The Future of Academic Reading: E-books and E-readers

We’ll be live-blogging both sessions of the Future of Academic Reading today, so if you can’t make it, tune in!

(First Session starts at 10:30 am. Come join us if you can! There’s food!)

We have eight panelists here to discuss their use of ebooks and ereaders. Pretty good crowd for Monday morning after Spring Break.

Panelist breakdown: Professor (3); Student (3 seniors); Grad Student (3);

Devices currently used to read full-length books: Kindle (5); iPad (1); phone (1); nook (1)

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Question 1: What device do you use to read full-length books? How long have you had it? What made you decide to try one? Have you tried any other devices?

Andy, on what made him like the Kindle: [Sony 500 eReader (recreation reading); Kindle (recreation; research reading)] “The good thing about this is I can underline and take notes and they are automatically synced with my computer.”

Chad, on what he likes about e-readers: [Kindle (pleasure reading plus homework)] “I can even see what other people have marked. There’s an option to see the Most Marked Passages and see what other people are finding important. It’s almost like having a discussion.”

Kristy, on kids using the iPad: [doesn’t own any sort of e-reader; uses her computer to read ebooks and pdfs. She does check-out an iPad to take to a 3rd grade classroom to study the difference of how kids interact with the ebook compared to print] “Kids seem to find [the iPad] really easy to use and it’s adaptable.”

Bethany, on a downside of the Kindle: [Kindle (leisure reading)] “Can’t imagine taking a text-book and reading it on a 6-inch screen.”

Savilla, on possible distractions reading on an iPad: [nook; Kindle; iPad; phone] “I read in a hyperlinked way, anyway.”

Willie: [phone, using the Kindle app] “You get used to [reading on a phone] and you realize you can read a few pages on the bus or wherever.”

Simon, on why he wanted the Kindle: [Kindle] “I’m an early adopter of technologies, so I coveted it.”

Alex, on switching to Kindle: [Kindle (pleasure reading, database articles, ILLiad articles); Kindle app on Mac] “I bought my Kindle for two reasons. One because I packed up all my books when I moved to Bowling Green and I never want to do that again. And the other reason is when I was looking at textbook prices.”

Christine, on choosing nook: [nook (pleasure reading)] “I tried a Kindle, but I wanted to be able to buy more space for it and I liked that it was run by Android.”

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Question 2: Where and when are you using your ereader? What kind of e-books do you read? Have you tried different kinds of content?

Gwen, our moderator, notes that a few of our panelists seem to be reading more because they own e-readers. Chad agrees, but says that change has only started for him.

Kristy, who is studying the comprehension differences for print and ebooks (on an iPad) in 3rd graders, noted that she actually didn’t find a huge difference in comprehension between the formats, but the kids all wanted to read from the iPad and were more focused because of it.

While many of our panelists prefer to read in their homes, a few noted that the ereaders have enabled them to read on the run, for shorter periods of time. (Also of note, only three people said they carried books with them everywhere they went before owning an ereader.)

Simon is our first panelist to admit that he does still buy physical books because he likes the package of the physical book. (A self-proclaimed bibliophile.)

Two panelists have said that poetry is not readable on the Kindle.

An audience member says that he can now read in the car on his Kindle, whereas reading a print book would make him car sick.

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Question 3: In an ideal world, how would the library supply ebooks to you? Which ebooks do you want? How would you get them from the library? How would you be able to use them?

One of our panelists would love access to as much material as possible on their ereader, while another would really just like new releases.

Savilla, one of the professors on our panel, would like the library as an institution to help work out license issues. She would love to be able to purchase x-number of licenses for ebooks or apps, have that go to the individuals in her class, then have them expire at the end of the term.

Willie thinks that simultaneous uses is the way to go. He doesn’t want to have to wait for ebooks like he does for physical books that are in use.

Alex just added a second on getting new material in the library in e-form. He would also like a way to request a book and having it delivered (and renewable) on his Kindle. In addition, he would like the databases to have more HTML full-text because the PDF full-text doesn’t really jive with Kindle and he spends a lot of time reformatting.

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Questions from the audience:

How much research did you do before you purchased your e-reader?

Most of our panelists did SOME research (if they didn’t receive it as a gift) before purchasing. Cost factored in for most, but others asked people they saw using ereaders in public. From the audience we had one person purchase a nook because the library option and someone else purchased a Kindle because it didn’t drastically change their reading experience.

How long would you like an ereader to circulate from the library?

Two weeks or longer. (With the ability to get books/apps/etc.)

________________________________________________________________________

That’s it for the first session! Tune back in for the afternoon session!

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Animoto

I’m thinking this might be the next thing after Prezi (which I have to admit looks super cool but i have yet to use).

Animoto: http://animoto.com/
“Video Slideshow Maker with Music”

Now to find a pile of music in the public domain….

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CFP: Visual Literacy Standards Task Force

Do you work with students on projects involving images and visual media? Do you teach image research, analysis, evaluation, or citation skills, or are you looking for ways to incorporate visual literacy instruction into the curriculum? We would like to hear from you!

 

The ACRL/IRIG visual Literacy Standards Task Force has recently released draft ACRL/IRIG Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. We are looking for educators interested in testing implementation of parts of the draft Standards, then presenting about the experience at ALA 2011 in New Orleans. We are seeking proposals that outline your ideas for implementing parts of the Standards, and using the Standards as tools for pursuing visual literacy with college and university students. We welcome all proposals from individuals or teams, and especially encourage submissions from librarians, faculty, archivists, curators, educational technologists, visual resources professionals, and others with experience working with students and visual materials in higher education.

 

Proposals should include:

  • Your name, title, and institution
  • A brief statement about your interest or experience with visual literacy
  • The Standard(s) or Performance Indicator(s) from the draft ACRL/IRIG Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education you would like to implement
  • A general description of the student population and course, assignment, or setting where you plan to incorporate visual literacy learning outcomes from the draft Standards
  • Some of your ideas for implementation strategies, possibly including ideas for learning objects or instructional materials, classroom activities, online resources, or assessment methods

 

Proposal Deadline: Friday, March 18, 2011

Send proposals to: Joanna Burgess at burgessj@reed.edu

 

Accepted participants will:

  • Test implementation of one or more Performance Indicator(s) from the draft ACRL/IRIG Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
  • Develop and use one or more learning objects (worksheet, tutorial, web page, activity, etc) in the implementation process
  • Assess student learning based on the Performance Indicator(s) and associated Learning Outcomes selected for implementation
  • Reflect on successes and challenges of the implementation process
  • Discuss your experiences with the ACRL/IRIG Visual Literacy Standards Task Force and provide feedback on the draft Standards
  • Give a 10-minute presentation describing your experiences in the ALA Annual 2011 session “Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education: Introducing a new interdisciplinary information literacy standard for 21st century learners” in New Orleans on Sunday, June 26, 2011, including a handout with the learning object or supporting materials and the assessment method used

 

Ideas for possible Performance Indicators to implement (see the draft Standards document for associated Learning Outcomes and more ideas):

 

The visually literate student…

 

  • identifies a variety of image sources, materials, and types (Standard One, Performance Indicator 2)
  • conducts effective image searches (Standard Two, Performance Indicator 2)
  • situates an image in its cultural, social, and historical contexts (Standard Three, Performance Indicator 2)
  • evaluates the effectiveness and reliability of images as visual communications (Standard Four, Performance Indicator 2)
  • uses technology effectively to work with images (Standard Five, Performance Indicator 2)
  • produces images for a range of projects and scholarly uses (Standard Six, Performance Indicator 1)
  • understands many of the ethical, legal, social, and economic issues surrounding images and visual media (Standard Seven, Performance Indicator 1)

 

Please contact Joanna Burgess (burgessj@reed.edu) or Denise Hattwig (dhattwig@uw.edu) with any questions. For more information about the draft Visual Literacy Standards development process, please see the project blog at http://acrlvislitstandards.wordpress.com/.

 

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

 

Joanna Burgess
Reed College
burgess@reed.edu

 

Denise Hattwig
University of Washington
dhattwig@uw.edu

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CFP for a peer reviewed Virtual Poster Session!

Amy Fry suggested this CFP–I am intrigued by the format.

Are you offering Reference or Instruction services through social media streams such as text messaging, Twitter, or Facebook? Have you evaluated those services to determine their success? Have you applied assessment measures to the transactions or the service as a whole? What methodologies and tools are you using to evaluate? Do traditional methods work? Are you collecting data and reviewing transactions? How are you using the analysis of these services? Have they helped justify additional social media services or identify patron needs?

The Management of Electronic Resources and Services (MERS) Committee and Public Libraries (PL) Committee of RUSA MARS invite you to share your successes and challenges with a Virtual Poster Session. We seek virtual posters which describe how libraries are evaluating and assessing social media reference in their library.

Social media services may include text, Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, FourSquare, or any other new wave of social interaction used to provide Reference service. Evaluation methods can include statistical analysis, patron surveys, transcript analysis, use of standards and guidelines, interface usability testing, or any other method or combination of methods that the library uses to evaluate its service.

Submissions will be subject to a peer review selection process. Accepted posters will be mounted on the American Library Association (ALA) web site before the ALA 2011 Annual Conference and will be announced at the conference.
Presenters will be asked to participate in on-line discussions of their posters through the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) blog (http://rusa.ala.org/blog/).

To apply, please send the following information to MERS Chair Valerie Boulos at
vboulos@fiu.edu:
Primary Contact:
Names of Additional Authors and Their Affiliations:
Poster Session Title:
Abstract (150-200 words):
Proposals will be accepted through 5 p.m. Eastern, Friday, March 4, 2011.
Authors of selected proposals will be contacted by e-mail by March 18, 2011.

Virtual posters can be submitted as Web pages, PowerPoint presentations, or
other formats which can be mounted on the Web. Completed virtual posters must
be submitted to the committee by April 22, 2011. The committee will review the posters and work with the creators on any suggested edits needed for clarity and to comply with ALA and other guidelines.

Questions? Please contact the MERS Chair, Valerie Boulos at vboulos@fiu.edu.

MERS (Management of Electronic Resources and Services ) and PL (Public
Libraries) are committees of the MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference
Section in the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association (ALA).

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CFP from Journal of Scholarly Publishing

Journal of Scholarly Publishing
Call for Papers
Journal of Scholarly Publishing targets the unique issues facing the scholarly publishing industry today. It is the indispensable resource for academics and publishers that addresses the new challenges resulting from changes in technology, funding and innovations in publishing. In serving the wide-ranging interests of the international academic publishing community, JSP provides a balanced look at the issues and concerns, from solutions to everyday publishing problems to commentary on the philosophical questions at large.

JSP welcomes cutting-edge articles and essays for consideration which address issues surrounding the publishing world in a time of great change. Materials for publication may be from either an academic or a practitioner perspective but should contribute to the current publishing debate. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
Please send submissions as a Word document to:

Tom Radko, Editor
tradko@ala-choice.org
For submission guidelines, visit: www.utpjournals.com/jsp

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Michigan Library Association conference

The MLA 2011 conference is on May 5-6, 2011, in Grand Rapids MI, which is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from BG. This year’s theme is Academic Libraries: Innovate, Collaborate, Connect. This might be a good opportunity for professional development without breaking the bank.

The program is not available yet, but this conference might be one to consider each year–either to present or attend–as it is still relatively close to us.

http://www.mla.lib.mi.us/node/1239

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CFP: Ohio Learning Network Spring Colloquium

Ohio Learning Network Hosts First Annual Spring Colloquium!

The Ohio Learning Network invites higher education faculty, staff and administrators to attend the First Annual OLN Spring Colloquium, April 11-12, 2011 at the Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Learning Network Colloquium: Best Practices Using Technology for Teaching, Learning and Student Services will provide opportunities for Ohio Higher Education Institutions to share best practices for using technology in the general areas of Student Services and Teaching and Learning. As eLearning in Ohio continues to grow, the need for additional eStudent Services and re-tooled academic pedagogies require educators to adapt and adopt new practices in the classroom and beyond. Learn about best practices, administration, new strategies, and what works and what doesn’t from your colleagues around the state.

OLN seeks interactive and engaging proposals in five different presentation modes.  Visit http://www.oln.org/conferences/OLN2011/ to review the Request for Proposals (RFP). Proposal submissions will be accepted until February 14, 2011 and accepted presenters will be notified by March 1, 2011.

Online registration for the First Annual OLN Spring Colloquium will be available in February via the colloquium web site: http://www.oln.org/conferences/OLN2011/ . Visit the colloquium web site for additional information.

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Ohio INOV8: CFP Due January 31, 2011

The Academic Library Association of Ohio’s Distance Learning Interest Group (DLIG) is pleased to announce that the 2011 Spring Workshop, INOV8: Revitalizing Distance Learning, is scheduled for Friday, May 13, 2011, at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. The workshop will focus on ways to revitalize your approach to distance learning by looking at current practices, emerging technologies and trends, and possibilities for the future.

We are accepting proposals for presentations that will motivate and inspire our distance learning colleagues. We especially welcome submissions that feature innovative use of freely available technologies, successful strategies for connecting to our students and faculty, or tips for librarianship in learning management systems or online courses.

Proposals should be 250-400 words in length and include a very brief bio of the presenter(s), as well as links to any publicly viewable electronic materials referenced.  The DLIG Planning Committee will select from the proposals submitted. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 31, 2011.

For more details or to submit a proposal, please email:
Christina Bonner at bonnerc@ohiodominican.edu and Kathleen Pickens-French at pickenke@muohio.edu.

Christina L. Bonner, Ph.D., M.L.I.S.

Head, Library Reference & Instruction Services

Ohio Dominican University Library

1216 Sunbury Road | Columbus, OH 43219

614.251.4585 | bonnerc@ohiodominican.edu

For Reference & Research Assistance: 614.251.4754 | refdesk@ohiodominican.edu

Posted in Call for Proposals. Comments Off on Ohio INOV8: CFP Due January 31, 2011

How to Fail in Grant Writing — from Chron of Higher Ed

Tips from 6 biology professors on how to make sure your grant proposal is rejected. Some tips are science specific, but some apply to all grants; and some apply to all article writing.

See also:

How does your grant compare

How to write an Outreach Grant proposal

Posted in Tools: Professional Development, Writing. Comments Off on How to Fail in Grant Writing — from Chron of Higher Ed

Print What You Like

No really, print only what you like at http://www.printwhatyoulike.com/

This site lets you remove items from websites (think ads or banners) and then print what is left (content!). Very useful when printing LibGuides for professional portfolios, etc.

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