Knowledge is created through conversation. Libraries are in the knowledge business. Therefore libraries are in the conversation business. This seemingly simple set of statements has profound implications for how libraries are run, and how they measure success. For example, it casts library services as centered on learning, and not access. This presentation will cover the basics of participatory librarianship, and talk about the need for librarians to become change agents within their own libraries and the communities they serve. Continue reading Participatory Librarianship and Change Agents→

For a nation to flourish in the emerging knowledge economy, the opportunities of the Information Age must be exploited to full advantage. In 1995, Canada developed a “Connecting Canadians” strategy to lead the country towards becoming the most connected country Continue reading Canadian Information Service Professionals Discuss National Information Infrastructure and Trends in Library Service in Canada→

Courseware (i.e. Blackboard, WebCT) is increasingly being used to augment classroom instruction. Teaming up with faculty and administrators using courseware, librarians can enhance library instruction and strategically place library services and resources. This session will examine how to improve student Continue reading The Courseware Solution: Integrating Library Services into the Blended Classroom→

Participants will learn about the creation and testing of a wireless scanner book truck to reduce the overall cost of copying and scanning services such as Interlibrary Loan, etc.

At the Abilene Christian University Library, the budget was supplemented by selling books on eBay that were duplicates or had been discarded. In calendar year 2002, the library made over $900 in book sales. Of that total, $377 was used Continue reading Using e-Bay and PayPal to Supplement the Library Budget→

Vaidhyanathan’s “radical and original explanation of the future of information is a warning shot that will mobilize anarchists and controllers alike.

Community is a term that is especially important, and especially problematic, in education today. We use computers, the Internet, and other means of telecommunications to link more kinds of people, in more kinds of ways, than ever before. But these Continue reading Collaboration: Building Community Online and On Campus→