to get motivated and out of frustration for not find the right sources.  Students reported feeling anxious, frustration, dread, stress, etc. when assigned a research assignment.  Some did report excitement! (p.8)

Perhaps if instructors and librarians worked together to introduce workable research assignments and then together provided assistance and support throughout the research process,  students would have a more edifying experience. 

Image Source:   25 of the most beautiful college libraries in ithe world.  because im  addicted.   http://becauseimaddicted.net/2012/01/25-of-most-beautiful-college-libraries.html. Accessed March 22, 2012. 

 

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Being Critical (Thinking)

Feb 27th, 2012 by

The phrase critical thinking is seen and heard just abut everywhere in education these days.  Regardless of your role, student,  professor, or administrator, you are expected to know what it is, teach it, and practice it.  Just what is critical thinking?

Well, critical thinking is higher order thinking that involves an evaluation of your thinking process.   According to Dr. Linda Elder, President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, we need to use intellectual standards to evaluate our thinking and the thinking of others.   Why?  Because we are egocentric, we tend to think our own thinking is rational while in fact it can be biased and self serving. 

 Incorporating the intellectual standards (Elder) into your thinking includes questioning the

  • relevance in regard to the issue – What is the precise question being answered?
  • the depth or complexity of the issue - Is there a question we should ask/answer first?
  • the significance of the issue – Is the focus on the big issues?
  • the fairness of the viewpoints – What are  the different viewpoints?

 It is not just our own thinking we must evaluate, but also the thinking of others.  We should use these standards to evaluate information we find on the Internet and the information we gather from articles and books.  We need good information in order to think well and make good decisions. 

For an introductory article on critical thinking, you might be interesting in Elder’s article in HR Matters  “Becoming a critic of your own thinking.”  Elder and Dr. Richard Paul, also from the Foundation for Critical Thinking, co-wrote another interesting piece titled ”Learning the art of critical thinking.”

 

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Add Some Spice to Your Life!

Jan 13th, 2012 by

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Winter Blues

Dec 28th, 2011 by

 

Chicago 2011

The winter blues can get down right awful about now here in Chicago! Never fear.  You can always turn to your library for a diversion. 

If you are a reader, try these sites for some ideas.

The New York Times 100 Notable Books

NPR’s Best Books

Publishers Weekly Best Books

Different Book Awards for 2011

You will also see a tab at the top of this page for goodreads.  Perhaps you might have time to join an interesting discussion group. 

No money?  Hey that’s OK.  You can request those interesting books through interlibrary loans.  We will contact you when the books arrive.  Usually it only takes a couple of days.  You simply have to come to the library and pick them up.  When you  are through, simply return the books to our library.

While you are waiting for those books to arrive, take a look at our DVD collection.  You should find something capable of transporting you to another more interesting place.  If you don’t have access to a player, view it in the library.  If you like to munch or sip on something, you can bring it along with you!

And remember, the days are getting longer, the sun is getting stronger,  and Spring is on its way….

 

 

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