Examining the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on library makerspaces and LIS makerspace curricula

The paper will outline two synergistic analyses that engage with the themes of resilient futures and education: a case study on the pandemic’s impact on LIS makerspace course curricula that was quickly converted from face-to-face to remote learning, and a broader analysis that explores how makerspace information professionals in higher education have adapted their services in response to safety protocols and to the holistic needs of their user communities. This paper contributes both to the conversation of LIS curricula as it pertains to teaching and training upcoming information professionals for careers in makerspaces, while also contextualizing these adaptations within the larger changes that were implemented by academic library makerspaces in North Carolina

The Transformational Leadership Practices of National Board Certified School Librarians in North Carolina

This study describes a questionnaire survey of school librarians in North Carolina who have received advanced certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The survey was conducted to identify the transformational leadership practices of these school librarians and assess their ability to implement professional leadership guidelines. School librarians’ leadership practices were assessed using the Leadership Practices Inventory, 3rd Edition (LPI). School librarians perceived themselves as possessing a high level of transformational leadership in the five exemplary practices identified by the LPI: Modeling the Way (MTW), Inspiring a Shared Vision (ISV), Challenging the Process (CTP), Enabling Others to Act (EOA) and Encouraging the Heart (ETH). They perceived themselves as being very strong at MTW and EOA. They were less successful at ISV and CTP. Overall, they were very successful in implementing professional leadership guidelines. Successful implementation of these guidelines was highly correlated with ISV and CTP

WHERE’D YOU GET THOSE NIGHTCRAWLER HANDS? THE INFORMATION LITERACY PRACTICES OF COSPLAYERS

In a time of abundant information, misinformation, and disinformation, information literacy—the ability to find, evaluate, use, and share information—is a key competency for people of all ages. Traditional models of information literacy depict a universal set of skills that can only be learned via instruction from an information professional and must be used in a linear order. More recent models describe it as a set of fluid sociocultural practices that is unique to a particular context, shared by a group of people in that context, and able to be developed through both instruction and personal experience. One context in which information literacy has rarely been studied is that of the affinity space, an informal space—physical or digital—in which participants come together around a shared interest and learn. This qualitative research study investigates the information literacy practices of participants in the affinity space surrounding cosplay, a creative pursuit in which people dress up and roleplay as beloved characters from narratives such as television, video games, and comic books. The study used information horizon maps to ask participants to graphically depict themselves, the information sources they use for cosplay, and relationships between themselves and the resources, as well as relationships the resources have to each other. Through information horizon interviews, participants discussed specific cosplay-related information-seeking incidents and the resources and strategies they used to find the information they needed. Findings indicate that participants use a variety of resources, with all participants mentioning turning to other people for help. Participants also described using many different social media platforms, web-based resources, and events. Participants discussed the way they curate cosplay-related information and the role of trial-and-error in their information seeking process. Trial-and-error is not usually included in either traditional or recent sociocultural models of information literacy. This study suggests that future models should incorporate this part of the information-seeking process, especially when describing information-seeking and use in everyday life contexts rather than academic or professional contexts. This dissertation concludes with a set of recommendations for information literacy instructors to leverage interest-driven information literacy practices in formal educational environments.Doctor of Philosoph

Intelligence for Human-Assistant Planetary Surface Robots

The central premise in developing effective human-assistant planetary surface robots is that robotic intelligence is needed. The exact type, method, forms and/or quantity of intelligence is an open issue being explored on the ERA project, as well as others. In addition to field testing, theoretical research into this area can help provide answers on how to design future planetary robots. Many fundamental intelligence issues are discussed by Murphy [2], including (a) learning, (b) planning, (c) reasoning, (d) problem solving, (e) knowledge representation, and (f) computer vision (stereo tracking, gestures). The new "social interaction/emotional" form of intelligence that some consider critical to Human Robot Interaction (HRI) can also be addressed by human assistant planetary surface robots, as human operators feel more comfortable working with a robot when the robot is verbally (or even physically) interacting with them. Arkin [3] and Murphy are both proponents of the hybrid deliberative-reasoning/reactive-execution architecture as the best general architecture for fully realizing robot potential, and the robots discussed herein implement a design continuously progressing toward this hybrid philosophy. The remainder of this chapter will describe the challenges associated with robotic assistance to astronauts, our general research approach, the intelligence incorporated into our robots, and the results and lessons learned from over six years of testing human-assistant mobile robots in field settings relevant to planetary exploration. The chapter concludes with some key considerations for future work in this area

Intelligence for human-assistant planetary surface robots

Robots will require intelligence to succeed in the uncertain and changing environment on lunar and planetary surfaces. Even with humans directly involved in controlling such robots, individual robotic intelligence is still needed. In fact, robotic intelligence may be even more necessary in human-robot collaborative work than for robots operating alone. In addition to knowledge o

Effects of Teacher-Delivered Book Reading and Play on Vocabulary Learning and Self-Regulation among Low-Income Preschool Children

<p>There is a need for empirically based educational practices shown to support learning, yet validation tends to require a high degree of experimental control that can limit ecological validity and translation to classrooms. We describe our iterative intervention design to support preschoolers’ vocabulary through book reading coupled with playful learning, including the process of translating research-based methods to an authentic teacher-delivered intervention. Effectiveness of the teacher-implemented intervention was examined by comparing book reading alone versus book reading plus play in supporting vocabulary development in preschoolers (<i>N </i>= 227) from low-income families with diverse backgrounds. Teachers used definitions, gestures, and pictures to teach vocabulary. During play, teachers led play with story-related figurines while using target vocabulary. Ten teachers read books and engaged children in play (read + play [R + P]), and 6 used only book reading (read-only [RO]). For children in both the R + P and RO conditions, within-subjects analyses of gains on taught versus control words revealed large effects on receptive (R + P, <i>d </i>= 1.08; RO, <i>d </i>= 0.92) and expressive vocabulary (R + P, <i>d </i>= 1.41; RO, <i>d =</i>1.23). Read-only had a statistically significant effect (<i>d =</i> 0.20) on a standardized measure of receptive vocabulary, but there were no statistically significant differences between conditions. Moderate to large effects were found using an expressive task when words were tested 4 months after they were taught. Implications for curriculum design and the potential benefits of enhancing children’s vocabulary through book reading and playful learning are discussed.</p