Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guests, Elliott Shore (Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)) and Christa Williford (Program Officer, Council on Library and Information Resources) explore the emerging ecology of positions and roles in Higher Education and examine the roles libraries and allied departments might play in relation to the emerging Alt-Academic movement. Continue reading The Evolution of the Academy: Alt-Ac and the Future of the Library→

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guests, Brian Mathews, Gardner Campbell and Shelli Fowler, all from Virginia Tech University, invite you to attend the next Blended Librarians webcast. In this session “Augmenting the Learner Experience & Awaking the Digital Imagination” our guests will explore new directions in teaching and learning. From studio-based experimental classrooms to establishing online domains and awakening the digital imagination, this session presents a discovery-oriented outlook for instructional endeavors. Continue reading Augmenting the Learner Experience & Awaking the Digital Imagination: new media, new pedagogies, & new possibilities→

Building an online community works in a similar way to growing a garden. You plant a seed (provide an online platform), water and feed (engage and share with larger communities) and you will develop some sort of community. It will not however, be what you envision if you are not willing to weed and prune it. By this I mean moderate and, if necessary, limit who can join and get rid of the rabble rousers. Part of facilitating and managing a community is keeping it focused and you cannot do this with flame wars erupting weekly. Continue reading Communities of Conscious Design: Planting and Pruning Your Way to an Effective Online Community→

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guest, Jonathan Finkelstein, Founder and Executive Producer of LearningTimes and Director of the BadgeStack Project, invite you to attend the next Blended Librarians webcast. In this session, we will explore the latest thinking around the use of Digital Badges as an engagement strategy and as a form of microcredential or certification. Continue reading Digital Badges for Learning: Exploring the Possible Impact on Higher Education & Libraries→

In this session “Evolving as a Blended Librarian” we will explore the many different paths to becoming a Blended Librarian. For some it happens on the job as their work requires more instructional design and technology activity. For others it may develop through their interest in integrating the library into the teaching and learning process. And yet for others they enter the library workplace as a skilled instruction designer or Blended Librarian. Continue reading Evolving as a Blended Librarian: A Conversation with Three Blended Librarians→

Sustainability is not just about fuel efficient cars, composting and ethically sourced food. The concept is also readily applicable to library instruction programs, many of which are on unsustainable paths. Incorporating more online instruction holds great promise, but does not have to mean expensive tutorial creation software and web conferencing suites, expansive embedded librarian initiatives, or burnt out teaching librarians at mid-semester. This webcast will provide practical tips and resources for creative, cost-effective and sustainable online library instruction using the cycle of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Continue reading Reaching Sustainability with Online Library Instruction: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle→

Steven Bell and John Shank, co-founders of the Blended Librarians Online Learning Community and their guests, Elliott Shore (Executive Director of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)) and Christa Williford (Program Officer, Council on Library and Information Resources) explore the emerging ecology of positions and roles in Higher Education and examine the roles libraries and allied departments might play in relation to the emerging Alt-Academic movement. Continue reading The Evolution of the Academy: Alt-Ac and the Future of the Library→

A wave of books and articles, including Mark Bauerlein?s The Dumbest Generation, are calling attention to the declining analytical skills of college students. They read far less. They seem incapable of critical thought and debate. They take the research path of least resistance. And perhaps worst of all, they seem above constructive criticism. Is digital technology at the root of the dumber generation or is technology simply a convenient scapegoat? Some technology advocates, such as Marc Prensky, suggest that the students are fine, and that the educators are the ones who need to change their ways. Continue reading Dumbest Younger Generation or Clueless Older Educators: What Librarians Can Do To Promote Student Excellence→

Planning training and professional development for library staff or for yourself? Have limited funds? How can e-learning be a solution for your library or institution? Many innovative technologies are available in delivering flexible and inexpensive on-site programs. This free online program — which was webcast live from the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim — featured some current trends in e-learning as addressed by creators, experts, and librarians involved with virtual learning, the role of the e-learner, and the use of virtual space in training and development via e-learning. This was a joint program by CJCLS, CLS, and DLS. Continue reading Learning Virtually: Online Professional Development for Library Workers with Tight Budgets and Full Schedules→