ALA 2011 Conference Sessions notes
Designing a Specialty Commons
Charles Forrest, Emory University
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Pursue a strategic focus
Make space flexible through variety
Phase in moving target technologies
David Woodbury, NC State
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“programming the space”- offering programs to make the space more attractive
Zones as different areas of workspaces
Ran Student Peer Lab workshops in public spaces
Perceptive pixel screen- cool (http://www.perceptivepixel.com/)
Herman Miller SAYL Chairs
Formalized support of the space
Resource: www.learningspacetoolkit.com
o Assessment of learning spaces
o Best types of tools for a space
Jesse Silva, UC Berkeley
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Data lab was staffed by 2 full time employees and 3 students
Reduced hours (like 10-3 M-Th)
Gary Strong, UCLA
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Branding the space
They have a mantra- journey, discovery, collaboration
They have all the same things we do
Jennifer Green, U Mich
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All Steelcase/Turnstone furniture
Assessment Tools and Techniques
Annette Day, NC State
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Journal backfile value study
Collection views database
o Spending plus demographics for each department
o Establish a connection i.e. $x supports the Physics department
Keep or cancel journal review
o Used a Google web form
o Weighted responses based on area of expertise
Megan Oakleaf, Syracuse
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AMAZING speaker- lots of published articles that sound excellent
Value of Academic Libraries Toolkit (ACRL Report- http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/- MUST READ)
(http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/valueofacademiclibrariestoolkit.cfm)
Shift in the profession from:
o Products to Service
o Collections to experience
o Mediation to Enabling
o Resources to Educational Impact
o Facility to People
o Skills to Impact
Assessment within pedagogy
Understanding by design
o What do you want students to learn (outcome)
o How will you know (assessment)
o What activities will you use (teaching method)
 Let them do it. If they can, yay.
Learning and assessment should happen at the same time
Evidence as artifacts
o ex. role plays
Product (i.e. research paper) versus Process (role play, show your work, brainstorming)
Oakleaf highly recommends assessment management systems
o there is a list in the Value of Academic Libraries Value Report
(http://www.acrl.ala.org/value/)
o these systems are for higher ed, not library-specific
Accreditation- Regional and Program
o need data on what students are able to do because of their interaction with the library
Voluntary framework for accountability
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authentic product assessment within learning
whatever you do (good or bad), publish your results
Steve Hiller, University of Washington
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Sample evaluation:
o Program Narrative
 Key goals, approaches
o Evaluation Criteria
 Size, diversity, uniqueness, impact, faculty input
o Metrics
o ex. journals are more important than books to health science faculty- budget for health
science journals should be higher than book budget!
ACRL Instruction Section- Making Information Literacy Meaningful Through Creativity
Speakers:
Randy Hensley, Baruch College
Dane Ward, Illinois State University
Beth Woodard, U Illinois Urbana- Champaign
Each speaker took a word or phrase and elaborated on it with ideas and a resource for further reading:
RH: Wonder
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imagination makes change accessible
makes learning less scary
D. Thomas A New Culture of Learning
DW: Contested
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challenges- more work, ends the process
framing new ideas
building a network
Hargrave and Van de Ven Acad. of Manag Rev 31(4) 868-888
BW: Creation
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involves all of the other processes of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Anderson
RH: Play
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lowers the risk of creative problem solving
involves physical senses- drawing, sounds
analysis after something creative
D. Pink A Whole New Mind (games, humor, joyfulness)
DW: Generative Mechanism
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something that causes events to happen in the real world
Sminia, H. (2009) Int. Journal Manag. Res. 11(1) 97-125.
BW: Synthesis
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creativity- ability to interweave known with the new in innovative ways
Barkley, E. Student Engagement Techniques for Synthesis and Creative Thinking (chapter in
book)
RW: Empathy
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be WHO the students are
starts with Google (in LI) as frame of reference
self-esteem
activities in class that relate to their growing sense of self
Palmer Courage to Teach
DW: Socially Constructed
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Passion
moral purpose
commitment to growing relationships
BW: Motivation
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“how to unlock your Creative Motivation” Bruce Stanley, Working Day (blog) 5.23.11
RH: Design
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“your class is a place where students are free to participate”
purpose-freedom-respect
showed class a photo and asked “if you were to give a presentation about this, what questions
would you need answered?”
brainstorming results is teaching tool and artifact (assessment)
Weiner, Mary Ellen Learner Centered Teaching
DW: Sensemaking
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like social construction- making sense together
Marks-Tarlow Creativity Inside Out
o activities for each personality type
RH: Assessment
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use mechanisms that will tell us about the learning process
Stephen Brookfield, The Skillful Teacher
DW: Organizational Diversity
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High diversity
high ability to integrate diversity
Jason Young (president’s program speaker)
BW: Problem Solving
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what is the SECOND right answer- help them find other solutions
RH: Inventiveness
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Alane Starko Creativity in the Classroom
DW: Local is Global
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you are a reflection of the way your institution works
my note:
do assessment of one on one versus lecture (same class, different methods) and compare effectiveness