GIVE ME SOME SLACK LINQing Inquiry and Practice for Librarian Learning and Development Vanessa Irvin and Wiebke Reile University of Hawai’i-M ā noa ALISE 2018, Denver, Colorado Note: Images in this presentation are in the public domain unless otherwise noted.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors wish to thank the State Librarian of the Hawai’i State Public Library System (HSPLS), the participating HSPLS librarians who comprised the inquiry group, and the University of Hawai’i-M ā noa Library and Information Science Program ‘ohana (students, faculty, staff, all) for your trust and willingness to explore the LINQ model as a form of professional learning and development. Image source: http://www.hawaii.edu/lis
LINQ as practitioner inquiry The The Librar arian ans Inq nqui uiry F Forum um (LINQ NQ) Inquiry-based professional development model for public librarianship Incorporates online collaboration platforms for discourse Share ideas, artifacts, and data Create a viable LIS community of practice inquiry constructed in the form of narrative collaborative sharing of resources professional learning opportunities that enable ongoing intellectual and technological growth synthesis of services to diverse populations alongside ever-emerging technological environments, occur and impact librarian identity and iterative professional practice frontline librarians learning from one another; LIS students learning from the frontlines decrease isolation of ideas and geography
Slack’s ’s effica cacy cy -- cloud-based chat-driven online collaboration platform -- integrates social online applications for seamless collaboration -- chat, email, video, audio, images -- Google docs, Dropbox, document uploads -- Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, FB -- Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom -- Google Drive, RSS feed, polls, …and more -- all in one interface -- web-based and across devices -- in real-time and/or asynchronous -- while at work, at home, at play, in class -- for immediate professional learning and application -- with built-in analytics Image source: http://www.code-brew.com
LI LINQ i in n action Arti tifacts cts Librarians Slack Slack As s Channe nnels Dat ata “Searchable Log #bigidea Questions Hawai’i State of All Public Library Conversation System (HSPLS) and Knowledge” Narrative #priorities Online 16 branch collaboration managers platform Reader #programming Response All branch managers Cloud-based #library- Images resistance Employs social Across media features 6 islands for heightened Organizational interaction #tech- Documents expectations Geographic Synchronous with isolation a notifications challenge Reflective across devices Methodologies #wishilearned
LINQin NQing w/ w/ Slac ack
LI LINQ d data i in n LI LIS S 601 Shari ring r research d data ta i in th the L LIS classroom -- engages students with actual LIS voicedness -- narrative becomes knowledge becomes wisdom becomes theoretical understanding -- disrupts controlled environment of the classroom -- reveals organic frontline professional experiences ------ strengths ------ challenges ------ questions -- practitioners are the experts in the field, literally -- librarianship becomes real
LINQ NQ d data in informs L LIS studen ent in inquiry LIS s studen ents a asked ed L LINQ NQ r re: e: LIS practice -- Slack channel #advice-new-libs -- Inquiry question: “What are your two tips for new librarians?” -- -- LIS student s nts c collecting ing d data from Libraria ians ns -- -- LIS students s an anal alyzed LINQ L Librar arian ans’ res esponses es i in-class, a and nd id ident ntifie ied 3 themes that addres a essed ed i inqu quiry qu ques estion: -- -- professio iona nal stance s -- -- professio iona nal i ident ntity -- -- professional p pract ctice ce
LI LINQ data i inf nform rms LI LIS S student inq nquiry (Source: LINQ+HSPLS, Slack channel #advice-new-libs, 24 March 2017 – 18 April 2017) Professi ssion onal Stance S Librar arian an1: Don't be afraid to fail! Try something new on a regular basis. Librar arian an2: Don't wait until all the details are just right until starting a new thing. Professi ssion onal I Identi tity ty Librar arian an1: Learn and implement HSPLS Admin Rules, Policies & Procedures. Librar arian an1: [L]ook at the big picture that HSPLS is one system where staff action/decision may have an outcome affecting a branch, support or head office. Librar arian an2: Keep in touch with why you want to be a librarian but work within your organization’s framework. Professi ssion onal P Practice Librar arian an1: I saw a library that had a computer screen facing the patron also so they could see what the librarian was searching for them. Librarian2 response: I've worked at a library with the swivel screen so that patrons could see how you search. We got a lot fewer repeat questions, since after watching the same steps a couple of times, many patrons learned how to complete simple searches themselves! Librarian3 response: Yes, the more the patrons do themselves, the more they remember! Librarian4 response: Teach a man to fish... Librarian5 response: I also like the librarians that carried iPads for searching the stacks and researching a patron question without having to walk back to the ref desk.
LI LIS S student re response t to LI LINQ d data Class response revealed 3 themes that most informed the cohort: 1) the need for synthesis is o of libraria ian i identit ity with organizational vision 2) the requisite of staying abreast of professional a and i inters rsecti tional trends to su sust stain c cultural-professional r relevance ce 3) involving p patrons d during the r reference ce interv rview, which is an important data point that clarifies the earlier question: Is the reference interview still relevant to librarian professional practice?
LIS online teaching becomes “elegant” Spring 201 2017 -- UHM LIS 601 students introduced to the Slack interface via the practitioner inquiry exchange with LINQ. -- LIS 601 student response indicated, Give me some Slack : -- “We should try Slack for class.” -- “ Slack looks way better than Laulima. ” -- “What an elegant platform.” Su Summe mer 2 2017 -- -- UHM LIS full-time faculty use Slack for online classes -- Slack analytics and student course evaluation data reveal enhanced student experience via: -- Slack’s interoperability of social web applications -- Multimodal interactions that resemble the fluidity of face-to-face conversations -- Online interactions and content-sharing involves contemporary social media practices (e.g. emoticons, comments, threads, notifications) Fal all 201 2017 -- Slack is employed as the platform for 2 of 3 online courses offered -- Slack employed in one on-campus course for hybridity
LIS faculty p ty practi titi tioner i insights ts Coursework b becomes m more c collaborative on Slack, creating a user-friendly space for group discourse without having to set up “group work”. For some reason (not yet to be determined at to why), on Slack, instructor/facilitated ques estions s seem eem more welcomed as sites es o of inquiry a and reflec ection, and therefore, contributory to deep eper er learning that enacted epistemological change and identity formation for librarianship (per student evals Summer and Fall 2017). Student nt o output i is more Students are more engaged on the platform, writing more, sharing more, interacting more Slack helps ins nstructor ors e employ a a uni nique inq nquiry-based appr pproach t to c convening LIS L pr pre-service a and nd front ontline ne professi ssionals together to ask practice-based questions in order to explore, resolve, and grow from them, together. Slack is proving to be instrumental in active sy synthesi sis of LI LIS t theo heory a and ped edagogy wi with frontline LI LIS professional p practice.
Thank y you ou for for y you our c con onsideration Vanessa Irvin, Assistant Professor University of Hawai’i-M ā noa Information and Computer Sciences Department Library and Information Science Program 2550 McCarthy Mall 003C Honolulu, Hawai’i 96822 Email: irvinv@hawaii.edu Phone: 808.956.6703 Skype: vanessairvinedd LINQ: http://www.linqforum.com Site: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~irvinv/
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