{"title":"The Information Manifold: Why Computers Can’t Solve Algorithmic Bias and Fake News. By Antonio Badia","authors":"M. Sullivan","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2021-0049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2021-0049","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49572988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soft skills, or intra- and interpersonal skills such as writing, customer service, and flexibility, are highly sought by library and information science employers. A perceived gap in soft skills has led to suggestions that LIS programs are not adequately addressing these skills in their curricula, and to calls for them to do more. However, no study has examined the extent to which LIS faculty currently are providing direct instruction of soft skills in their courses. The researchers employed a nationwide survey to explore whether and how LIS faculty are teaching soft skills. The findings suggest that faculty are incorporating a range of soft skills into their courses but are relying heavily on passive over active learning. The results could have implications for course and curriculum design.
{"title":"The Importance of Soft Skills to LIS Education","authors":"L. Saunders, Stephen Bajjaly","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2020-0053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0053","url":null,"abstract":"Soft skills, or intra- and interpersonal skills such as writing, customer service, and flexibility, are highly sought by library and information science employers. A perceived gap in soft skills has led to suggestions that LIS programs are not adequately addressing these skills in their curricula, and to calls for them to do more. However, no study has examined the extent to which LIS faculty currently are providing direct instruction of soft skills in their courses. The researchers employed a nationwide survey to explore whether and how LIS faculty are teaching soft skills. The findings suggest that faculty are incorporating a range of soft skills into their courses but are relying heavily on passive over active learning. The results could have implications for course and curriculum design.","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45112700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Hollister, G. Burnett, Jisue Lee, Julia Skinner
Dissertation work is traditionally a solo, perhaps isolating, endeavor. In qualitative content analysis in the social sciences, the student applies a codebook, whether of their own creation or an adaptation of an existing theory or framework, which is appropriate to their research context and method without collaborating with others. The theory of information worlds provides an analytical framework to analyze information behavior and use in social contexts without ascribing to or prescribing a particular methodology or approach. This article describes and discusses a novel collaborative effort to operationalize and develop codebooks for the theory of information worlds which was used across three methodologically diverse dissertations. Implications for methodology, pedagogy, and dissertation work are also discussed, with an emphasis on the ways in which a project such as this might inform the future teaching practices of doctoral students.
{"title":"Collaborative Codebook Development Across Information Worlds: Intersections Between Pedagogy, Theory, and Method in Three Dissertations","authors":"J. Hollister, G. Burnett, Jisue Lee, Julia Skinner","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2020-0095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0095","url":null,"abstract":"Dissertation work is traditionally a solo, perhaps isolating, endeavor. In qualitative content analysis in the social sciences, the student applies a codebook, whether of their own creation or an adaptation of an existing theory or framework, which is appropriate to their research context and method without collaborating with others. The theory of information worlds provides an analytical framework to analyze information behavior and use in social contexts without ascribing to or prescribing a particular methodology or approach. This article describes and discusses a novel collaborative effort to operationalize and develop codebooks for the theory of information worlds which was used across three methodologically diverse dissertations. Implications for methodology, pedagogy, and dissertation work are also discussed, with an emphasis on the ways in which a project such as this might inform the future teaching practices of doctoral students.","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42752746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Libraries and Nonprofits: Collaboration for the Public Good. Edited by Tatiana Bryant and Jonathan O. Cain","authors":"Kerol Harrod","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2021-0026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2021-0026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48430770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Library and information science (LIS) research is becoming more quantitative. However, statistics is not extensively taught within LIS research methods courses, and statistics courses are uncommon within LIS programs. Previous research on statistics in LIS revealed that researchers have mainly relied on descriptive statistics in publications. This article argues that LIS’s partner disciplines, such as sociology, emphasize statistical training more so than do LIS programs at the master’s level. Sociology serves as an appropriate comparison to LIS because of its central status in the development of both qualitative and quantitative research methods and its relevance for library science. The author analyzed the curricular requirements of 109 master’s degree programs (47 sociology and 62 LIS programs) and 81 research methods syllabi (60 in sociology and 21 in LIS). The analysis of master’s in LIS (MLIS) and sociology MA curricula revealed that MLIS students took 0.6 research methods courses while sociology MA students took 2.7 methods courses. LIS programs typically required one methods course, whereas sociology MA programs required three. LIS methods courses spent on average 19% of instructional time on statistics, whereas 64% of sociology MA programs’ instruction in methods focused on statistical analysis. 86% of LIS research methods courses covered descriptive statistics and only 38% of LIS courses discussed inferential statistics. Statistical training in LIS programs remains limited. LIS departments could approach statistical training as sociology has done by teaching inferential statistics and other advanced techniques. Thereafter, information professionals can publish more widely and provide improved research support.
{"title":"Statistics Training in Library Science: Comparing Approaches in Library and Information Science to Sociology Graduate Programs","authors":"Jung Mee Park","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2020-0080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0080","url":null,"abstract":"Library and information science (LIS) research is becoming more quantitative. However, statistics is not extensively taught within LIS research methods courses, and statistics courses are uncommon within LIS programs. Previous research on statistics in LIS revealed that researchers have mainly relied on descriptive statistics in publications. This article argues that LIS’s partner disciplines, such as sociology, emphasize statistical training more so than do LIS programs at the master’s level. Sociology serves as an appropriate comparison to LIS because of its central status in the development of both qualitative and quantitative research methods and its relevance for library science. The author analyzed the curricular requirements of 109 master’s degree programs (47 sociology and 62 LIS programs) and 81 research methods syllabi (60 in sociology and 21 in LIS). The analysis of master’s in LIS (MLIS) and sociology MA curricula revealed that MLIS students took 0.6 research methods courses while sociology MA students took 2.7 methods courses. LIS programs typically required one methods course, whereas sociology MA programs required three. LIS methods courses spent on average 19% of instructional time on statistics, whereas 64% of sociology MA programs’ instruction in methods focused on statistical analysis. 86% of LIS research methods courses covered descriptive statistics and only 38% of LIS courses discussed inferential statistics. Statistical training in LIS programs remains limited. LIS departments could approach statistical training as sociology has done by teaching inferential statistics and other advanced techniques. Thereafter, information professionals can publish more widely and provide improved research support.","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47933709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
During the 2020 spring semester, as COVID-19 infection rates increased, universities and colleges closed campuses and moved courses online. All of these responses occurred as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other national and global health organizations attempted to understand this new and deadly illness. Library and Information Science (LIS) schools were, in particular, ready for this unexpected education shift with their long history of online learning and online engagement. This article is both a reflection on and analysis of the teaching experiences of the author during this period of crisis.
{"title":"An Uneasy, Challenging, Yet Meaningful Experience: A Reflection on a Face-to-Face to Online Synchronous COVID-19 Course Transition","authors":"Abigail Phillips","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2020-0100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0100","url":null,"abstract":"During the 2020 spring semester, as COVID-19 infection rates increased, universities and colleges closed campuses and moved courses online. All of these responses occurred as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other national and global health organizations attempted to understand this new and deadly illness. Library and Information Science (LIS) schools were, in particular, ready for this unexpected education shift with their long history of online learning and online engagement. This article is both a reflection on and analysis of the teaching experiences of the author during this period of crisis.","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43268825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transforming Young Adult Services (2nd ed.) By Anthony Bernier","authors":"Kristie L. Escobar","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2021-0050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2021-0050","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44009817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The information professions demand digitally literate practitioners who can navigate the increasingly complex technological environments of libraries and archives. While basic literacy is presumed among graduate students, many students express fear and anxiety when approaching new technologies. These psychological barriers have not been addressed in the digital literacy discourse, yet they must be overcome if LIS educators are tasked with teaching future professionals to critically engage and evaluate the myriad technologies available for library systems and services. This article describes the introduction to computing course at University of Iowa that uses the Raspberry Pi (RPi) computer as a means for teaching critical digital literacy skills in the LIS curriculum. Designed to afford students opportunities to peer into the black box of the computer and build the confidence and knowledge to engage with unfamiliar technologies, the course adopts active learning pedagogy using the RPi. This article discusses the design and development of the course and presents the self-reported data from students regarding their perceived gain in experience and comfort with computing over the course of the term. While further research is required to fully understand the relationship between anxiety and computing, the findings suggest that adopting a critical digital pedagogy that focuses on the process over the end product provides space within the learning environment for students to take risks and develop heuristics for overcoming anxiety and building literacy skills.
{"title":"Raspberry Pi and Rubber Ducks: Digital Pedagogy and Computer Anxiety in the LIS Classroom","authors":"Lindsay Kistler Mattock","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2018-0062","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2018-0062","url":null,"abstract":"The information professions demand digitally literate practitioners who can navigate the increasingly complex technological environments of libraries and archives. While basic literacy is presumed among graduate students, many students express fear and anxiety when approaching new technologies. These psychological barriers have not been addressed in the digital literacy discourse, yet they must be overcome if LIS educators are tasked with teaching future professionals to critically engage and evaluate the myriad technologies available for library systems and services. This article describes the introduction to computing course at University of Iowa that uses the Raspberry Pi (RPi) computer as a means for teaching critical digital literacy skills in the LIS curriculum. Designed to afford students opportunities to peer into the black box of the computer and build the confidence and knowledge to engage with unfamiliar technologies, the course adopts active learning pedagogy using the RPi. This article discusses the design and development of the course and presents the self-reported data from students regarding their perceived gain in experience and comfort with computing over the course of the term. While further research is required to fully understand the relationship between anxiety and computing, the findings suggest that adopting a critical digital pedagogy that focuses on the process over the end product provides space within the learning environment for students to take risks and develop heuristics for overcoming anxiety and building literacy skills.","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42724005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article argues for the usefulness of experiential learning as a vehicle for democratic civic engagement in North American library and information science programs. First, we explore the literature on service learning, traditionally the primary type of experiential learning in LIS. We define and provide historical context and scrutinize service learning’s benefits and challenges for students, faculty, LIS programs, and parent institutions. Second, we trace the evolution of experiential learning from service learning to community-based learning (CBL); we underline the ways in which such an approach in its epistemology and its practice transcends the traditional service-learning model. Finally, we unpack the novel ways in which one iSchool’s LIS program is implementing community-based learning, namely by embracing data science and design thinking in its pedagogical approach to a new three-course, twelve-credit post-Bachelor’s certificate (PBC). We discuss the institutional context for the certificate, the project partners, the 12 PBC Fellows, and the curriculum, which includes three new courses (Design Thinking for Digital Community Service, Data Analytics for Community-Based Data and Service, and a capstone).
{"title":"“Librarianship as Citizenship”: The Promise of Community-Based Learning in North American Library and Information Science Education","authors":"A. H. Poole, Denise E. Agosto, Xia Lin, E. Yan","doi":"10.3138/jelis-2020-0090","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-2020-0090","url":null,"abstract":"This article argues for the usefulness of experiential learning as a vehicle for democratic civic engagement in North American library and information science programs. First, we explore the literature on service learning, traditionally the primary type of experiential learning in LIS. We define and provide historical context and scrutinize service learning’s benefits and challenges for students, faculty, LIS programs, and parent institutions. Second, we trace the evolution of experiential learning from service learning to community-based learning (CBL); we underline the ways in which such an approach in its epistemology and its practice transcends the traditional service-learning model. Finally, we unpack the novel ways in which one iSchool’s LIS program is implementing community-based learning, namely by embracing data science and design thinking in its pedagogical approach to a new three-course, twelve-credit post-Bachelor’s certificate (PBC). We discuss the institutional context for the certificate, the project partners, the 12 PBC Fellows, and the curriculum, which includes three new courses (Design Thinking for Digital Community Service, Data Analytics for Community-Based Data and Service, and a capstone).","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42058305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The JELIS Book Review Section has a New Editor!","authors":"Kawanna Bright","doi":"10.3138/jelis-63.2-0001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis-63.2-0001","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37587,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Education for Library and Information Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49649947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}