Mail List Discussion: Open Discussion

Karen M. Drabenstott
Associate Professor
School of Information
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092 USA
Voice: 1-734-763-3581
Fax: 1-734-764-2475
karen.drabenstott@umich.edu

Many thanks to Margaret Hedstrom and Elizabeth Yakel for their efforts leading our most recent discussion of reinventing archival education. Our hats off to the both of you. Thanks so much.

Since the New Year, we have had a continuous stream of new topics and discussions. We have exhausted almost all scheduled discussions to date with the following discussions yet to come:

• "Doctoral Education," guest editor: Gary Olson, June 16-29
• "Surveying User Needs," guest editor: Anne Abate, June 30-July 13

1. What topics are on your mind and would benefit from the CRISTAL-ED electronic discussion group?
2. What are alternatives to our present format of guest editors introducing new topics, keeping the discussion on track, and summarizing them?
3. What types of topics interest you, the CRISTAL-ED subscribers? What types turn you off?
4. Why are so few CRISTAL-ED subscribers involved in discussions?
5. How can we get more members actively involved in discussions?

Maurita Holland
Lecturer, and Assistant to the Dean for Academic Outreach
School of Information
The University of Michigan
304 West Hall
550 East University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092
mholland@umich.edu

The School of Information at the University of Michigan is offering three continuing education workshops in its Internet Institute Series this summer. The workshops are open to all students and information professionals who are interested in enhancing their skills. All institutes are taught by faculty and graduate-level students of the University of Michigan and guest speakers.

The workshops are:

• "Art in the Streets: Capturing Live Events on the Web." The workshop, from July 24-26, will use the Ann Arbor summer art fairs as its backdrop to teach participants how to capture images and sounds from the fairs and place them on the World Wide Web. Registration is $250.
• "Building Partnerships: Collaborative Technologies for Libraries." This workshop, cosponsored by the University Library, will run August 1-2. Libraries of all types seek methods to use new and developing networking technologies to provide access to electronic information and to work together. This institute combines theory and practice to provide the rationale, foundation, and vision for collaborative programs among libraries. It includes a panel discussion at and a tour of the new U-M Media Union. The institute emphasizes emerging electronic networked technologies that enable and facilitate this collaboration. Registration is $150.
• "Virtual Reference Desk and Collection Development at the Internet Public Library." The workshop, from August 14-16, is a specialized, three-day program for librarians and information professionals of all kinds. Those who are interested in using Internet-based information resources to better serve their users or integrating these resources more easily into their current environment will benefit from this institute. Registration is $250.

The user services track focuses on methods of and issues involved in setting up an Internet-based service, soliciting and refining user queries, strategies for using Internet resources in responding to queries, education of users, policies, evaluation of resources, and integration with traditional services.

The collections track focuses on the evaluation, selection, organization, design, and management and maintenance of collections of Internet resources, similarities and differences to print and other digital collections, integration with traditional collections, and related issues (e.g., censorship policies and access restrictions).

Both tracks will feature instruction and guidance from staff members of the Internet Public Library, substantial time for hands-on exploration and development, and the opportunity to create collaborative relationships with others grappling with similar issues.

To register for any of the workshops or to obtain a brochure, call Beth Jakub at (734) 764-2648. A full description of the Internet Institute Series is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.si.umich.edu/hp/ai/institute.html.

Professor Judith Elkin
School of Information Studies
University of Central England
Birmingham, UK B42 2SU
Voice: +44 (0)121 331 5619
Fax: +44 (0)121 331 5675
Kay.Flatten@uce.ac.uk

New developments in network technology offer both threats and challenges for academic library staff and their customers. The current landscape in British universities is marked with unevenness and incompatibility in desktop computing access to external networks.

Windows-based Internet access via Netscape and E-mail are the common denominators at present. These are not yet satisfactory document delivery mechanisms; however, developments are rapid in these important areas.

These rapid technological developments continue to overshadow the accompanying cultural change. Academic and library staff and their managers struggle to find money and time to stay abreast of IT changes.

TAPin is part of the Training and Awareness strand of eLib. The focus is regional; however, TAPin aims to bring the outputs of other eLib projects to the attention of librarians, academics and strategic planners in a diverse range of universities. The experiences of this infusion will be disseminated globally to others facing similar technical and cultural changes in the future.

Interim Report

Seven months into the TAPin project a report is available, including the results of an IT Infrastructure Audit of the hardware, software, and network access of 16 subject departments (covering Education, Law and Life Sciences) and six university library and information services.

The report also highlights 200 interviews with academic staff and focus groups of strategic planners. Significant differences were found between types of universities and subject areas in how they perceive, access and use information services and networks.

Orders for copies of the report are welcome. The cost is free to eLib projects, 5 pounds to other UK universities, 6.50 pounds plus postage to all others. Orders must be pre-paid. A summary of the report will be linked to the TAPin home page sometime this summer.

Findings from the report include:

• Librarians need training on network skills in order to feel confident in skill transfer to staff.
• Once trained these librarians may be unsure how to support academics in this skill transfer and learning support. Managers may need to help librarians understand their new roles.
• Funding may make universities at risk of not being able to embrace the culture change.
• Staff want time efficient, subject specific support. For them, it is a time/benefit equation.
• Culture change will be inhibited if IT performance is unfriendly, confusing or has a steep learning curve.
• The beliefs that academics+ ages and phobias are barriers to learning IT are not true; however, their vision of the future is limited.
• Criticisms about IT are well grounded in past experiences and in how staff value time.

Karen M. Drabenstott
Associate Professor
School of Information
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092 USA
Voice: 1-734-763-3581
Fax: 1-734-764-2475
karen.drabenstott@umich.edu

1. What topics are on your mind and would benefit from the CRISTAL-ED electronic discussion group?
2. What are alternatives to our present format of guest editors introducing new topics, keeping the discussion on track, and summarizing them?
3. What types of topics interest you, the CRISTAL-ED subscribers? What types turn you off?
4. Why are so few CRISTAL-ED subscribers involved in discussions?
5. How can we get more members actively involved in discussions?

If you are pondering a difficult topic, researching a dissertation, planning to write a journal article, or just thinking about the current state of affairs, the CRISTAL-ED list membership might help you think through your topic.

We need topic suggestions to discuss as a group and for volunteers to step forward to accept the guest editor role. Of course we could always change our present format of two-week topic discussions led by guest editors. But we need suggestions, comments, thoughts, ideas, and just about anything to get our discussion rolling. Please take a few moments driving or riding home tonight and think about how you could contribute to this electronic group discussion. Thanks. Looking forward to your suggestions.

Anne K. Abate
Doctoral Candidate
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
abate@scis.nova.edu

One of the reasons we are not seeing more participation may be due to the daunting quality of some of the discussions. There is a lot of research and thought that goes into many of these postings. While I enjoy and appreciate this effort, many people may not have the time to construct such careful arguments. Perhaps we should also encourage brief comments from more users (although I have no solution for actually doing this) or a mixture of formats.

It might also be interesting to bring in guest editors from different fields to get some cross-pollination going. Just as an example we could get law professors to write about copyright, computer scientists to write about the future of software development, or communications experts to write about the changes in communication due to email and the Internet. I'd be happy to help to recruit such types if anyone else is interested.

Is everyone on break or something?

Kitti Canepi
Outreach Librarian
Mohave County Library District
Kingman, Arizona
kcanepi@mohave.lib.az.us

There is one topic of interest to myself, and possibly others, that I might propose: How do you provide library service to distance-education students? I am a former distance student myself, here in Arizona, and know that Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona take similar but slightly different approaches. I would be interested in learning what takes place in other states. Academic libraries have to look at providing services, and public libraries have to look at how their collections and services may be used to augment what the academic libraries may or may not be able to provide. There also is an issue of how larger institutions work with smaller local institutions; for example, when local community colleges host university classes, what arrangements are made for who provides what? How much of a collection is locally provided versus what can be borrowed from the "home" library? How much of a role does electronic access play in providing these services?

Since I am a more recent subscriber, I don't know if this topic has already been visited, or if so, how long ago. It seems that popular topics (such as the "virtual" library?) could be revisited every two-three years with additional, or even unique, information being shared each time, if only among the newer subscribers.

Well, there's my two cents worth.

Kay Flatten
TAPin Project Manager
University of Central England
Birmingham, UK B42 2SU
Kay.Flatten@uce.ac.uk

I am part of an UK programme called eLib. It is an Electronic Libraries Initiative which has over 100 funded projects working on networked information products and services involving HE libraries.

I have attended strategic planning meetings at four universities involving library and computing services (separate and converged) committees. I have found it most interesting that the members of the committees come from university departments, e.g., finance, student records, computing, library, etc. They all seem to focus on their own needs and use of the campus network.

I have found none which speak to teaching and learning across networks. They seem to be looking at "laying the wires and doing the day's business."

To me there is very little strategic thinking going on in these meetings, yet they all have the words "strategy" and/or "policy" in their names. If it isn't occurring there, then where is it happening?

I have been sent some URLs about strategy. I confess I haven't reviewed all of them.

U.S.:

http://www.benton.org/KickStart/nation.home.html

http://istweb.syr.edu/Project/Faculty/McClure-Network/TOC.html

UK and Australia

Collected from work by:
Maureen Saunderson
Operations and Training Manager
Academic Computing and Media Services
University of Wales Swansea
Swansea SA2 8PP
Wales, U.K.
Voice: 01792 295565
Fax: 01792 295700
M.A.Saunderson@swansea.ac.uk

From:
Steve Condliffe (S.Condliffe@bristol.ac.uk)
University of Bristol's IT Learning Strategy
http://www.cse.bris.ac.uk/help/docs/policies/itls.htm

And a review document -- 18 months old at:
http://www.bris.ac.uk/Committees/ISAC/13-2-95/i-94-16.htm

Paul Salotti from Newcastle supplied:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/admin/itindex.htm

Colin MacLean from rgu.ac.uk supplied a Queensland link:
http://www.qut.edu/library/Policies/policies.html

Francis Allen supplied Edinburgh's strategy location:
http://www.ucs.ed.ac.uk/EUCS/ecits.html

http://www.niss.ac.uk/education/jisc/pub/

Karen M. Drabenstott
Associate Professor
School of Information
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1092 USA
Voice: 1-734-763-3581
Fax: 1-734-764-2475
karen.drabenstott@umich.edu

1. Ethnocentrism permeates our profession beginning with cataloging, through acquisitions, indexing, reference services or just plain the availability of libraries and information services. What impact does it have on library use or prospective use? How should we address ethnocentrism in library education, library operations, and library use?
2. Libraries are being forced by budget cuts to generate income. Traditional means such as bookshops, document reproduction services, etc., may evolve into web authoring/web services, bureau information services, page charges for document downloads. What libraries have engaged in income-generating schemes? What types of schemes have you put in place, how have they been accepted by the library community, how successful have they been, etc.?
3. Should library schools focus on particular forms of librarianship? For example, one school would choose to be the best in the country for school and children's librarianship, another would choose to focus on research and academic librarianship, and the like.
4. Encouraging coloring outside the lines -- how do we help the profession to get more creative and be risk takers (I know someone will say, "but if we do, they'll just get jobs in places where they won't be allowed to use it...") well, if we create strong ones and/or enough of them, they'll have an impact on the profession.
5. Advanced study beyond the MLS -- should it be related to what the individual needs to learn relating to the advanced assignment? For example, should a public library director study public administration, an academic library director study for a doctorate in a subject field in addition to completing a University Management Programs offered by "B" Schools?
6. How much technology does a librarian need to know? A few institutions are merging library and computing functions. How much technology is too much? How much technology is too little? Where's the line? Where are library schools drawing the line? Is it too conservative? (topic covers hardware, software, AND communications)
7. Facilitating/group process -- What are/should library schools be doing to prepare students to become group facilitators -- an important skill for most librarians?
8. How can we improve communication between library schools and us practitioners out here?
9. With so many computing professionals and librarians moving into each other's roles, some people have asked me... "What the #$%^+ is a computing professional anyway!?!" I have a feeling that there is a discussion behind this question...
10. How can library schools help us (library practitioners and administrators) with the issues of minority recruitment, minority retention, and the broader topic of diversity in the workplace?
11. What would be the value to the students if LIS faculty were required to periodically required to work in a library/information setting? (kinda like a work sabbatical) (I bet this one doesn't fly, but just as a librarian I think it would be interesting to hear some of the comments...).
12. Serving disadvantaged populations in an electronically impoverished environment.
13. Does human-computer interaction (HCI) belong in a future-oriented curriculum for educating information professionals?
14. What is electronic information publishing and does it belong in a future-oriented curriculum for educating information professionals?

We still have NO topics scheduled beyond July 13. Please help ensure the future of our electronic mail discussions. Thanks.

Larry Retzack
larry_retzack@ccmail.odedodea.edu

The U.S. Dept. of Defense Dependents Schools use distance ed via a cc:mail system that is essentially an E-mail format. I know of at least one student at a very small high school in Germany who took calculus via distance ed. The DoDDS schools have used National Geographic's Kits Net distance ed service for some years now, and with the explosion of Web home pages, it's possible to communicate varying forms of educational exchange with schools almost anywhere.

There is also distance ed course work for staff dealing, as one might expect, with subjects such as Internet. The cc:mail resource permits teachers worldwide to subscribe to such offerings. My general impression so far is that the staff classes are less than totally successful. That may be due, at least partly, to some of the very issues Kitti addressed; e.g., who supplies what to whom, etc. I've been told that course materials sent via "snail mail" (read USPS) often arrive too late to use or not at all, essentially making what goes on in cyberspace virtually useless reality which, of course, is ironic when one considers the absolutely incredible amount of materials and resources available on the Net.

DoDDS ongoing and increasing funding commitment to computer literacy, technological applications to learning in general and the NET in particular, make me confident that the burgeoning electronic media are going to increasingly become a very important part of almost every school, academic, public, and special library environment.

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