An interesting thing (for me) happened while attending a workshop titled, “It’s the Millennium: Do you know where your users are?” Offered by the California Clearinghouse for Library Instruction, it was a forum for three professionals in the field to present their findings and experience with their interaction with this specific user group. Dr. Alison J. Head, the Roy and Patricia Disney Visiting Professor in New Media Communications at Saint Mary’s College discussed the results of her recent study of junior and senior undergraduates and their approach to academic research assignments (procrastination is borne out of a place of confusion and the unknown, not social distraction as common belief asserts).
Michelle Leigh Jacobs, Emerging Technologies and Web Coordinator of College Library at the University of California, Los Angeles, shared her experience and discussed how libraries and librarians must re-evaluate their methods of providing services in order to meet the information needs of this new generation using the library (using communication tools like: instant messaging; text messaging; online chat, and email, reference services increased; while in-person reference interviews continue to lag).
And finally, Stephen Abram, current Special Library Association president and Vice President Innovation for SirsiDynix and Chief Strategist for SyrsiDinix Institute, shared his insight on the challenges the professional field faces, and how librarians and libraries can utilize current and emerging technolgies (open source; pilot programs; social graph platforms; and of course, Google, My Space, and Facebook) to continue being “present” in the minds of the library user when navigating the explosion of information.
The workshop was absolutely inspiring and provided much food for thought. I hope that others felt the same!
I’ll close with a link to a video created by Dr. Michael Wesch, Digital Ethnography professor at Kansas State University, “A Vision of Students Today.” Linda Smith, one of the facilitators of this workshop, opened the session with this video. It set the tone, not only for the workshop, but for the field as it faces the challenges of remaining a presence in the minds of the millennial student.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Alison J. Head, CCLI, Facebook, Google, Michelle Leigh Jacobs, Millennial, My Space, Stephen Abram
Though I think Wesch raises some interesting points and issues to consider, I found this video to be much more pandering than his previous infamous “Web 2.0″ video (which I enjoyed very much). Yes, students are surfing Facebook during class on their laptops. But it’s not entirely up to us to change that, or to target Facebook et. al. to cater and kowtow. Students have to be willing to engage and learn, which is something I see lacking in people who choose to place priority on watching tv and reading online profiles rather than education. Yes, we should encourage engagement by utilizing the technologies we have at our disposal (something I thought the Web 2.0 video touched on quite well). But I think all of this is fruitless if people simply don’t care about learning.
That’s probably a very unsympathetic non-Millienial viewpoint, I understand.
ps> Have you read Everything is Miscellaneous yet? The video’s analogy of physical classroom vs. digital student base reminded of it. I have a copy you can borrow if the one in the library is checked out.
Thanks for the kind thoughts about my recent presentation to CCLI.
Just for the record, I did not actually show the Wesch video. Linda Smith showed it before I began my presentation.
I did, however, show a video we made about our 2007 study at St. Mary’s College, which is available at:http://youtube.com/watch?v=ax8nzkDqhLU
Happy viewing and thanks once again for asking both myself and Sarah Vital to speak at this year’s CCLI event.
Thank you for the correction Dr. Head!