“Discovery” focus as an impetus for organizational learning

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries\u27 focus on the concept of discovery and the tools and processes that enable our users to find information began with an organizational review of the Libraries\u27 Technical Services Division. This article outlines the phases of this review and subsequent planning and organizational commitment to discovery. Using the theoretical lens of organizational learning, it highlights how the emerging focus on discovery has provided an impetus for genuine learning and change

Moving through fear: A conversation with Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Prior to its release in August 2010, Susan Campbell Bartoletti\u27s newest book, They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group (2010), received an incredibly positive response in the form of starred reviews from School Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher\u27s Weekly, Horn Book, and Kirkus Reviews. Through her impeccable research and ability to weave a compelling story out of the place where darkness and light smack up against each other (Bartoletti & Zusak, 2008), she has made it possible for children and young adults to access and understand the horror of the Third Reich in Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler\u27s Shadow (2005), famine in Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine (2001), and child labor in Kids on Strike! (1999) and Growing Up in Coal Country (1996). Richie Partington (2010), in his Richie\u27s Pick review of They Called Themselves the K.K.K., writes It is, of course, through reading a book like this -- and understanding the Why? -- that we gain the insight necessary to help stop the flames of hatred and fear from spreading in whatever direction they next travel. We had the occasion to talk with Susan shortly after she turned in the manuscript for They Called Themselves the K.K.K., and she graced us with her delightful sense of humor and answered questions about her writing process and body of work -- a perfect fit with this issue\u27s theme: literature that promotes healing, compassion, and activism. You can find out more about Susan at her website, http://www.scbartoletti.com

Of Wondrous Places and “Benevolent Neglect”: An Interview with Pam Munoz Ryan

With her recent book, Paint the Wind (2007), hitting the shelves this fall, author Pam Munoz Ryan delivers a welcome addition to the 25 plus books she has written for young people, including her award-winning novels Esperanza Rising (2000) and Riding Freedom (1998) and picture books Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride (1999) and When Marian Sang (2002). With sense of place as the focus, this article presents an interview with Ryan about her thoughts on the place of imagination in her writing and in the lives of the readers she writes for; the place of history and research in her writing; the place of culture and identity in her life and in the lives of her characters; and a place for her books in the classroom and in the world of children\u27s literature

A Mother, a Teacher, Nancy Drew, and a U.N. Interpreter: The Aspirations of Deborah Wiles

In an interview, Deborah Wiles, a children\u27s book author and National Book Award finalist, discusses the new trilogy of novels she is writing based on the 1960s. Other topics discussed include balancing humor with seriousness, making connections between seemingly disconnected themes, striving to help young people make difficult choices, and honoring family in her stories

Research-based learning from the start: Developing undergraduate researchers

This presentation will: - Describe the Faculty Institute for Research-Based Learning in High Impact Classes at UNLV –Goals and curriculum –Examples of impact to date - Rough assessment of need to intentionally integrate research skills into curriculum at your institutions - Action plan focusing on potential collaborators at your institution

Stimulating moral reasoning in children through situational learning and children’s literature

In any elementary school classroom, a teacher will occasionally observe students involved in activities that seem neither honest nor ethical. What can teachers do to stimulate moral reasoning skills and principled attitudes in the elementary grades? This article suggests that situational learning is ideal for developing moral reasoning in today\u27s young learners. Situational learning allows students to choose their own situations and structure personalized outcomes that may or may not be predicted by the teacher. There are no right and wrong answers or anticipated outcomes; the process entails risk-taking and uncertainty, for teacher and students alike. Situational learning permits individuals to explore and express their own understanding as they apply new knowledge to their own socio-cultural context. The authors describe three effective teaching strategies for empowering students in situational learning experiences using moral dilemmas applicable throughout the social studies. Each strategy is described (briefly touching upon curriculum, instruction, and assessment), while incorporating selected children\u27s literature. Teachers are encouraged to try these strategies, modify them to meet their own students\u27 needs and interests, and add their own selections of children\u27s literature. For each of the three strategies, an overview of the purpose, procedures, materials, and assessment of a situational learning activity is included. Situational learning can be used to examine civic decisions, economic dynamics, social geographic relationships, and historical events found throughout the social studies curriculum. (Contains 7 endnotes.

Fortifying the Pipeline: An Exploratory Study of High School Factors Impacting the Information Literacy of First-Year College Students

Information literacy—the ability to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (American Library Association [ALA], 1989, para. 3)—has been widely and increasingly cited as an essential competency for college success, for the workplace, and for life (Bruce, 1997; Eisenberg, 2008; Fitzgerald, 2004; Johnston & Webber, 2003; National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise, 2007; Obama, 2009; Rader, 2002). Information literacy best practice and standards state that students optimally develop this skill set through immersion in the research process—often and over time—and this proposition is also supported in the scholarly literature (ACRL, 2000; AASL & AECT, 1998; Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 1990; Stripling & Pitts, 1988; Kulthau, 1986; Irving, 1985). Additionally, best practice emphasizes that students further develop these skills through exposure to problem solving and higher-order thinking activities—a teaching style that best matches that of constructivist learning theory (ACRL, 2000). The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore the relationship between a sample of first-year college freshmen students’ high school experiences that are developmentally related to information literacy competency and their scores on the iSkills assessment, an assessment developed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which “tests the range of ICT literacy skills aligned with nationally recognized Association of Colleges & Research Libraries (ACRL) standards” (Educational Testing Service, 2011). A second purpose of this study was to develop a detailed understanding of how these high school factors influence students’ development of their information literacy competency. Participants in the study were drawn from first-time college freshmen, who attended and graduated from high school (not home schooled) in 2011 and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the Fall 2011 semester. These students self-selected into a program designed for academic success. Ninety-three students were surveyed, took the iSkills assessment, and agreed to provide access to background data. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was utilized to predict how much of the variance in iSkills scores (dependent variable) can be explained by theoretical variables (independent variables of core GPA, number of honors classes, and number of research projects or assignments in high school), while controlling for demographic and other subject variables (i.e., gender, best language, ethnicity, and type of admission—alternate admit/exploring major). Thirteen of these students participated in a focus group or in-depth interview to explore how students from higher and lower level curricular tracks in high school describe their high school academic experiences related to the acquisition of higher-order information literacy skills. Through the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, four variables predictive of a significantly higher score on the iSkills assessment at the p \u3c .05 level were identified. Among background variables, a student’s best language, and to some extent, race, are significant predictors of his or her iSkills assessment score. Among the theoretically important variables, students’ cumulative core high school GPAs, as well as their curricular tracks (number of honors, etc. classes taken) explained a significant amount of the variance in students’ iSkills assessment scores. Through methods of qualitative data analysis five themes that shed further light on students’ high school academic experiences related to the acquisition of higher-order information literacy skills were identified. These themes are: the meaning of “research,” source of guidance, teacher pedagogy, factors affecting pedagogy, and college preparation. Differences in each theme were found between honors and non-honors-track students. Implications of these findings for theory, practice, and future research are discussed in the final chapter

Deans\u27 Panel: Digital Collections and Institutional Repositories

Three library deans/chief directors from public universities representing different sizes and missions will address how their unique places in their communities have influence the choices they make around digital collections and institutional repositories. Each panelist will share contextual information and an example of an initiative that reflects the needs of the defined community and furthers the libraries’ goals and values

Cooking up concept maps

Concept maps allow students to visually work through an idea for potentially useful search terms. A common roadblock students experience in the research process is identifying central concepts in their research questions and devising useful ways to reframe search terms. Concept mapping is one instructional strategy that can be used to help students better identify the central concepts in their research questions and expand on other ways these concepts are articulated in the literature

Whipping up the “Why Paper”: Inquiry into diverse perspectives

Students are introduced to various databases that provide access to alternative perspectives and to an advanced organizer designed to foster critical evaluation of sources. In a Valuing Cultural Diversity course, required for all undergraduate education majors, students are asked to write a Why paper to investigate and understand alternative perspectives, looking particularly at the perspectives of a cultural group different from their own