Lesson no. 7 Folksonomy and Delicious

Once again I’ve discovered something new and exciting.  I had never heard of Delicious but the new discovery has come at just the right time.  Recently I have been frustrated with all the bookmarks that I was creating on my computer.  Since starting the Library Diploma program in September I have so many new bookmarks.  I have been harassing my husband to make sure that everything on the computer is properly backed up especially my bookmarks.  I would be quite upset if I lost all the great bookmarks that I have.  With the new discovery of Delicious I don’t need to stress so much about losing my data.  I also like how the site helps you organize all your bookmarks with tags.  After reading the article by Noruzi I can see how it’s important to find and use the appropriate tags.  This will ensure that the process of sharing your bookmarks with others is successful and is used properly.  However I think that the average person doesn’t really care about this.  As long as your bookmarks are organized in such a way that you can navigate through them with ease then people are happy.  I do think that the websites should try to ensure that the proper tags are recommended so that at least people can choose to use them or not.  I do like the feature on Delicious that recommends tags so it shouldn’t be too complicated for the site to also recommended tags that have the proper descriptive word. 

This lesson has also had me think about how my students do searches at the library.  If they don’t know how to do a proper keyword search they will be quite frustrated.  I think that the teacher-librarians should do a lesson on this so that students can be more successful and increase their chances of finding exactly what they are looking for.  I think this would tie in nicely with lessons on how to do web searches using search engines such as Google and also how to use a directory properly by knowing the sub categories.

Subject headings are so important when cataloguing books and should not be taken lightly.  There needs to be some uniform system such as the Sears subject heading document to be used to make sure that anyone entering your library would be able to do a proper subject search. So many of my students do subject searches and need direction in which keywords to use.   

All too often I assume that students know how to do research online and know how to find books.  The truth is that they don’t and I know at my school this has been overlooked.  Once we get our new computers to access our OPAC I will be doing a few lessons on how to do an effective search.

Lesson no. 6 MARC records

MARC records

Phew!  What a lesson!  This was an interesting lesson and a long and tiring lesson.  Before this lesson I had never even heard of MARC records.  I had never noticed the link to them on library sites.  I honestly never thought that teacher-librarians would need to know something like this.  Boy was I wrong!  There is so much value in knowing how a MARC record works.  First of all it’s important when wanting to create proper display records and also for understanding how to create a proper search. 

To complete part A of my assignment for this lesson I referred to the VPL website.  I analyzed the MARC records and could get a sense of what kind of information was provided and the order.  However when completing part B of the assignment I was left with far more questions than when I started.  There are still many lines that I don’t know what they mean or how to find that information.  The information from the readings was definitely helpful but not all the sections were included.  These are some of the questions and observations I was left with at the end of the assignment. 

The book I chose to write a MARC record for is Anna Kerenina by Leo Tolstoy.  This book has a section on the inside of the book titled: ‘The Library of Congress has catalogued the American hardcover edition as follows: ‘ then they have written all the necessary information for cataloguing.  This will be helpful in doing the MARC record especially in doing the subject category since I know very little about this.  I wish all books had the information so well laid out!

Some of the areas that I missed: 

040 Cataloguing Source- I’m not sure how I find this information.  The VPL MARC record indicates that it’s DLC (Depository Library Council).  I don’t see anything in the book that would indicate this.

041 Language Code

050 Library of Congress call number- I saw the numbers but didn’t know what they referred to.

100- The VPL site has put in ‘graf’. I don’t know what that means. 

240- Uniform title.  I don’t know what is the difference between title and uniform title.

246- Varying form of title

250 and 260 were off but I found this to be quite confusing.  In the book there are the publications for Great Britain and for the US.  I chose the Great Britain publication but I guess I was supposed to choose the American publication.  I’m not sure how you would decide. 

I do feel a little better after having done this activity but I’m quite worried about Assignment #2 in which we have to complete 20 MARC records for different types of ressources. 

Cataloguing- Lesson 5

In looking over the bibliographic record of the Mother Goose book I find that it is quite concise and the information that is given seems to represent the book.  I like how the summary section lists some titles of stories that are included in the collection.  All the details and information given will help students and teachers do their search.  I have noticed that most searches that students do are either title search or keyword search.  Older students and teachers seem to also use author search.  When searching for a book I like to know that I can rely on multiple access points to help me find what I’m looking for.  This bibliographic record covers all the important information needed.  Personally, I always try to put as many key words as possible in the subject area.  I find that students and teachers rely heavily on keyword searches therefore the subject area needs to be complete and precise. 

My cataloguing system is quite simple and doesn’t include all the areas the AACR2R recommends.  Some of the areas that are not included are the ISBN, the physical description and the bibliography access point.  With my little experience I thought that maybe this other information such as the physical description wasn’t necessary.  However after doing the cataloguing activity I see that the more information provided the better.  The students may not use all the access points but the teachers or the teacher librarian may appreciate the many details when choosing a book. 

Our school is looking into having a new cataloguing program and I’m a little overwhelmed in choosing the best program.  The one thing that I will be looking at is a program that offers a complete list of the areas in descriptive cataloguing.  It’s important to have a complete bibliographic record and I think that having the AACR2R is essential in ensuring proper organization in the library.

The Connors articles was a little confusing but the main idea I got was that now with the way computers search for results it doesn’t matter the order of the access points nor is it important to have a main access point.  All the access points can be accessed at the same time.  I’m a firm believer in simplicity.  A simple, organized and clear way of cataloguing is what we should all strive for.  This does not mean that important information will be lost.  It just means that libraries need to keep up with the times and simplify things as they embrace changing technology. 

Online dictionaries- lesson 4

In this lesson our instructor gave us two links to online dictionaries of library
terminology.  One is called ODLS http://lu.com/odlis/index.cfm.

This dictionary is very extensive.  I can’t imagine when I will encounter 75% of these words in my little elementary school library but it is still a great resource to have at hand.  I had no idea that running and organizing a library is a science and there are/were some very specific ways of managing the library and books.  Like any field you need to know the language to be able to function in it.

Here are a few of the words that I found to be quite interesting!

Nap: In the context of manuscript production, the slight texture on writing material that causes the nib of the pen to grip the surface and allows the ink to sink in.  Because the parchment and vellum sheets used by medieval scribes tended to be greasy, the surface had to be prepared by rubbing it with an abrasive substance called pounce to raise the nap before the work of copying commenced. Synonymous with tooth.

Netiquette: A neologism formed by shortening the phrase network etiquette. The rules of civility and good manners that apply to communication via the Internet, an environment in which the visual cues available in face-to-face communication and the auditory cues perceptible in voice communication are lacking. Click here to connect to Virginia Shea's Netiquette Home Page. See also: e-mail, flame, shouting, and smiley.

Scrinium: A container in the shape of a cylinder with a removable lid, used by the ancient Romans for storing manuscripts in the form of scrolls. See also: capsa.

Wallet: A style of limp leather binding in which the lower cover of the book extends beyond the sections in a flap, as wide as the fore-edge, that folds over and is fastened by a clasp or a tongue designed to fit into a slot in the upper cover. See also: flap binding.

Widow: A dangling word or phrase or line shorter than one-third the specified line length, at the end of a paragraph, especially when it falls at the head of a column or page of text matter, considered awkward by typographers and eliminated in typesetting whenever possible. See also: orphan.

It would be fun to do a dictionary activity with elementary students of all grades.  I find that students are so lazy to use the dictionary that this would force them to browse the pages of the dictionary to find some interesting and exotic words!  Another interesting activity would be to create a class dictionary of words and expressions that they use in class or amongst themselves.  I remember when I was in elementary school we had a language of our own!

The second link is a glossary.  It is a much shorter list and I think if I’m familiar with most of these words I should have enough of the library lingo to survive.  Here is the link http://www.infopeople.org/training/past/2006/beyond/bcc_glossary.pdf

This activity has helped me open my eyes to how vast library world is.  I started my job knowing very little and now I feel that I know even less! J I’m starting to worry a little bit as we start talking more and more about cataloguing. It seems that we need to include so much information for each book so that it can be properly accessed. How will I ever find the time?! I'm also starting to think about all the cataloguing I've done so far in the last few months...I should have included much more information! Oh, well.... live and learn!

Search Engines and Directories

 

This week was a bit of a challenge for me.  I have been dragging my feet and trying to avoid doing the assignments because it seemed too daunting to me.  There is quite a bit of info out there about search engines and directories and I found it a bit overwhelming.  This got me thinking about my students.  They must feel the same way when they sit down to do research on the internet.  For any given topic they will find thousands of sites and not understand most of it!  That’s why it is SO important for teachers and TLs to help students navigate through the web.

As I mentioned on the discussion board the most valuable piece of information that I learned was about directories.  What I find so valuable about DMOZ is that the sites seem to be “quality vs. quantity”.  For elementary students I think that this will be a very good start in learning how to do research online.  Learning about how to narrow their search will later help them in using search engines.  I definitely plan on teaching the students how to use directories and about categories and sub categories. 

I also think a TL needs to have a solid website with many links that can help students with all aspects of their learning.  The most important info for research is recommending a few good kid friendly search engines. I think that they rely too much on Google when there are some good search engines that can narrow down the search and eliminate many irrelevant sites.  These two sites offer a comprehensive list of kid search engines.

http://searchenginewatch.com/2156191

http://ivyjoy.com/rayne/kidssearch.html

Here are some in French for those that teach French Immersion

http://82.66.132.140/portailjeunes/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=255&catid=2&Itemid=12

In the few short months that I’ve been a TL, I have definitely been wondering how I was going to help students and teachers navigate the web when I myself am not that proficient at it.  The biggest problem I have right now is finding good French websites that are not too difficult for students to understand.  Many teachers at my school simply ask the students to do the research at home and don’t give much guidance.  Someone mentioned in the discussion group that there should be some pro-d for TL’s and teachers.  I think this would be a fantastic help.  Until there is some pro-d available I will have to become the “expert” for the staff and students. Yikes!

After having explored the differences between search engines and directories I find with the little information that I have understood and acquired this week, I could already be of help to the students and teachers.  I’m not sure I’ll ever have a “mastery of search engine anatomy” but at least I have a starting point. 

Digital Media and Access

Better access in my library is something that I’m currently working on.  I have started by moving the books that are designated for Kindergarten and gr. 1 students.  Since I work in a French Immersion school it’s very important that the younger students have easier books set aside for them.  Previously the librarian was placing books on tables for them to choose from.  I feel that they are old enough to learn how to choose books from the shelves.  A parent found a low bookshelf and now all the easier French books are at the level of the younger students.  A large bookshelf was also moved to provide better flow and allow for less congestion. 

I have taken some time to try to provide better access with the physical aspect of the library but I have taken very little time to reflect on digital access.  There is not one point in the list of digital access that is fully met in my library.  There is so much I want to do and I have so many ideas however I just don’t have enough time since I work only 3 days a week.  I can hardly get a handle on maintaining the books, I’m not quite sure how I will be able to improve the digital access.  I guess like anything baby steps are in order. By the end of the year I would like to have a library website up and running.   I also plan on starting to use the computer lab to teach students how to look for books using OPAC and how to find good websites for their projects.  If I can accomplish all this by the end of the year I will be very happy with the progress!

I recently read an article in the Sun about Elsie Roy Elementary School in Vancouver.  They have really taken on the initiative of having technology at the center of teaching. In some classes all the students have Ipads, there are smart boards in many of the classrooms and library and they invite students to bring in their Ipods and other devices.  This approach is key in providing personalized learning which is what our students need.  Of course there’s always a question about budget but if some money is put aside on a yearly basis you could accomplish quite a bit in a few short years.

Having a digital library collection is the next step with meeting the growing needs of our students.  They already spend so much of their time online why not have access to resources 24/7?  What worries me the most about digital access is how students are left to explore and research on their own with very little guidance.  We send them out into the world of the internet to navigate websites and social networking sites with no life jacket.  In order for the students to be properly informed parents and teachers need to catch up with the fast pace of technology to help guide them.       

Information Age and Organization

I often hear about how we are in the "Information Age".  When I reflect on my teaching I see that I'm not in the information age at all.  In the last 10 years I have made very little effort to increase my knowledge of technology and incorporate it into my teaching. Technologically speaking 10 years is far far too long!  At least I have some consolation in knowing that I'm not the only one to blame for my shortcomings.  The school district that I worked for over the last 9 years is also partly to blame.  There never seemed to be any money to improve things.  My colleagues also rejected any technological advance that was proposed...even simple things like communication through email.  Things are improving but we're already so behind that I'm not quite sure how we can catch up!  At least now people seem more aware of the need to keep up for the sake of our students.  Now that I'm working in an Independent school with a principal who is pushing hard to make many improvements in regards to technology, I have a real opportunity to step up and get with the program! I'm hoping that this course will help me get on the right path and give me the push that I need to be a leader in technology. 
Can we truly have a strong Library Program in a poorly organized school library? 
This question has stuck with me all week while at work.  I think that overall my library is quite well organized considering the space limitations.  However there are still many improvements that I can make.  I took over a library that was run by a library tech for the last 20 years.  She has done a good job in maintaining the collection however there is definitely some room for improvement.  I look forward to learning more in this course that will help me figure out where I should start.  In looking at the CASL document I'm not only reminded of the importance of organization in all areas of the library but also all the responsibilities that I have.  The fact that there are so many doesn't surprise me since as a teacher I always had so many roles and responsibilities.  Now I still have most of the roles of a teacher and have to add on all the new roles of a teacher-librarian.  It's quite overwhelming for someone just starting in this field.  As a teacher-librarian you have to be extremely organized to be able to take on the roles and responsibilities that this article outlines.  I'm not anywhere near that level of organization.  As I write this I'm thinking of my 3 drawer filing cabinet that is a big mess...it's my dumping station...every time I open a drawer I cringe! Hopefully by the end of the year I'll be able to organize my physical space...as far organizing my thoughts that could take even longer!
 In trying to stay organized the biggest challenge this year has been organizing the schedule and trying to get the teachers familiar with a teacher librarian as opposed to a library tech.  I just can't seem to get everything done in three days.  I have a pile of books in boxes waiting to be catalogued.  I manage to see all 9 classes each week and do book exchange for 3 of them.  I have a teacher's assistant doing book exchange for the remainder of the classes.  However he's not able to shelve all the books so I end up doing half of that.  I can't imagine what I'd do if I was in a larger school.  I'm trying to focus on the most important aspects of my job and I'm hoping it will all get done!  It's going to be an interesting 6 months!