George D. Kuh – ‘What matters to student success: the promise of high impact practices’

George D. Kuh – ‘What matters to student success: the promise of high impact practices’

This was a spectacular and inspirational talk. Dr Kuh was engaging and very entertaining, an expert in this field – it was a fabulous opportunity to learn from him.

He began by outlining that we want students to do/our major tasks as educators:

• reflect (think about their thinking)
• apply (transfer and use what they have learned in novel situations) and
• integrate (connect relevance of their courses, with activities outside of class, their life etc).

The idea of ‘high impact learning’ was discussed in the context of the United States of America’s university system, however it is considerably parallel to our own here in Australia. As a basis, there are increased numbers of students, as well as a diversity in their backgrounds and levels of preparation. There is an increase in fees and a strain on resources.

Embedding Information Research Skills with Dr Karey Harrison

At the university I have been working at, I was able to attend an inspiring peer learning seminar.

It’s focus was on embedding information research skills within courses and was presented by Dr Karey Harrison. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to think about how we can encourage students to develop their research skills, especially since I was recently a student doing this myself!

Educating cultural heritage information professionals for Australia’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums

“This research explored the skills, knowledge and qualities, and professional education needs, of information professionals in galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAM) in Australia.”

Source: Educating cultural heritage information professionals for Australia’s galleries, libraries, archives and museums

This paper by Katherine Howard is a great continuation of the previous discussion initiated in the 2015 Whyte Memorial Lecture (see previous post). There is now more than ever increased opportunities for “collaboration and convergence between institutions” in the GLAMR sectors, and thus a need to educate professionals to work across these blurred boundaries. While it is unlikely that the different areas will all become one, the research in this article shows the intersection of skills across sectors and the similarities are quite interesting – there is so much we can all learn from each other!

‘Cultural Weeding’ Workshop

A few months back, I attended a full day workshop through the School Library Association of Victoria (SLAV). It was called ‘Cultural Weeding’ and was run by Kevin Hennah, who also authored the book ‘Rethink’.

Kevin is a consultant, originally from the retail field, who works with libraries to rethink and upgrade their layout and culture for the 21st Century. His workshop “showcases forward thinking and innovative initiatives. A collection of ideas that…need to be embraced or at least considered in order to keep libraries relevant for many years to come.” While I focus mainly on the school library, these ideas are also easily applicable to public and other libraries.

My Youth Programs & Ideas (Engaging Youth in Libraries Part 2)

One of my favourite things about working in a high school library is using my creativity to engage the students to come in and enjoy our collections and events. I want them to view the library as a safe haven, and a fun place to spend their time. I want them to know they can come to the library whenever they want to relax, read, play, or need help with school stuff. This post will discuss the programs I have run, and some ideas I have for the future to continue to engage youth in the library.

GLAMR New Professionals Meetup

Last week I attended a GLAMR New Professionals meetup at ‘Fall from Grace’ in Melbourne CBD.

You can visit the GLAMR New Professionals Twitter and Facebook page to see some great photos of the night, and join the group!

The meetup was another fantastic opportunity to meet like minded individuals from all across the GLAMR sector. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to chat to some ladies who work in a variety of Museum and Gallery areas. Their work sounds so interesting I wish I had more time to pick their brains! One woman I spoke to was working for Museums Australia with developing their standards for accreditation, and another worked for the Shrine of Remembrance with their exhibitions. I was enthralled, I really know so little about theses areas and it was a great opportunity to chat.

2015 Whyte Memorial Lecture

Last night I attended the annual Whyte Memorial Lecture run by Monash University. It is a free event and one worth attending if you are in the GLAMR field.

“The annual Whyte Memorial Lecture celebrates the legacy of the late Jean Whyte and her sister Phyllis. Professor Jean Whyte was the foundation professor in the Graduate School of Librarianship at Monash University. The sisters left generous bequests to Monash to support research in librarianship, archives and records, and to support the library’s research collection in English literature, librarianship and philosophy.” (Monash University website)

This years topic was ‘Keeping, forgetting, and misreading digital material: libraries learning from archives and recordkeeping practice’ presented by Professor Ross Harvey from RMIT University. The event was live tweeted and you can get a broad idea of the event from Jaye Weatherburn’s storify here.

In the invitation I received to attend (as a Monash alumni) the topic was described:

Library @ The Dock Youth Unconference – ‘Outside the Lines’ (and Part 1 on Engaging Youth in Libraries)

The ‘Outside the Lines’ Youth Unconference at the Library at the Dock (unconference – “a loosely structured conference emphasizing the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants, rather than following a conventionally structured programme of events”) was an amazing experience. It was totally free and even provided morning and afternoon tea. The presenters were all young and had interesting insights. It was held in a beautiful location on a wonderful sunny day. I had a blast!

Their unconference description:“It is your chance to gain insight into what young adults are interested in, how libraries can support and collaborate with them and how we can broaden our thinking about young people into a more creative, flexible and innovative framework that will take libraries outside the lines. By participating you will have the opportunity to: Hear first-hand from young people and their experiences with the library and community organisations.”

Professional Development, Memberships & Networking

It is really very important to keep up to date with new developments, innovations, ideas, issues and so forth in our field. You need to be a life-long learner if you are going to succeed in Libraryland 😉 Things are constantly changing; the way we utilise space, new technologies, what is expected of us, how we are viewed and how we must justify ourselves. There is a lot to learn. Not only this, it is important to network and get to know other professionals. You need to create relationships. These are especially helpful if you have a question or need some guidance, or more employment. So where to start? There are a few things you can do: